Arts, Beats & Eats draws thousands on opening day as festival marks 25th year
The streets of Royal Oak came to life Friday as Arts, Beats & Eats helped kick off a bustling Labor Day weekend across metro Detroit.
A whirr of colorful carnival rides, the sound of squealing kids and a swirl of tempting aromas down Washington Avenue’s food row greeted the thousands streaming into the festival site as afternoon turned to evening. Temperatures in the mid-80s offered a blast of late-summer heat.
This is a milestone 25th year for the popular fest (technically known as Soaring Eagle Arts, Beats & Eats Presented by Flagstar Bank), which launched in Pontiac in 1998 and migrated to Royal Oak in 2010.
AB&E is part of a dependably crowded calendar of Labor Day weekend activities across metro Detroit.
The Detroit Jazz Festival has returned to a full in-person event after two years of virtual performances. Having kicked off Friday night, the free fest will roll through Monday with performances on four stages, led by artist-in-residence Chucho Valdés.
More:Here's the Arts, Beats & Eats music schedule as fest gets underway in Royal Oak
More:Pig races, jazz and cider: 5 things to do in metro Detroit on Labor Day weekend
The free Hamtramck Labor Day Festival, running Saturday-Monday, features dozens of local bands on a pair of stages, along with rides and food offerings. The Michigan State Fair, which runs through Monday at Novi’s Suburban Showcase Collection, includes a traditional array of agricultural attractions and its own music lineup.
The 91st Romeo Peach Festival is underway in that Macomb County village, while Saturday brings the opening of the Franklin Cider Mill in Bloomfield Township, running through Nov. 27.
In Royal Oak, nine stages were humming with music by late afternoon at Arts, Beats & Eats. Lapeer band Frame 42, which landed a spot on the national stage, pumped out heavy rock to lead a lineup scheduled to include Average White Band and Fitz & the Tantrums.
At the nearby rock stage, local band No Requests served up chiming, driving indie sounds, including a bluesified cover of Michael Jackson’s “Human Nature,” while the wife-husband duo of Jennifer Westwood and Dylan Dunbar graced the Americana stage with a set of soulful, real-deal rootsy stuff.
For many of the 200-plus local acts on this weekend’s bill, events such as AB&E are crucial opportunities to showcase their music.
“There’s so much talent in this town,” Westwood said from the stage Friday. “We need to lift them up while they’re coming up — not after they’ve made it.”
Visual artists were also doing their thing in Royal Oak, many of them longtime AB&E regulars. This year’s fest features 150-plus artists and craftsmen selling their work and vying for $7,000 in prize money as part of the event’s juried show.
Among them is Florida artist Steve Cebula, whose mixed-media work includes music-themed pieces with repurposed instruments set against painted wood backdrops. He travels to fairs and events across the country with his Twisted Dimensions Art setup, but said Arts, Beats & Eats — with its 350,000-plus in annual attendance — is the biggest.
“I’ve always liked the overall vibe of this show,” he said, noting that the fest also includes a charitable component, with money earmarked for area nonprofits: “It benefits and gives back to the community, and I like being a part of that.”
When it moved to Royal Oak a dozen years ago, AB&E faced resistance from downtown establishments whose proprietors feared it would hurt regular business. But retailers and restaurants have come to embrace the festival — offering air-conditioned escape and shopping opportunities for event attendees — and many were humming with business Friday.
Arts, Beats & Eats will continue through Monday, starting at 11 a.m. daily. Saturday’s main-stage music action will bring a rock-heavy focus, with veteran bands 311 (9:30 p.m.) and Chevelle (7:30 p.m.) topping the bill.
Arts, Beats & Eats
11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday
Downtown Royal Oak
$10. ($5 before 3 p.m.)
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Arts, Beats & Eats opening day draws thousands as fest marks 25th year
