festival FAQ’s

PEOPLE VISITING THE FESTIVAL:

  • Arts, Beats and Eats takes place in downtown Royal Oak annually during Labor Day Weekend. The dates for the 2024 event are August 30th - September 2, 2024. Hours for the event are Friday-Sunday 11am-11pm and Monday 11am-9pm.

  • No outside food or beverages of any kind. Baby formula, baby bottles, or young child's sippy cup are allowed.

  • Children under 3 are free at all times.

  • On Friday the festival is free to enter until 5pm, after 5pm the price is $12.  On Saturday, Sunday and Monday, admission is $10 before 3pm and $12 after 3pm.  This is admission fee supports the festival as well as 14 non-profit partners. 

    You may not bring in any chairs, coolers, food, beverages, bikes or skateboards.

    No weapons in violation of Michigan Carry laws.

    No Pets Allowed

    Except ADA approved Service Animals providing specific physical assistance for approved disabilities.

    All individuals age 17 and under MUST be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian after 8:00 p.m. Individuals who are not in compliance will be asked to leave the festival.

    All bags and backpacks are subject to search.

    No Refunds

  • Our policy is no refunds, however if you have purchased a ticket for the wrong date and you would like to exchange it, we will accept these requests as long as capacity for the new date has not been reached. Your transfer request must be received before the show closes on the date of the purchased tickets, for example, if your ticket is for Friday and you would like to transfer it to Monday, your request must be received before the show closes on Friday September 1st. The event is rain or shine. During any event date, the event may have a period of time that it is closed due to extreme weather. As long as the event remains open to the public for the majority of any given day there will be no refunds. If the event gates are closed due to severe weather for any length of time you may transfer your tickets to another date. If you cannot attend on another date, a voucher for a 2024 event ticket will be offered. YOUR CREDIT CARD STATEMENT: The name of the Event Organizer or PromoTix shall show on your credit card statement for all transactions and orders purchased through this site.

  • Yes, all individuals age 17 and under must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian after 8:00p.m.

  • Yes, active duty military and veterans are invited to attend Soaring Eagle Arts, Beats & Eats for free.  Present your military ID at any festival entrance ticket booth for a free ticket.

  • No Pets Allowed

    Except ADA approved Service Animals providing specific physical assistance for approved disabilities.

  • Yes, but please note that all bags and backpacks are subject to search at the gate.

    You may not bring in any chairs, coolers, food, beverages, bikes or skateboards.

    No weapons in violation of Michigan Carry laws.

  • Parking locations are listed on our website here.

  • Royal Oak Parking Lots will reserve their handicap parking spaces for those who need handicap parking, which will be enforced with ticketing of any violators. Visit here for more information about parking.

  • Parking in neighborhoods in an approximate one mile radius is reserved for residents and on a permit parking only basis. Please look for signs as there will be $50 tickets written for all violators.

  • All parking meters in the downtown area will be permit parking only and there will be $50 fines for any violators.

  • Shuttle buses will be running Friday thru Monday beginning at 10:30am from Royal Oak High School, and will run until 12:30am on Saturday and Sunday and until 10pm on Monday.

    The shuttle will run directly from Royal Oak High School to 2nd and Washington. There will be a smaller secondary shuttle picking up at 2nd and Washington and looping through out the Downtown.

    Buses will run later if there are lines of people who were in line by those closing hours, however will not continue for people who just show up late.

  • Bicycles are encouraged and the festival will operate two bicycle corrals on the north (2nd and Washington) and south (Washington and Lincoln) of the site. There will be room for about 900 bikes at a time in these areas.

    Bike corrals are sponsored by Corewell Health.

    Please remember to bring you bike locks, our bike corrals are not manned.

  • Chairs may not be brought in for concerts due to the limited amount of concert viewing space. Some chairs are provided on the local stages, but may not be taken to the national stage area.  If you would like to purchase a seat in our VIP section, a limited number are available here.

  • 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 that same day provided that your wristband is still on and has no signs of tape on it.

  • TJ Schmidt Carnival will be providing a kiddie carnival, and will have ten rides geared toward families (kids ages 3-13 and adults)located in two sections, one in the Sherman Lot in the north end of the festival, and two, in the Oakland Community College Parking Lot on 7th near Center Street.

    Carnival tickets will be $1 each and rides will be between 3 and 6 tickets per ride. List of rides available here.

  • No, the admission covers all of the concerts, including the Jim Beam National Stage.

  • The hours of the Corewell Health Fine Art Fair are Friday-Sunday 11am-9pm, Monday 11am-5pm.

  • Arts, Beats & Eats made a commitment over 10 years ago to reduce the impact of our event on the environment. That being said, we have eliminated all styrofoam serving ware, plates, cutlery, and utensils throughout our festival. This includes all our participating restaurants and in our Arts, Beats & Eats bars. Instead, we encourage alternative products made of wood, potato or any other food by product.

    In a concerted effort to prioritize environmental sustainability, this year’s festival will implement a series of initiatives aimed at reducing the festival's ecological footprint. For the first time in its history, Arts, Beats & Eats will not be selling single-use plastic bottles in partnership with official canned beer sponsor Anheuser Busch, official canned soda sponsor Faygo and official canned water sponsor Liquid Death, as well as Kroger. For non-canned beverages, eco-friendly biodegradable corn-based cups will be provided. With this measure, along with new bins to collect recyclables located throughout the festival footprint, organizers strive to foster a greener and more sustainable festival experience.

    Did you know? Arts, Beats & Eats bars serve every beer & mixed drink in a cup made from corn!

 

RESIDENTS OF ROYAL OAK:

  • 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 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.

  • All bands on local stages stop at 11pm on Friday through Sunday and 9pm on Monday. All bands on the national stage run until 11:30pm on Friday through Sunday and until 9pm on Monday.

  • Washington between 2nd and Lincoln, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, and Lincoln between Lafayette and Main, and Center Street between Third and Seventh Street.

  • Most streets close for festival set-up at 6pm on Wed. August 30, and reopen at 8am on Tuesday, September 5th. The following streets will remain open at all times around the festival: Lafayette to the West, Eleven Mile to the North, and Main Street to the East.

  • The City of Royal Oak's Treasurer's Office handles these parking passes.  They can be reached at (248) 246-3140.

  • Royal Oak Police will have representatives patrolling neighborhood for parking violations and unruly behavior. Report any concerns at anytime to Royal PD.

  • The cost of Royal Oak Police and Firefighters will be covered from parking revenues, which we expect 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.

  • 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.

 

DOWNTOWN BUSINESSES:

  • Arts, Beats and Eats hosted a Downtown Business meeting July 27th, 2023. If you were unable to attend, and still need info/parking/admission, or have any questions please contact Kelsey Mendez at kelsey@artsbeatseatseats.com or call 248-541-7550 and request any information you need.

  • All employees should park outside the downtown area as there is free parking and a shuttle that runs from 8:30am until 4:30am from the Royal Oak High School. This allows room for festival patrons to find parking and for all businesses to get more revenue. For information on getting free parking passes please email Kelsey Mendez at kelsey@artsbeatseats.com or call 248-541-7550 and request any information you need. Any inquiries received after the deadline may not be responded to in a timely manner, but best efforts will be made.

  • Only on Friday before 5pm.

  • Royal Oak Downtown Development Authority has supported the festival 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.