Mapping Detroit: Where does techno live in the city?

The Detroit Electronic Music Festival (DEMF) -- maybe some of you now know it as Movement Detroit -- brings tens of thousands of people from around the world to the birthplace of techno. Many people think of the music festival as a limited series of performance stages in Hart Plaza downtown, but the festival sparks events, parties, and other interactions across the city.

Before and after the few days of the festival, however, those spots keep Detroit moving all year round, so we decided to look at which locations held the most parties and events related to Movement -- and by default, which ones keep the party going. 

Outside of Hart Plaza the top locations are:

1. Marble Bar (62)
2. Spot Lite (54)
3. Tangent Gallery (54)
4. TV Lounge (50)
5. City Club (49)
6. Lincoln Factory (47)
7. Motor City Wine (46)

Oh, and this map and data update wouldn’t be complete without pouring one out for Temple Bar, a staple of the Detroit music and nightlife scene. Before Movement Detroit a sinkhole formed in the road out front and the following day, the roof of Temple Bar caved in. Whether the Ilitch-owned property is to be saved or salvaged is unknown -- but we do know the preferred method for the Ilitches is to create blight then demolish it for a parking lot.

The breadth of engagement generated in Detroit by the Movement Festival is incredible to see and much of it is organic, catering to different tastes and audiences. We have yet to see other large events and festivals spark so much engagement in the city beyond downtown.

Find the full dataset on DetroitData.org

This is part of a series from the unofficial cartographer of Detroit, Alex B. Hill, a self-described “data nerd and anthropologist” who combines mapping, data, and analytics with storytelling and human experience. He is the founder of DETROITography and author of “Detroit in 50 Maps."