Community Corner

Need To Know: Going to Arts, Beats & Eats for Ferndale Residents

Heading into Royal Oak for Arts, Beats & Eats this weekend? Here's what you need to know.

If you live in Royal Oak, going to is easy. If you're from Ferndale, you may be away from the action and out of the know. So before you go out, here's a quick guide to what you need to know, including some frequently asked questions from artsbeatseats.com.

Basics

  • Where: Downtown Royal Oak
  • When: Friday-Monday (11 a.m.-11 p.m. except for Monday, when it closes at 9 p.m.)
  • Cost: $3 before 5 p.m. Saturday-Monday; $5 after 5 p.m. Friday-Monday; Admission before 5 p.m. Friday is free.

Parking

Royal Oak parking meters will be closed the weekend of the event, so festival-goers are encouraged to park in downtown lots and garages, which will begin charging at 1:30 p.m. Friday and 9:30 a.m. Saturday through Monday.

Parking in downtown lots and garages will cost $15, as is parking at all near-downtown lots and structures. Parking at the shuttle lot will be $10. Riding the shuttle is free.

Find out what's happening in Ferndalewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Downtown lots and garages:

  • OCC Structure (739 S. Washington Ave.)
  • Downtown Structure No. 1 (516 S. Lafayette St.)
  • Downtown Structure No. 2 (320 Lafayette St.)
  • Downtown Structure No. 3 (260 Center St.)
  • Farmers Market (316 E. 11 Mile)
  • Williams Street (off 11 Mile, east of Main Street)
  • Fresard Lot (400 N. Main St.)
  • Center Street Lot (Center Street and Second Street, west of Main Street)
  • Eleven Mile Lot (11 Mile and Center Street, west of Main Street)
  • Third and Williams Lot (Third and Williams streets, east of Main Street)

Near downtown lots:

Find out what's happening in Ferndalewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

  • 4th and Lafayette Lot
  • Vacant/grass lot (Main Street and 696 Service Drive)
  • Royal Oak Middle School lot (709 N. Washington Ave.)
  • YouPark Lot (300 N. Main St.)

Remote parking with shuttle

  • Royal Oak High School (1500 Lexington Blvd.)

Bicycle corrals:

  • South: Washington Street just south of Lincoln
  • North: Washington Street near Second Avenue

Bicycle corrals are open 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday-Sunday and 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday.

Arts

The event includes a juried fine art show in a variety of media, including ceramics, drawing, painting, photography, graphics and more. The art show will be located in the southern portion of the festival and on Lincoln Street.

New this year, Title Sponsor Ford and its southeast Michigan Ford dealers will donate space for the first annual Deaf Arts Festival, featuring as many as 10 outstanding hearing impaired artists.

The hours for the art fair are:

  • Friday: 11 a.m.-9 p.m.
  • Saturday: 11 a.m.-9 p.m.
  • Sunday: 11 a.m.-9 p.m.
  • Monday: 11 a.m.-5 p.m.

Beats

There will be nine stages throughout the festival, with a variety of music acts—from REO Speedwagon to Mayer Hawthorne—scheduled to play all weekend.

Check out the beats on the: Michigan Lottery National Stage, Budweiser Rock Stage, Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort Stage, Citizens Bank Cultural/Acoustic Stage, International Stage, Ford Escape Alternative Stage, Pepsi R&B/Jazz Stage, Made In Detroit Stage and Oakland County Parks Kids Stage.

For a complete lineup of acts, check out the Arts, Beats & Eats website.

Plus, nothing says "beats" more than Zumba, and Priority Health will be hosting a Zumbathon Celebration from 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Saturday on the Michigan Lottery Stage. Registration is $5 and all proceeds benefit the Karmanos Cancer Institute.

Eats

There will be more than 50 restaurants at Arts, Beats & Eats this year, while Priority Health will again identify restaurants with healthy food items with a heart logo on the menu. New restaurants include:

  • Mitchell's Fish Market
  • Bastone Brewery
  • Gaucho Steakhouse
  • BD's Mongolian Grill
  • Beans & Cornbread
  • Gemmayze
  • Kouzina
  • Hudson Cafe
  • Hamlin's Corner
  • Happy's Pizza
  • Polish Village Cafe
  • Slab-n-Slice
  • Alia's Catering

FAQs

Can I bring food or drink to the festival?
No outside food or beverages except baby formula, baby bottles or young children's sippy cups are allowed.

Can we park on local streets and walk to the festival?
Parking in neighborhoods in an approximate one-mile radius is reserved for residents and on a permit-parking-only basis. Violators will be ticketed and fined $50.

What time does the shuttle bus start and stop running?
Shuttle buses will run Saturday through Monday beginning at 11 a.m. from Royal Oak High School and will run until 12:30 a.m. Saturday and Sunday, and until 10 p.m. on Monday. Buses will run later if there are people in line by those closing hours.

Can we ride our bicycles to the festival?
Bicycles are encouraged and the festival will operate two bicycle corrals on the north and south of the site. There will be room for about 900 bikes at a time.

Can you bring in chairs?
Chairs may not be brought in for concerts due to the limited amount of concert-viewing space. Some chairs are provided on local stages.

Can I leave the festival and come back?
When you pay to enter, you will receive a wristband with the day of admission on it. You are allowed to re-enter the festival on the same day provided your wristband is still on and has no signs of tape.

Are dogs permitted?
Dogs are not permitted.

Will there be handicap parking available?
Royal Parking Lots will reserve their handicap parking spaces for those who need them.

How much are food and beverage tickets?
Food and beverage tickets are $10 for 16.

Do I have to pay an extra fee in addition to the $3 for any of the concerts?
No, the $3 admission covers all concerts.


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