The Detroit Sandwich Party is back and bigger than ever, doubling its footprint at Eastern Market on September 6, 2026 with 50+ vendors, kid-friendly games, and even... carbonated pickle juice? (Yes, I learned that's a thing!)

Organizer and sandwich lover Carlos Parisi joins the show to walk us through this year's massive expansion into the Shed 5 parking lot, share pro tips for getting the most out of the event, and we tease some of the top-tier bites on the lineup.

Grab a friend (or a foe, why not), map out your game plan, and get ready for what's become one of the must-see local food events of the summer.

Listen to the episode in the player above, and check out a transcript of our conversation below.

More Sandwich Party: https://www.instagram.com/detroitsandwichparty/?hl=en

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Transcript

This has been lightly edited and formatted for web posting. Please refer to original audio before quoting.

Jer Staes: Hello friends, and welcome to Daily Detroit. It is Tuesday, August 25, 2026. I am Jer Staes coming to you from our studio at TechTown. Today, listen: I know the news has not been the most joyful lately, and I am sorry—I do not have control over that. What I do have control over is bringing you friends who are doing amazing things that will fill your belly, put a smile on your face, and ensure you have a very good time.

The number one person I call—veritably, possibly the Prince of Brightmoor, maybe the Prince of Sandwiches himself—Carlos Parisi, welcome back to Daily Detroit!

Carlos Parisi: What's up, Jer? I've never been called a prince of anything, that's awesome. Thanks!

Jer: I am so glad to see you because the Detroit Sandwich Party is coming up at Eastern Market on September 6th. I cannot wait because I love all things between two pieces of bread or whatever else you want to put a sandwich in. I don't judge what you do.

Carlos: You shouldn't judge. It's going to be a blast. This year, we have 50 vendors all doing small-format sandwiches, and once again, it is free to attend so you can come in and out as you please from 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM.

What's nice about it this year is that for the last two years, we've been inside Shed 5 at Eastern Market, and we quickly grew out of that space. We are actually more than doubling the footprint and will be in the parking lot next to Shed 5 as well. If you've ever seen the Fall Beer Festival that the Michigan Brewers Guild does, they have that whole area fenced out. We decided to take a page from that book and do that to make sure everybody has a lot of space.

Why the Sandwich Party Resonates

Jer: Why do you think the Sandwich Party has resonated so much? I stopped in last year, and it was wall-to-wall. I'm so glad that you're expanding. What about it has connected with people?

Carlos: It's sandwiches! Everyone loves them. Why wouldn't you want an event focused on this one thing that is also free? You don't have to pay to get in and then pay a vendor, which is really nice. You can bring everybody out for something fun to do. Knock on wood, the weather usually cooperates too, so everyone can walk around the entire market and have a great day.

Jer: The rest of the market will have things going on as well?

Carlos: Oh yeah, like always. Every Sunday during the summer, you can walk around Eastern Market and find a full market of different vendors—whether it's t-shirts, tchotchkes, or vendors offering things like NaKombucha, Nikki Butter, and all the standards you've grown to love over the last decade at Eastern Market.

Jer: What have you learned that you didn't realize when you started doing this event?

Carlos: A lot of things! I've never thrown a festival before the Detroit Sandwich Party. The closest thing I ever did to a large-scale event was putting together Sandwich Week and the events around that, which grew to a point that blew me away. Now, with Sandwich Party having 7,000 people at the shed last year, to have that many people know about this thing we put together blows me away. I'm thankful for the opportunity to show people something we can all celebrate together. Sandwiches are easy and something everybody loves.

Jer: It really blows my mind. 7,000 people is about as many people as come to a Detroit City FC soccer game. You literally fill a small stadium with people who love sandwiches.

Carlos: When you put it that way, that's sweet!

Event Highlights & New Vendors

Jer: You'll have 50 vendors. What other things are happening this time?

Carlos: We always want to make it kid-friendly, so we're bringing back the "Pin the Bacon on the BLT" game. We have a couple of surprises for the day as well. You can walk around, find things to play with, and check off your opinions on interactive features. We wanted to make it interactive for everybody so there is more to do while walking around.

Jer: You're going to have some beer taps, too. I noticed that on social media.

