Community Events

Summer hours start on May 1! Gates will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. through September 15. 

Join us for a mid-day Grief Walk led by grief coach and death educator Kristy Bishop. Monday, May 18 at 1 p.m. — walk starts at the gatehouse.

Kristy says: 

"Grief doesn’t always need more words. It often needs space to move.

These walks are designed for anyone carrying loss, change, or emotional weight. You do not need to have a loved one buried at the cemetery or a specific reason for attending.

Each walk includes light guidance, time for personal reflection, and the option to be in quiet community with others. There is no pressure to share or participate in any particular way.

Benefits of a grief walk:

• Gentle movement can help regulate the body and reduce emotional overwhelm
• Walking supports processing when thoughts or feelings feel stuck
• Being in a shared space can reduce the isolation that often comes with grief
• The environment offers a natural place for reflection and perspective

This is not a therapy session, but a grounded, structured space to be with your experience, however it shows up." 

This event is free, but please sign up here. 

Elmwood Cemetery has been integrated since its founding in 1846, making it one of the oldest integrated cemeteries in the Midwest and a rich site of Detroit’s Black heritage. Join Jamon Jordan, Official Historian for the City of Detroit, for a captivating walking tour as he shares stories from 200 years of Black history. From abolitionists William Lambert and George DeBaptiste to Mayor Coleman Young and Martha Jean “The Queen” Steinberg, we’ll visit notable Black leaders, luminaries, activists, entrepreneurs, artists and more who made Detroit the city it is today. It's May 23 at 11 a.m. This tour is free, but please sign up here!

Thousands of service members are buried at Elmwood going all the way back to the Revolutionary War. Elmwood is also the site of a Civil War soldiers lot and a Firemen's Fund Memorial and burial lot where the Detroit Firemen's Fund hosts a biannual Memorial Day remembrance event. On May 24 at 10 a.m., we'll visit the graves of service members, firefighters and police officers who died in the line of duty, share stories about the history of Detroit's police and fire departments, and learn about the origin and evolution of Memorial Day.

Historic Elmwood Foundation Director Amy Elliott Bragg co-leads this tour with Bill McGraw, a journalist in Detroit for more than 50 years, mainly at the Free Press. He is the creator of The Detroit Almanac and "The Quotations of Mayor Coleman A. Young" and covered the fire department when he worked at the Freep. This free tour will last about 2 hours, mostly on paved roads, but there will be some gentle hills and we will venture onto the grass. Sign up here.

Our office will be closed in observance of the Memorial Day holiday, but our gates will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. We welcome visitors to stop outside the office and take a carnation or a flag for your loved one's grave. 

Elmwood is a proud partner of the fifth annual Camp Ward Juneteenth Celebration, held at the historic site where Michigan's 102nd U.S. Colored Troops trained during the Civil War. This free, family-friendly event features a living history museum with reenactors, storytellers, live music, dance, crafts for kids, and more. Hosted by the Camp Ward Juneteenth Celebration Committee, the event honors the legacy of Black soldiers and Detroit's role in the fight for freedom. 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. at 2715 Macomb St., Detroit, MI 48207. Join us beforehand for a Juneteenth tour of Elmwood at 10 a.m. — more details to come.   

Join the Detroit Bird Alliance and the Historic Elmwood Foundation for a birding walk at the cemetery! This is a great field trip for birders of all ages and experience levels. Walk the grounds as we identify the species we see throughout the cemetery and discuss bird migration, habitats and a few Elmwood history highlights. Tours begin at 8:30 a.m. Bring your own binoculars, or Detroit Bird Alliance will have some on-hand to borrow. We'll meet up in the chapel after the walk for refreshments and discussion. Register with the Detroit Bird Alliance here.