A familiar ritual is headed back to downtown Detroit this weekend.

Hart Plaza will become the world’s hub of electronic music Saturday through Monday, as the Movement festival returns following a two-year pandemic interruption.

Thousands of dance-ready fans are expected to descend onto the plaza for the colorful, high-energy celebration in techno’s birthplace, resuming a tradition that began in May 2000 with the Detroit Electronic Music Festival (DEMF).

With 110-plus acts on six stages — the biggest Movement lineup in a decade — and a bustling array of afterparties across the city, the festival is making an emphatic comeback. It’s a mix of veteran Movement artists, including hometown mainstays, along with 50-plus up-and-comers making their Detroit festival debuts.

The leadup to Memorial Day weekend hasn’t been without drama: Last week, Russian DJ Nina Kraviz, originally set to play the main stage Monday evening, was abruptly replaced by California artist Flying Lotus. Kraviz’ inclusion in this year’s fest had become a source of contention among some, including a Detroit-based Ukrainian organization, following posts she had published seemingly praising Russian President Vladimir Putin.

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Memorial Day weekend:More than 1 million Michiganders are expected to travel

• The festival has its first cannabis sponsor: For years, proponents of marijuana legalization were a stock feature of Movement, greeting fans on Jefferson Avenue with banners, reading materials and petition signature campaigns. By 2019, following Michigan’s passage of Proposal 1, vendors peddling cannabis and CBD accessories popped up onsite.

Now, the show has an official weed partner. Michigan-based JARS Cannabis will sponsor the Detroit Stage, presenting a host of homegrown artists through the weekend, including evening closers Acidpimp (Saturday), Francois Dillinger (Sunday) and Tammy Lakkis (Monday). The stage is situated on Hart Plaza’s east side, just by the main entrance.

• The Underground Stage is moving: Through the years, some of Movement's most banging musical offerings have been booked in the cozy confines of the Hart Plaza "underground" area, off the main bowl. 

For the first time, the setup there is changing. To ease congestion and create smoother foot traffic, the stage is moving to a previously draped-off, unused space nearby — providing about twice the square footage of the traditional configuration.

• Jeff Mills headlines — and debuts a film: Before he closes the holiday weekend with a main-stage set Monday night, the acclaimed DJ-producer known as the Wizard will spend Sunday showcasing a new visual piece.

The hour-long “Mind Power Mind Control,” linked to his new album of the same name, will screen at Cinema Detroit on Third Street at 5 p.m., 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. Sunday. Mills will be on hand to introduce each showing of the film, a conceptual piece created over several years.

All ticket proceeds will go to the Detroit Public School System Music Education and Underground Music Academy.

• Griz is a late addition to the bill: The popular, Michigan-bred musician has been slotted in for 7:30 p.m. Monday on the Waterfront Stage. He replaces the previously announced Skrillex, who bowed out of Movement and a Florida fest, saying he “hasn’t had enough time to prepare for the upcoming shows” because he was busy finishing new albums.

Griz, known for incorporating live sax playing into his performances, will be serving up a set of house music for this one.

• Juan Atkins celebrates four decades: It wouldn’t be Memorial Day weekend on the riverfront without a big dose of classic Detroit. Among this year’s offerings will be Atkins, one of the genre’s celebrated pioneers, serving up a set dubbed "40 Years of Detroit Techno" from 10:30 p.m. to midnight on the Stargate Stage.

• DJ Minx will host a showcase: The Detroit DJ and entrepreneur is curating a daylong “DJ Minx and Friends” lineup Monday at the Pyramid Stage, another feather in the cap for a veteran artist who continues to make waves. Minx herself will perform at 8 p.m. that night, followed by New York duo the Martinez Brothers.

• Big-time B2B: The lineup features six "back-to-back" performances, each of them pairing DJs playing off one another. They include English vets Goldie and LTJ Bukem, the latter making his first Hart Plaza appearance since the 2001 DEMF (7:30 p.m. Monday, Waterfront Stage), along with Detroit ace Carl Craig with LCD Soundsystem's James Murphy (10:30 p.m. Sunday, Waterfront Stage).

Craig, who is marking the 30th anniversary of his Planet E label with a new album compilation, is also performing solo at 9:30 p.m. Saturday at the Stargate Stage.

Saturday-Monday (Gates open at 2 p.m. daily.)

Daily tickets $119, three-day passes $249. (VIP passes sold out.)

3 p.m.: Jerk x Jollof

9 p.m.:-9:15 p.m.: Jazmin Re'Nae

3:30 p.m.: Rick Wilhite b2b Andrés

6 p.m.: Audion b2b Ryan Elliott

2 p.m.: Jorissen b3b Loren b3b Mathias

5 p.m.: Eris Drew b2b Octo Octa

6:30 p.m.: Maya Jane Coles

Detroit Stage presented by JARS

6:30 p.m.: Rebecca Goldberg (live)

7:30 p.m.: Augustus Williams (live)

VIP Area Pop Up: Houseparty

6 p.m.: JHouse, Masquenada, Blaaqgold

4:30 p.m.: Nancy Whang & Pat Mahoney

6 p.m.: Juan MacLean (DJ set)

7:30 p.m.: Soul Clap w/ Amp Fiddler (live)

9 p.m.: 2manydjs (DJ set)

10:30 p.m.: Carl Craig b2b James Murphy (DJ set)

3:30 p.m.: Stacey Hotwaxx Hale

4:30 p.m.: Lady Starlight (live)

Detroit Stage presented by JARS

6 p.m.: ke thu (live)

8:30 p.m.: Francois Dillinger (live)

VIP Area Pop Up: Detroit Techno Militia

6 p.m.: T.Linder, DJ Seoul, Neil V.

6 p.m.: Overmono - live

7:30 p.m.: Griz (DJ set)

9 p.m.: Goldie b2b LTJ Bukem ft. Armanni Reign

6:30 p.m.: The Blessed Madonna

9:30 p.m.: The Martinez Brothers

Detroit Stage presented by JARS

3 p.m.: Vincent Patricola b2b Jesse Cory