North America’s Largest Halal Rib Festival Is Landing in Dearborn This Weekend

Halal Ribfest — the largest festival in North America that centers the art of halal barbecue beef ribs — is making its U.S. debut this weekend, September 29 through October 1 at Fairlane Town Center, 18900 Michigan Avenue, in Dearborn. Founded in 2023 in Toronto, the event is nearing the close of its 20-city tour through Canadian and the U.S. cities over the next several weeks. The Dearborn festivities will include dozens of vendors from throughout metro Detroit selling ribs, other halal-friendly cuisine, and culturally relevant products. The festival was organized by the Eventzilla Group to fill a void in halal offerings at food-focused events. Single-day tickets start at $5 ($3 for children under 18) and group and multi-day packages are also available. “Rib Fest[s] [are] a staple event that happen in Canada and [the] U.S. There like 30 or 50 of them that happen every summer in different different cities and until last year, not a single one offered halal options for ribs,” event organizer Reema Siddiqi told Eater. “Depending on the city, there were very [minimal] options, even as an attendee, to get something [that abides by halal tradition] from a food truck. So it’s just changing the definition of what an inclusive event looks like — whether it’s just part of Canadian or U.S. culture — we wanted to do an event where the Muslim community could come and it’s kind of something where you’re invited to the party, where you actually feel like you belong there because you can partake in everything.” Nightmare on Bagley The bar at 2545 Bagley — the former home of Bagley Central that more recently has served as a pop-up spot under various holiday themes — is getting a Halloween makeover. Beginning Wednesday, September 27 through Sunday, November 4, the spot will be known as Nightmare on Bagley, featuring a seasonally inspired drink menu, ghoulish decor, and a frightening musical playlist. Owner In-Laws Hospitality previously transformed the space into the Christmasy Blitzen’s on Bagley and Vixen’s on Bagley for the Valentine’s Day season. The bar is open 5 p.m. to 11 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday.