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Community Corner

What Royal Oak Residents Need to Know About Arts, Beats & Eats

Parking, noise, public safety and how much the event costs the city.

Arts, Beats & Eats sails into town this weekend. Are you ready?

We asked Royal Oak Patch Facebook users for some best practices on navigating the four-day event and here is what they said:

Donate to food bank and get in free

Ann Hubbarth wrote: "Go to Citizens Bank and drop off canned food (minimum of four) for Gleaner's Community Food Bank. The pass you'll get for Arts, Beats & Eats is a big savings." 

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Citizens Banks in Royal Oak are located at , ., and . Click here for details.

Park your bike for free

Debbie Harper Schindler wrote: "We make sure our bike tires are properly inflated, sunscreen applied and look forward to spending four great days of fun in beautiful downtown Royal Oak." 

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Bike parking is free. Corrals are located at Washington Avenue just south of Lincoln Avenue, and Washington Avenue near Second Street.

Enjoy great music

John Davids wrote: "We go every day and always find some great music." 

Keep parking permits visible

Laurie Haire wrote: "Keep those resident parking permits visible. The ticket enforcers will be on the prowl."

Volunteers get perks

Jennifer OrPenga wrote "I sign up to volunteer for it. The perks make it worthwhile. See you all at the info booth, or the admissions gates." 

Want to volunteer? .

Arts, Beats & Eats FAQs

For residents who have questions about parking, noise, public safety and street closures, following is a list of frequently asked questions fromartsbeatseats.com.

1. Do we have to worry about outside festival patrons parking in neighborhoods? Within an approximate one half to one mile radius from the festival all parking in neighborhoods is on a permit parking only basis and police will be issuing $50 fines as a deterrent. Residents may report problems to Royal Oak Police, who also have the option to tow vehicles if resident parking problems are an issue.

2. What time will the bands stop playing? All bands on local stages stop at 11 p.m. Friday through Sunday and 9 p.m. Monday. All bands on the national stage run until 11:30 p.m. on Friday through Sunday and until 9 p.m. on Monday.

3. What streets will be closed for the festival? Washington between Second and Lincoln, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, and Lincoln streets between Lafayette and Main, and Center Street between Third and Seventh Street. (See attached PDF).

4. When do downtown festival streets close? Most streets close for festival setup at 6 p.m. on Wednesday and reopen at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 4. The following streets will remain open at all times around the festival: Lafayette to the west, 11 Mile to the north, and Main Street to the east. 

5. Will police be patrolling neighborhoods and providing traffic services? Royal Oak Police will have representatives patrolling neighborhoods for parking violations and unruly behavior. Report any concerns at any time to Royal Oak Police.

6. Do the taxpayers have a direct cost burden in hosting the festival? The cost of Royal Oak Police and Firefighters will be covered from parking revenues, which we are expected to more than cover all costs. There is the possibility that Police and Fire expenses don’t get covered in case of bad weather or poor attendance and parking revenue

7. Has the City of Royal Oak written a check to Arts, Beats & Eats to help with expenses? The City of Royal Oak has not directly, but the Royal Oak Downtown Development Authority has supported the city with an annual contribution of $100,000. These funds will also be returned to the DDA once they have repaid the City of Royal Oak for expenses. The DDA investment is expected to support an event that will bring millions of dollars of business into the downtown during Labor Day weekend, and was supported unanimously by the DDA in a 7-0 vote.

Event hours

Friday
11 a.m. - 11 p.m.
Saturday
11 a.m. - 11 p.m. Sunday
11 a.m. - 11 p.m. Monday 
11 a.m. - 9 p.m.
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