The annual Arts, Beats & Eats festival has become a favorite destination for Metro Detroiters looking to celebrate Labor Day weekend. Last year, over 330,000 people came out to downtown Royal Oak to enjoy the wide variety of music, art, and food. This year will be the 22nd annual festival, taking place between Friday, August 30th and Monday, September 2nd. Featuring over 200 performances on 9 different stages, a Juried Fine Arts Show, and tasty offerings from some great local restaurants, this year’s festival is sure to be a blast!

While all of these attractions make the Arts, Beats & Eats festival a hugely popular event, for parents of children with special needs, they might also seem like something to avoid. The combination of warm weather, large crowds, and loud music could easily be a source of unpleasant overstimulation for a child on the autism spectrum. For exactly this reason, the festival offers Family Days on Saturday, August 31st, Sunday, September 1st, and Monday, September 2nd. Family Days provide the opportunity for individuals with ASD and their families to enter the festival a full hour before it opens to the rest of the public. Other Family Day offerings include free admission and parking, free carnival rides, and, for the first 550 registrants, a free lunch.

If you’re interested in exploring Arts, Beats & Eats Family Days with your loved ones, you’ll need to register in advance, which you can do at this link. We hope you have a wonderful time!

Follow our blog and social media posts for more information about upcoming local events and a variety of topics related to ABA and autism. Have a great weekend!