Carlos: The last couple of years we had cans, but we'll also have non-alcoholic options like Casamara Club and Nyla, which is a carbonated pickle juice.

Jer: Carbonated pickle juice?

Carlos: Yeah, a new company popping up here in Metro Detroit called Nyla—specifically in the city of Detroit. They make carbonated pickle juice, which pairs pretty well with a sandwich.

Jer: I'm so curious now. I've always enjoyed Casamara Club, but carbonated pickle juice is fascinating. Does anyone keep a record of who eats the most sandwiches at the party?

Carlos: That would be a good thing to track! I've never thought about having a way to tally that because I don't like competition-based events. I don't think anybody is better than anyone else, and I like to live by that philosophy in everything I put together. For something like the Sandwich Party, it would be fun if the competition was just "How many sandwiches did you have?" We could try to figure that out.

Jer: That could be a lot of fun. You could even do it as a team sport, like total sandwiches per family or crew, complete with little scorecards like putt-putt golf!

Carlos: We're about a week and a half out, so I don't know if I have the mental capacity to create that right now, but if anybody wants to do that on their own, I'm down!

One thing I love to see is when people arrive 5 or 10 deep with a game plan. We try to release the list of all the vendors and their sandwiches a few days beforehand, along with notes on what is vegan, gluten-free, or vegetarian. When you see groups walk in, call out "Break!", and split up to different vendors before meeting back up to share everything—that's sweet. That's definitely what I would do.

Balkan House and Tall Trees Join the Lineup

Jer: The full list isn't out as we record this, but I hear Balkan House is going to make an appearance. As a person with Eastern European roots, my DNA is singing!

Carlos: Finally! I'm really happy they're able to make it out. Juma is an incredible human. I've known her for a long time and have been a fan of Balkan House. The last couple of years they had conflicts with other events and couldn't make Sandwich Party happen, so having them at Eastern Market is going to be awesome. Even if it's just the standard items you get at Balkan House, it's something phenomenal that we haven't had at the party before.

Jer: I also hear there may be a muffuletta that rivals what you find in New Orleans. As someone who has been to New Orleans, I am picky about this.

Carlos: One of my best friends, Mike Vanceover, owns a shop called Tall Trees in Ferndale. If anybody listening has been fortunate enough to go to Tall Trees, you know their attention to detail, quality of ingredients, and how cool the staff is. Last year he made the muffuletta, and this year they're bringing back that authentic New Orleans grocery store-style muffuletta.

Jer: There is a huge difference. Getting it in Metro Detroit from someone who does it right is the next best option if you can't hop on a plane.

Carlos: It's the closest you can get in Metro Detroit, and he only does it for special occasions like this. I'm excited for it myself—I didn't even get one last year!

Jer: The organizer didn't get one?

Carlos: When you're running the event, you're focused on making sure everything goes well. The first year we did this, I didn't eat anything all day. Last year, everything ran so smoothly thanks to our incredible volunteers that one of them stopped me, put a sandwich in my hand, and said, "You have to eat this right now." That was a great moment.

Pro Tips for Attendees

Jer: Someone telling you to eat is true love. Let's land this with the key details and pro tips for first-time attendees.

Carlos: Definitely come early. We open at 11:00 AM at Eastern Market Shed 5, with the entrance located between Sheds 4 and 5. We line everyone up around the building rather than inside the market. Once it opens, it's off to the races.

Since it runs from 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM and items will sell out, come with a plan. Check the vendor map and sandwich descriptions beforehand, divide and conquer with your group, and bring Tupperware so you can take extra sandwiches home safely.

Jer: Bringing Tupperware is brilliant.

Carlos: The event is Sunday, September 6th, right before Labor Day, which means you have the next day off to relax and nap off all the food. Because there's no entry fee, you can walk in and out to support the neighboring small businesses around Eastern Market throughout the day as well.

Jer: Labor Day is best paired with a long nap! We are also excited because the Daily Detroit team will be out there saying hi to everyone.

Carlos: That's going to be awesome. We wanted to extend the invite to you because Daily Detroit is such an essential part of the city's heartbeat. I've known members of your team like Devon for years, and it's great to have you all involved.

Jer: I'm honored by your words. Thank you so much for stopping by, Carlos, and for all you do for the community.

Carlos: Thanks for having me, Jer!