The streets of Royal Oak will again rock for the 19th annual Ford Arts, Beats & Eats presented by Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort. This year’s lineup of bands promises to deliver music to excite and gratify fans across every genre with nearly 200 local and national musical acts. Featuring performance stages throughout the festival footprint, the 2016 Ford Arts, Beats & Eats music lineup includes styles and sounds that are certain to satisfy all musical tastes.
Everyone can get FREE Admission on the first day of the festival, Friday, September 2, 2016 from 11am to 5pm.
Other than Friday from 11am to 5pm, regular festival admission is $3 until 3pm and $5 after 3pm. In 2015, over 380,000 visitors attended the festival and over $250K was raised for local charities.
OUR Credit Union returns to Ford Arts, Beats and Eats as a sponsor, hosting the 6th annual Food Drive benefiting Gleaners Community Food Bank of Southeastern Michigan. Headquartered in Detroit, Gleaners operates five distribution centers in Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Livingston and Monroe counties, which provide food to 510 partner soup kitchens, food pantries, shelters and other agencies.
Food Drive donors can receive one FREE admission to the festival by bringing three or more nonperishable food items to any of the following four OUR Credit Union locations through Friday, Sept. 2nd. -
Normandy Branch
3070 Normandy Rd.
Royal Oak, MI 48073
Washington Ave Branch
726. S. Washington Ave.
Royal Oak, MI 48067
Twelve Mile Rd Branch
5625 East Twelve Mile Rd.
Warren, MI 48092
Rochester Rd Branch
6693 Rochester Rd.
Troy, MI 48085
Last year’s festival Food Drive collected 3,979 pounds of nonperishable items, providing 3,316 meals for Gleaners to distribute.
SELFIE SCAVENGER
Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort is upping the action with #ABEHunt16. This social scavenger hunt and giveaway will offer high-tech fun for visitors to stay socially connected during Ford Arts, Beats & Eats with a chance to win prizes.
To enter the #ABEHunt16 giveaway, participants must take a photo of, with, or in the location of each item/place listed for the scavenger hunt, and then post the photo on the #ABEHunt16 app on Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort’s Facebook page, along with their name, email and zip code. Entrants are eligible to receive an additional entry if their photo submission uses a Soaring Eagle Snapchat Geofilter.
Each day of the festival, four winners will be randomly drawn to receive an overnight stay at Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort located in Mount Pleasant, Mich. and one of the following: a round of golf for two at Waabooz Run; four entertainment ticket vouchers; $150 spa credit; or $150 dining credit. One entry will be awarded per photo submission. Participants must be 21 years of age or older to win.
New for 2016 is "Follow the Yellow Brick Road" by Sprint. Festivalgoers can follow the yellow brick road (Sprint decals will be on the ground) on 7th Street, east of Washington Avenue to the Sprint activation, featuring special offers not available in stores. Ford Arts, Beats & Eats only deals and visitors can enter to win premium speakers and Nascar tickets.
THE ARTS
The award-winning Juried Fine Art Show is one of the nation’s premier art shows. Competition was fierce this year, with more than 400 artists applying for the opportunity to be in the show. Quality artists from across the continent are vying for one or more of the cash awards totaling $7,500. The show will display artwork of different mediums, including ceramics, fabric and fiber, leather, painting, photography, sculpture, wood, digital art, drawings, graphics and printmaking, glass, jewelry and metal. Festival patrons have the opportunity to enjoy the art and peruse the works of these talented artists at more than 140 booth spaces. See Arts press release for complete list of artists.
KROGER BRINGS VALUE BACK WITH FREE FAMILY-FRIENDLY FUN
Ford Arts, Beats & Eats has long been recognized for the quality and quantity of its family-friendly entertainment. Among the high points will be the Kids Zone, guaranteed to attract youngsters with fun, interactive programming throughout the four days of the festival. This year, the entire family can enjoy the Kroger Arts & Scraps tent, which will be free to all guests throughout the four days of the event. Utilizing recycled materials from around Detroit kids and adults can create a musical instrument and learn about unusual food, as well as invent the perfect food, play a junk xylophone or build a giant marble run and see how many sounds can be created on the musical ramp.
The Oakland County Kids Stage will feature an exciting lineup of family-friendly performances. Bringing smiles, laughter, amazement and awe to youngsters’ faces will be ventriloquists, music, magical tricks, clown acts, story telling and puppet shows. Among the lineup are many favorites is Rosco the Clown, Punch & Judy Puppet Show, Chautauqua Express Concert, Pure Imagination Magic Show, Cool Tricks & Funny Stuff, Detroit Science Center demonstrations, Kevin Devine Music Show, Randyl Lee Magic, Juggler Tim Salisbury and 3 Little Pigs Puppet Show.
Mid America Shows is providing this year’s Kiddie Carnival, which brings quintessential summer-time fun with ten rides geared just for families. Kids can enjoy the thrills from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday through Sunday and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Monday in the Sherman lot at the north end of the festival and in the Royal Oak city lot, which borders 6th and Main streets. Enjoy the sights, sounds and all around fun with this year’s exhilarating rides at the Kiddie Carnival.
The Detroit Red Wings Hockey Skills Challenges brings an interactive hockey zone to the festival with a chance to win some big prizes. Kids can test their skills at the Electronic Top Shop Net, hockey tables and video games to win player autographed merchandise as well as tickets to the upcoming Red Wings hockey season.
