Ramadan in Dearborn: the Suhoor Festival, Ramadan Nights, and what the month looks like now

Why Dearborn, and why nights

Dearborn is the first Arab-majority city in the United States. The 2020 census counted 109,976 residents, 54.5 percent of them reporting Middle Eastern or North African ancestry. Lebanese families came for the Ford Rouge plant in the 1920s, Yemeni and Palestinian families in the 1960s and 70s, more Lebanese after 1975, and Iraqi and Syrian families from the 1990s on. Warren Avenue, running through East Dearborn, became the commercial heart of all of it.

During Ramadan the daily rhythm flips. Iftar at sunset, taraweeh prayers after, then the streets fill up. Suhoor, the pre-dawn meal, becomes a social event, and a city where thousands of people are awake and hungry at 1 a.m. will build something around that.

The Suhoor Festival, 2019

Hassan Chami, a Dearborn pharmacist, started the Ramadan Suhoor Festival in 2019. The first edition ran four weekends in May and June at the HYPE Athletics center on West Warren Avenue in Dearborn Heights, Fridays and Saturdays from 11:45 p.m. to 4 a.m. Ali Sayed, who owns the center, donated the space. More than 12,000 people came the first weekend alone for shawarma, frozen yogurt and cupcakes, Quran recitation, lantern lighting, and raffles for trips to Mecca and Karbala.

Chami's line to the Arab American News that year set the tone: "We are here to have a good time; we are here to unite, but we must remember this is the month of God."

The pause, and the comeback at Fairlane

COVID-19 cancelled the festival in 2020 and 2021. Organizers ran a "Ramadan Lights" home-decorating challenge instead.

It came back in April 2022 in the Sears parking lot at Fairlane Town Center, Fridays and Saturdays from 11 p.m. to 3 a.m., with 54 vendors, most of them from Dearborn and Dearborn Heights, a dollar at the door going to charity, and an expected 10,000 visitors a night.

2023 was the peak. Five enclosed, heated tents on more than 75,000 square feet of parking lot, 70-plus vendors, admission of five dollars a person or ten a family, and what organizers called record turnout, with out-of-state visitors filling nearby hotels. The same spring the City of Dearborn launched its own event, Ramadan Nights, on West Village Drive in downtown West Dearborn: fifteen food trucks picked from more than fifty applicants, bonfires and igloos, free admission, Thursday through Saturday from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m., and three to five thousand people a night. A third gathering, Ramadan Levantine, filled a heated tent on Auto Club Drive with Syrian food.

2024 to 2026: smaller, indoors, quieter

In 2024 Chami cancelled the festival because of the war in Gaza. "It's a very somber period, and I don't think it's right," he told the Arab American News. Mayor Abdullah Hammoud cancelled the city's Ramadan Nights "in respect for the community's grief" and instead published a list of businesses keeping late hours. Ali Sayed ran "Suhoor for Humanity" nights at HYPE with proceeds to Gaza relief.

In 2025 the festival and Ramadan Nights stayed suspended, with the wars in Gaza and Lebanon and a February Ramadan both cited. Chami ran a smaller Ramadan Village at The Canteen at Midtown near Fairlane, Fridays through Sundays from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m., two big tents and no stage, with dozens of food trucks and vendors. Dearborn and Dearborn Heights let restaurants, cafes and bakeries stay open past 2 a.m. for the month.

In 2026, with Ramadan starting February 18 in the deep cold, the Ramadan Village returned to The Canteen with 55 participating businesses, and the city's one official event was a community iftar on February 26.

What to expect in Ramadan 2027

Ramadan 2027 is expected to begin on February 8, so it will be another winter month. Based on the last two years:

• Late hours on Warren Avenue are the surest thing. Restaurants, cafes and bakeries along Warren, Schaefer and Michigan Avenue stretch into the early morning. Each sets its own schedule.
• Iftar buffets return across Dearborn restaurants. Book ahead for Fridays and the last ten nights.
• Ramadan Village or a similar tented gathering is likely but not announced. Watch the organizers' and the city's social accounts in January.
• The outdoor festival depends on the weather and the mood of the community. Nobody has promised it.

This page is updated as announcements land. The Ramadan 2027 dates page explains why the start date can still move by a day.

Sources (11)

1. arabamericannews.com/2019/06/10/ramadan-suhoor-festival-promotes-unity-and-diversity-among
2. arabamericannews.com/2020/04/23/community-organizations-host-first-ever-ramadan-lights-cha
3. arabamericannews.com/2022/04/08/ramadan-suhoor-festival-kicks-off-in-dearborn-on-april-8-a
4. arabamericannews.com/2023/02/24/three-ramadan-nights-activities-to-attract-thousands-of-vi
5. arabamericannews.com/2023/04/21/dearborns-suhoor-festival-and-downtown-ramadan-nights-conc
6. arabamericannews.com/2024/03/22/death-and-destruction-in-gaza-leave-local-muslims-little-t
7. arabamericannews.com/2025/02/21/ramadan-village-event-to-be-held-at-the-canteen-in-dearbor
8. arabamericannews.com/2025/03/07/local-arabs-and-muslims-celebrate-ramadan-religious-events
9. arabamericannews.com/2026/02/20/muslims-in-metro-detroit-welcome-winter-ramadan-with-short
10. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dearborn,_Michigan
11. theconversation.com/a-brief-history-of-dearborn-michigan-the-first-arab-american-majority-

Questions people ask

Is the Ramadan Suhoor Festival happening in 2027?

It has not been announced. The festival last ran in full in 2023. It was cancelled in 2024 because of the war in Gaza, and in 2025 and 2026 the organizers ran a smaller indoor Ramadan Village instead, citing the wars and the winter cold. Check this page and the organizers' social accounts in January 2027.

What time do Dearborn restaurants stay open during Ramadan?

During Ramadan 2025 the cities of Dearborn and Dearborn Heights allowed restaurants, cafes and bakeries to stay open past 2 a.m. Many run until 3 or 4 a.m. for suhoor, especially along Warren Avenue. Hours are set by each business, so check before you drive.

Where was the Suhoor Festival held?

The first edition in 2019 was at the HYPE Athletics center on West Warren Avenue in Dearborn Heights. In 2022 and 2023 it moved to the Sears parking lot at Fairlane Town Center in Dearborn. The Ramadan Village of 2025 and 2026 ran at The Canteen at Midtown, near Fairlane.