Celebrate Paczki Day with the Polish Muslims at Planet Ant

February 21st is Paczki Day, and there's no better way to celebrate than in Hamtramck at Planet Ant with the Polish Muslims. The doors and the adjoining Ghostlight Bar open at 10:00 am, and the show begins at 10:30. The event is donation-based to support the band, and help support the arts in Hamtramck at the Planet Ant.

Paczki Day falls on Fat Tuesday, the day before Lent-and Detroiters know that Hamtramck is the place to be. Not only are the local bakeries churning out a myriad of varieties of the beloved Polish doughnut, but you can join the community in a variety of activities to celebrate including an annual 5K run on the Saturday before Paczki Day.

The eight-piece band, The Polish Muslims, formed in 1981. They play classic pop and punk songs and satirize their own Polish heritage. They got their start back in 1981. The Polish Muslims are a mainstay of the Detroit music scene, blending musical styles to create their own unique sound.

"We were cutting edge," vocalist and guitarist Ken Kondrat said. "We were punk New Wavers forming a no-rehearsing polka rock band with music to which you can sing and dance."

The band began to do well enough to give themselves a name. They played with oxymora, and started kicking around funny names-and at the time, being a Polish Muslim seemed to be as opposite as possible. They settled on the name immediately, and it stuck. The Polish Muslims is now a Detroit institution with a devoted lifetime following, and they celebrated their 40th anniversary in 2021.