DIA PARTNERSHIP
The Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA), the area’s cultural beacon for more than a century, is returning to Ford Arts, Beats & Eats with two inspiring features: DIA Away “Think Like an Artist” and Artist Demonstrations.
DIA Away is a free, mobile interactive classroom for students and a creative exploration space for people of all ages and will add an educational hands-on art experience to the festival. The fully furnished, vibrantly designed 53’ double-expandable trailer gives participants the opportunity to discover some of the ways artists think and then try out creative thinking skills at digital and hands-on stations.
DIA Away is one of the many ways the DIA shares its world-renowned collection and educational resources outside its museum walls and was created in consultation with area educators, community members and DIA visitors, and in collaboration with MRA experiential tours and equipment.
In addition, the DIA will be the presenting sponsor of Artist Demonstrations at the festival as an extension of its “Think Like An Artist” exhibit. The DIA will present four art demonstrations each day of the festival. In each demonstration, a festival visual artist will present a piece they are working on, explain how it is made and talk about their techniques. Each demonstration is between 15 and 30 minutes and will be located in a tented seating area at 7th Street and Washington Avenue.
METERS MADE BEAUTIFUL
In collaboration between the festival and Royal Oak Commission for the Arts, a new program is being introduced to Royal Oak, Meters Made Beautiful presented by Ford. The beatification project is the first of its kind in Michigan, which showcases selected artists’ work on 100 parking meters inside the festival footprint. The artwork will be on display for many years following the annual event, which encourages and supports arts and culture in the city of Royal Oak.
THE BEATS
In keeping with tradition, Ford Arts, Beats & Eats is bringing new and returning musical acts to nine performance stages, including 200 national and local bands. Festivalgoers are sure to find their favorite style and sound.
This year’s lineup of national acts playing on The Michigan Lottery National Stage is headlined by Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, Gavin DeGraw, Our Lady Peace and Cole Swindell, and includes other top touring acts including Three Dog Night, Buckcherry, The Ohio Players Jr. Jr., Laith Al-Saadi, a 2016 finalist on NBC’s The Voice, and more.
Detroit’s best local bands will be featured on six additional music stages, with a quality mix and variety of music that is unmatched by any other festival, including performances by Your Generation in Concert and Flint Eastwood. The local stages include Country Stage, Alternative Rock Stage, Rock Stage, R&B and Jazz Stage, Acoustic Stage, and International Stage. Top local talent featured this year includes Nina & the Buffalo Riders, Last Call, Acoustic Madness and Stone Clover. See Beats press release for complete list of musical acts.
Holding with tradition, a tempting roster of restaurants across just about every food genre will tantalize and satisfy visitors all weekend long at this year’s Ford Arts, Beats & Eats. Restaurants, caterers and food-related attractions will showcase their unique take on the culinary arts to offer a little bit of something for everyone, from healthy dishes to special cultural cuisine. There will be seafood offerings, summer snacks and sweets and treats for all to enjoy.
Leading the lineup of new restaurants is La Dulce, located in downtown Royal Oak, serving delicious tapas and Woodpile BBQ Shack, with some of the most authentic smoked meats and sides. Cafè Sushi, an Asian fusion restaurant located in Troy, is also new to the 2016 lineup, and will feature fresh fish and fresh takes on Asian cuisine. See Eats press release for complete list of restaurants.
AND MORE
This year Ford Arts, Beats & Eats will provide 1,800 parking spots for cyclers in the Bike Corral by Beaumont Health System. There will be two lots, located at Washington Avenue just south of Lincoln (southbound lane) and Washington Avenue near Second Avenue (southbound lane) providing bikers a healthy alternative to get to this year’s festival. The Corral hours are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday through Sunday and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday.
Priority Health will once again sponsor Healthy Options for the 2016 festival. Attendees just need to look for the Healthy Option logo on each food vendor sign for healthy items that are on the menus of participating local restaurants and eateries.
INTERACTIVE FORD DISPLAYS
Stop by the many interactive Ford display areas throughout the festival to check out the latest Ford vehicles and technology and test-drive an all-new Ford vehicle. The attractions offer skill competitions, technology demonstrations and the opportunity to win exciting prizes, including a new Ford vehicle of your choice up to $30,000. Each adult that registers at any of the Ford display locations will also automatically receive $750 bonus cash towards any Ford vehicle.
Take a Test Drive in a New Ford Vehicle – Stop by 4th and Lafayette streets to take a spin in any one of the new Ford vehicles. Experience a smooth ride, while learning about cool new Ford technology.
Ford Experience Tour – Stand in front of a green screen on 6th and Center Streets to get a picture with the Arts, Beats and Eats branded postcard to take home. Patrons can also take a look at the new technology offered in Ford vehicles at this interactive display.
Great Lakes EcoBoost Tour Display – Push the life-size fuel pump button to activate the slot machine instant win. If three matching Ford EcoBoost vehicles line up, patrons will win a cash jackpot.
Ford on Fourth – On 4th Street off Washington Avenue, contestants can win prizes by playing the F-150 Key Fob Activity, by spinning the EcoBoost Wheel and experiencing the new SYNC 3Demonstrations.
Various Ford Oval Count Challenges – Patrons can test their estimation skills by guessing the quantity of Ford ovals inside the box to win prizes.
PARKING
Parking information is available at http://artsbeatseats.com/parking-transportation/
Arts, Beats, and Eats 2016
Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, September 2nd - 4th from 11am to 11pm
Monday, September5th from 11am to 9:30pm
Enjoy!
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