Detroit City Council members approved an ordinance to extend a curfew for minors during the 2026 Ford Fireworks.
The curfew begins at 8 p.m. on Monday, June 22 — when the fireworks display is slated to take place — and is for unaccompanied minors 17 years old and under. The ordinance request is not new to this year, though the early curfew was set amid the so-called “teen takeovers.”
“This is only in the spirit of safety,” Detroit Police Department’s First Assistant Chief Franklin Hayes told council members on June 16.
Speakers during public comment at a committee hearing on June 15 said young people shouldn’t be excluded — a concern echoed by some council members the following day when the matter came before the body for a vote. The emergency ordinance passed 6-2.
District 7 Council Member Denzel Anton McCampbell and At-Large Council Member Mary Waters opposed the ordinance. Other council members voiced their support for the curfew because they said it protects residents.
Young people are welcome, Hayes told council members this week, as long as they are accompanied by a responsible adult, defined by the city as someone who is 21 years old or older.
The early curfew will be enforced from 8 p.m. on Monday, June 22 through 6 a.m. on Tuesday, June. Minors can view the fireworks from any approved public area, but a parent, legal guardian or other responsible adult must accompany them, according to a news release. Minors can travel to and from school, work, church or an organized activity.
The curfew applies to the area bound by the Detroit River, Third Street, the Lodge Freeway (M-10), the Fisher Freeway (Interstate 75), the extension of I-75 east of Gratiot Avenue, Gratiot Avenue, Vernor Highway, Chene Street, Atwater Street and the Aretha Franklin Amphitheater.
The designated public viewing areas include: Hart Plaza, Spirit Plaza, the Erma Henderson Park and Belle Isle (though viewing from the MacArthur Bridge is not allowed).
Hayes told council members that the emergency ordinance is meant to be a tool of deterrence and that DPD would not be walking around profiling youth.
Minors who violate the curfew will be taken to the Coleman A. Young Recreation Center, located at 2751 Robert Bradby Drive, and will be held there until a parent or guardian picks them up. The parent or guardian will get a “parental responsibility violation ticket,” and face a fine of $250 for the first time and $500 for a repeat offense, according to the city. The phone number for the rec center is 313-628-0995.
Last year, 156 juveniles were cited for violating the curfew in addition to 126 parents, according to Detroit police. Two people were the victims of gun violence in the viewing area. In 2024, 18 juveniles were cited, 18 parental responsibility tickets were issued and two young people were found to be illegally carrying a firearm.
Free Press staff writer Dana Afana contributed to this report.
Reach reporter Nushrat Rahman at nrahman@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit City Council approves early curfew for 2026 Ford Fireworks
Reporting by Nushrat Rahman, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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By Nushrat Rahman, Detroit Free Press | USA TODAY Network
