Scenes From Hamtramck’s Paczki Day Epicenter

Brenna Houck is a Cities Manager for the Eater network. She previously edited Eater Detroit and reported for Eater. You can follow her on the internet at @brennahouck.

Customers were reporting upwards of three hour-long waits at some bakeries in Hamtramck this morning as patrons from from across the region gathered to take part in the annual Paczki Day tradition of stand and wait. While in past years Fat Tuesday has fallen in the midst of an extreme cold snap or snow storm, 2017’s crowds lucked out with light rain showers and relatively mild temperatures.

At New Martha Washington Bakery and New Palace Bakery lines snaked through shops, out the door, and clear down full city blocks. Inside bakery staff rushed to fold boxes, fill orders, and generally get the crush of customers out the door as quickly as possible. Eater photographers Michelle and Chris Gerard stopped by metro Detroit’s traditional fried Polish pastry epicenter today to scope out the scene. Check out the insane morning rush photos in the gallery below.