Guide To Arts, Beats & Eats Festival In Royal Oak

ROYAL OAK (WWJ) - Thousands of people will be making their way to Royal Oak this weekend for the annual Arts, Beats and Eats festival.

Organizer Jon Witz said the four-day festival has a little something for everyone.

"There's great art, music and food," he said. "The fabulous art fair with 140 artists that come from around the United States and Canada, and an incredible music lineup with nine stages and 200 bands, some great local acts and also some wonderful national acts."

And don't forget about the best part: The eats.

"There's food from 60 restaurants," Witz said. "Morton's Steakhouse will be there, Mitchell's Fish Market, Famous Dave's Barbecue, Andiamo is new this year as well, just a wonderful lineup including many great Royal Oak restaurants as well."

Here's everything you need to know:

Event Hours & Admission
Admission is $3 per person before 5 p.m. After that time, admission is $5 per person.

Friday, Aug 29 -- 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Saturday, Aug 30 -- 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Sunday, Aug 31 -- 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Monday, Sept 1 -- 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Parking Lots & Structures
Lots will begin charging at 1:30 p.m. on Friday and structures begin charging at 5 p.m. on Friday. Parking at all downtown lots and structures is $15.

1. Downtown Structure #1 -- Lafayette & 5th Street
2. Downtown Structure #2 -- Lafayette & 4th Street
3. Downtown Structure #3 -- Center & 3rd Street
4. Farmer's Market Lot -- 11 Mile & Troy Street
5. Williams Street Lot -- 11 Mile, east of Main
6. Fresard Lot -- Main St. & University Ave.
7. Center St. Lot -- Center & 2nd St
8. Eleven Mile Lot -- 11 Mile & Center
9. Third Street Lot -- 3rd St. & Williams
10. E. Lincoln & Troy Lots -- 3 lots located at 211 and 220 E. Lincoln
11. Vacant/Grass Lot -- Main St. & 696 Service Drive
12. Royal Oak Middle School Lot -- Washington St. & 11 Mile

Shuttle Parking
Parking is $10; riding the shuttle is FREE. The shuttle runs Saturday - Sunday from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 a.m., and Monday from 10:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.

Royal Oak High School -- Located off of Crooks, North of 13 Mile -- 1500 Lexington Boulevard

The Arts

The Juried Fine Art Show again will be a highlight of this year's festival, with top artists from across the continent vying for cash awards totaling $7,500. It will showcase original art in a variety of media, including ceramics, digital art, drawing, fabric/fiber/leather, glass, graphics/printmaking, jewelry, metal, mixed media 2D, mixed media 3D, painting, photography, sculpture, and wood.

The Beats

Among the national recording artists are home-grown singers Jena Irene, 2014 American Idol runner-up, Jeff Gutt, 2013 runner-up on The X Factor, as well as Motown legends The Spinners. Additional nationally-known performers include Night Ranger, .38 Special, Loverboy, Village People, Third Eye Blind, Theory of a Deadman, Randy Houser, Maddie & Tae and John King.

The local band lineup includes Stewart Francke, Chris Emmerson, Annabelle Road, The Gasoline Gypsies, 50 Amp Fuse, Dragon Wagon, Corktown Popes, Ryan Dillaha and The Miracle Men, and Alan Turner and The Steel Horse Band.

The Eats

With more than 50 of the area's favorite restaurants, caterers and food-related attractions set up along the streets of Royal Oak, there's something for every taste. Booths feature everything from seafood and summer fun food, to delicious sweets and dessert offerings, to savory cultural dishes.

The lineup of restaurants includes Prime 29 Steakhouse, the Soaring Eagle Cuisine Machine, Green Lantern, Eskimo Jack's, Vintage House Banquets and Catering, Hamlin Corner, Polish Village Café, Pronto!, La Marsa, Jackson's Five Star Catering, Peking House and Lockhart's BBQ.

For more information, visit www.artsbeatseats.com.