Dally in the Alley returns Saturday with six stages and a 12-hour schedule

The Cass Corridor street fair, free and sponsorship-free since 1978, runs 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on September 12. Here is the full schedule and what to know before you go.

Detroit Community Thrive  ·  September 10, 2026

Dally in the Alley returns to the Cass Corridor this Saturday, with programming on six stages running from late morning until 11 p.m. The festival has been held on the Saturday after Labor Day since 1978 and is organized by volunteers from the North Cass Community Union.

The event takes no sponsorships. According to the festival's FAQ, proceeds from beer sales, merchandise and tips fund the following year's festival, and organizers ask attendees for donations to keep admission free.

Five music stages — the Dally Stage, Alley Stage, Garden Stage, Patio East and Patio West — carry 56 sets between them. The Community Stage adds 10 sessions, mixing performance with participatory programming: yoga, the Cass Tech Chamber Strings, the dog show, button-making, tango, street dance, a hustle lesson, a set from Ziam, a drag show and a closing DJ set.

Music starts at 11 a.m. on Patio East and Patio West with Michelle Wolf and Ginger Snap. The Garden and Community stages open at 11:15, and the Dally Stage follows at 11:30 with Night Sky Alumni.

Several evening sets carry familiar Detroit names. Miz Korona, who appears in the festival's published archive on the 2007 Dally Stage, returns at 8:30 p.m. with The Korona Effect, followed by Room 131 at 9:30 to close the main stage. On Patio West, house and techno programming runs through the evening: DJ Roach313 b2b Moses at 6, Detroit Techno Militia at 7, Andrea Ghita at 8 and Norm Talley closing at 9:30. Talley last appears in the archive on the 2008 Electronic Stage.

The Alley Stage and Patio East run latest, both with 10 p.m. sets — Legume and Raedy Lex, respectively.

Other returning performers include Baddie Brooks, who played the Dally Stage in 2023 and appears on the Alley Stage at 1 p.m.; Cullen Emadrey, an Alley Stage performer in 2019, now at 5:30 on the Dally Stage; and Tony Foster, who played Patio West in 2023 and returns to it at 3 p.m. An artist billed as DUANE D313 played the Alley Stage in 2019; a DUANE is scheduled there at 3 p.m. this year.

Full 2026 schedule

Times reflect the festival's lineup page as last updated the afternoon of September 10, and organizers have made changes as recently as this week. Stage performances may pause during severe weather. The festival also posts a live schedule at partysync.social/dally.

Getting there and parking

Parking is scarce. Metered street parking is available in the neighborhood but fills quickly, and organizers encourage rideshares or transit instead. Paid lots at nearby institutions are an option for anyone driving in from outside the city.

The festival's published site plan places the west entrance at 3rd and Forest and marks the Hancock ends, at both 3rd and Cass, as emergency exits. The FAQ on the same site lists the west entrance as 3rd and Hancock. Anyone heading for the west side should confirm on the festival's social channels before setting out.

For attendees with mobility disabilities, the festival recommends a rideshare or drop-off as close to an entrance as possible. The Cass & Forest entrance is inset from the street, which makes it the easiest place for a vehicle to pull in, though parking is not permitted there.

What you can bring

Weapons and outside alcohol are the only items strictly prohibited. Sealed water bottles and outside food are allowed. Security may check bags. Leashed pets are welcome — the Dally Dog Show runs at 1:30 on the Community Stage — though organizers note that crowds and volume can be hard on animals.

Most vendors and all beer and merchandise booths accept cards. There are no ATMs inside the festival grounds; nearby corner stores have them, and cash is still useful for smaller vendors and tips.

Kids Fair, merch and restrooms

The Kids Fair runs 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Forest just east of 2nd, with sidewalk chalk, face painting, balloons and games. Like the rest of the festival, it is free.

The main merchandise booth is open all day in the garage alongside an alley beer booth, next to the Garden Stage, west of 2nd. A second merch tent operates during the day in front of the festival office on 2nd Avenue just south of Forest. That office also handles lost and found.

Primary restrooms, including accessible units, are north of Hancock, with a second cluster east of 2nd near the Kids Fair. The FAQ describes the main location as the east alley; the site plan places it west of 2nd.

Schedule, hours and festival policies sourced from dallyinthealley.com/lineup and dallyinthealley.com/faq; site map drawn from the North Cass Community Union 2026 site plan. Past-year performer credits from the festival's published lineup archive, which covers 2001 onward. Detroit Community Thrive has no affiliation with the North Cass Community Union.