Hamtramck gets ready for it annual Mardi Gras: Paczki Day
Expect plenty of live music, paczki and other festivities on Paczki Day next Tuesday.
By Charles Sercombe
You can already get a whiff of freshly fried paczki in the air.
And it’s only Friday, Feb. 28.
Hamtramck’s own national holiday, Paczki Day, is actually next Tuesday, March 4.
The festive weekend kicks off this Saturday, March 1, with the annual Paczki Run, brought to you by the folks from Tour de Troit.
Why would anyone think to put physical health and paczki together? Tour de Troit explains:
“The run before the big day (Fat Tuesday)! Feel better about eating those paczki, or run the route to scout out your favorite place to purchase them. The 5K route winds through Hamtramck, highlighting the city that boasts ‘the world in 2 square miles.’ After the race, paczek and beer are served to each finisher, and prizes for age group top finishers!”
For those unfamiliar, the run is held on these very streets of Hamtramck, and starts at 10 a.m. Before that, there’s plenty of people-seeing opportunities, and all sorts of hijinks at the strip mall parking lot located at Holbrook and Jos. Campau.
Never been? Just head over there and soak up some beer and paczki.
That, of course, is just a prelude to the main event on Tuesday – also known as Fat Tuesday the world over.
Yes, New Orleans owns that day, but Hamtramck has managed to carve out its own special niche.
Local bars and service halls will be serving up plenty of entertainment, and it’s worth it just to walk around town and enjoy the day.
Best yet, it looks like Old Man Winter is giving us a bit of a break. The weather report, as of Thursday, called for temps to be in the 40s.
We’re over the worst of winter. Time to celebrate.
For those seeking paczki, New Palace Bakery, on Jos. Campau and Yemans, is the last of the Polish bakeries in town.
Over at Conant and Caniff, there’s Family Donut also serving up the pastry treats – and better yet, no long lines.
And speaking of paczki, on Tuesday, PLAV Post 10 hall on Jos. Campau near Zinow will once again host a paczki eating contest at high noon.
Warning though: this event is not for the faint of heart, or those with queasy stomachs.
As usual, Hamtramck’s favorite party band, the Polish Muslims, will play once again spread their special sauce, first starting off at Ant Hall (2320 Caniff) from 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. There is a $10 donation for this show.
The PM’s then move on over to Whiskey in the Jar (2741 Yemans) from 2:30-5 p.m.
New Dodge bar is also back in action in the southend (on Jos. Campau near Roosevelt) and kicks things off early at 7 a.m.
The band Sunnyside Revival strikes up the music at 8:30 a.m., and they are followed by Peanut Butter Mosquito at 10:30 a.m.
Small’s bar at Caniff and Conant offers rowdy fun with a continuous line-up of bands, featuring East Side Elvis and the Motor City Mafia, Bill Kozy’s Rising Force and East Side Still Alive.
The bar also serves up what they call Paczki Bombs, which is an actual paczki filled with Jezy shots.
After one or two of those, you can belly up for Polish Fried Rice, Pierogi and Kielbasa.
Enjoy, folks!
Posted Feb. 28, 2025
