Community Events

Free public walking tours of Elmwood Cemetery are held every month from March to October. In April, we'll celebrate spring with a tour that gravestone symbolism, especially of plants and flowers in memorial art, in honor of spring. We'll also visit some gravesites of notable figures in Michigan's floral history. Sunday, April 21 at 10 a.m. Learn more and register here.

Elmwood Cemetery and Arboretum, the Historic Elmwood Foundation and students from Martin Luther King Jr. High School invite you to a celebration of Detroit trees on Arbor Day, Friday, April 26, 2024 at 1:30 p.m. Join us for an educational walk through the Arboretum, where we'll talk about notable tree specimens on the grounds and discuss the importance of trees for supporting wildlife and healthy communities and what climate change could mean for our tree canopy. The walk will conclude with a celebratory planting of a tree selected by King High School students. Learn more and register here. 

Extended hours for grounds access beginning May 1 are through September 15, 7 a.m. – 7 p.m.

Join us for a tour of Detroit's first certified Arboretum! You'll learn more about the history of Elmwood Cemetery, its landscape (Frederick Law Olmsted was here), and the 90+ species of trees in this serene, green oasis in the heart of the city. Certified master arborist Todd Fleishans co-leads this tour to share information about Elmwood's notable trees and teach some tree ID basics. Sunday, May 5 at 10 a.m. Learn more and register here.

Join the Detroit Bird Alliance and the Historic Elmwood Foundation for a birding walk at the cemetery. We will walk the grounds to identify the species we see throughout the cemetery and discuss bird migration, habitats and highlights of Elmwood's history. Tours begin at 8:30 a.m. Bring your own binoculars or Detroit Bird Alliance will have some on-hand to borrow. We will gather in the chapel following the walk for refreshments and discussion.

To register, visit the Detroit Bird Alliance's Eventbrite or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for more details.

Free public walking tours of Elmwood Cemetery are held every month from March to October. In May, we'll visit some of the many service members who are buried at Elmwood going back to the Revolutionary War and discuss the history of Memorial Day, once known as Decoration Day. Sunday, May 26 at 12 p.m. Learn more and register here.

Please stop outside the office and take a complementary carnation to adorn your loved one's grave.  Please only take one carnation per grave site. Supplies are limited. We hope our families will enjoy this meaningful sign of support and understanding.

Free public walking tours of Elmwood Cemetery are held every month from March to October. In June, we'll talk about maritime history at Elmwood — from shipbuilders and steamboat captains to the industrialists who shaped Detroit's riverfront and the people for whom the water was a road to freedom. Sunday, June 23 at 10 a.m. Learn more and register here.

Fall/Winter Hours begin. Grounds access from 8:30 – 4:00 daily.

Adorn your loved one’s grave with a wreath this winter. They are made from natural, freshly cut evergreen boughs decorated in seasonal colors. Wreaths are 18” in diameter with a beautiful all weather red bow and 5 pinecones, on a stand. Contact our office by calling 313/567-3453. Elmwood's grounds crew will place the wreath on your loved one's grave.

Join us for a tour of Detroit's first certified Arboretum in its autumn splendor! You'll learn more about the history of Elmwood Cemetery, its landscape (Frederick Law Olmsted was here), and the 90+ species of trees in this serene, green oasis in the heart of the city. Certified master arborist Todd Fleishans co-leads this tour to share information about Elmwood's notable trees and teach some tree ID basics. Sunday, October 6 at 10 a.m. Learn more and register here.Learn more and register here.

All are welcome to join the Elmwood community as Reverend Steven J. Kelly, Pastor of St. John’s Episcopal Church Detroit, leads a service to honor those who have passed away. A walking tour is available beginning at 9:00 a.m. at no charge for those who are interested. 

Elmwood's annual public Veterans Day celebration will be held in partnership with Detroit Public Schools and the Detroit Historic Civil War Society.

Join us as we honor those currently serving and those who have served our country. Special recognition is given to the members of the Civil War's USCT 102nd who was the first black troop to fight for the Union from Michigan.

More details to be confirmed in spring 2024.