UPDATE: Art, Beats & Eats to Expand

New, new, new was the mantra at the Ford Arts, Beats & Eats festival kick-off press conference in downtown Royal Oak this morning.

About 50 people gathered at to hear festival producer John Witz and Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson discuss new additions to the Labor Day weekend festival. The event moved to Royal Oak last year after 12 years in Pontiac

“The expansion will give us now 25 more artists and 175 art exhibits at the festival and that is a huge event, but we will also be the largest food fair in the United States,” Patterson said.

Additions to the festival include:

• a larger festival footprint, expanding north on Center to Third Street and east on Fourth to Main Street (see attached map)
• Priority Healthy Arts in Motion 5K presented by DMC Sports Medicine and  festival partner Priority Health
• The Duel, a Top Chef inspired competition presented by and with a $10,000 cash prize
• the addition of an 11th entertainment stage on Main Street
• BBQ Alley on Center between Third and Fourth streets featuring six restaurants and barbecue caterers including Lockhart’s BBQ and the
• more gates for better access to and from the event area.

Healthy additions

“Brooks and I have talked about the restaurants and we've really focused on indulgences throughout the years and this year we're going to add some new events and attractions related to healthy living,” Witz said.

The largest portion of the healthy festival additions includes The 5K run is scheduled to take place 9 a.m. Sept. 3 and will be open to runners and walkers of all ages. The cost for the chip-timed 5K run is $25 before July 15 and the 5K fun run and walk is $20. Entrance fees include admission to the festival.

Priority Health will also sponsor a health and wellness tent featuring wellness screenings and a program to identify healthy items found on the menus of local participating restaurants.

Cooking competition

The extreme cook-off attraction will begin in the weeks prior to the Labor Day weekend festival as the Mirepoix Cooking School, an affiliate of Holiday Market, will invite eight Metro Detroit chefs to participate in four rounds of culinary competition leading up to the final elimination challenge taking place on the festival's International Stage on Sept. 2 and Sept. 4 at Sixth Street and Lafayette.

Ride and drives

Ford, the Arts, Beats & Eats title sponsor, will return to downtown this year with its ride and drive exhibit enhanced with prizes, giveaways and a look at the 2012 Ford Focus. The Southeast Michigan Ford Dealer Association and Ford Great Lakes Marketing Division will invest more than $600,000 into the 2011 festival, officials said. Last year Ford raised $351,000 for local charities at the event.

Local impact

Arts, Beats & Eats runs Sept. 2-5 and expects more than 400,000 attendees. Festival organizers estimate about 423,000 visitors attended the 2010 event.

Patterson estimates the festival made a $15 million impact on Royal Oak and a $39 million impact throughout the region.

“And given the economy that we were going through, and still are to a certain extent, I think those are great numbers, and I’m sure will help the local merchants and that’s why were so well received I’m sure,” Patterson said.

During the Tuesday morning event, Witz presented Patterson and Ellison with an award identifying Arts, Beats & Eats as the fourth best art show in the United States in terms of sales by Art Fair Source Book. Ellison said the achievement is not only an honor, but helps the festival attract top artists. 

Ellison said Royal Oak made the decision to host the Arts, Beats & Eats festival because city leaders believed the event embodies what Royal Oak is all about.