Berkley Days festival hit with fights for second year

BERKLEY — The 101st Berkley Days festival was marred for the second year in a row due to fights by attendees.

On the third day of the festival, May 11, Berkley Days was shut down early after fights broke out on the event’s grounds.

“Unfortunately, yet again the annual tradition of Berkley Days has been disrupted by fights breaking out amongst participating youth,” a statement from the Berkley Public Safety Department reads.

The Public Safety Department declined to comment on the incidents that occurred at the event.

This is the second consecutive year that fights at Berkley Days led to the event’s early closure. Unlike last year, the city decided to reopen the event for its last day, May 12, with updated rules.

The rules state that participants ages 5-20 must purchase a wristband in addition to the $3 entry fee; all minors must be accompanied by a parent or guardian age 21 or older; an identification will be required at the entrance gate; and the festival will close at 4 p.m. instead of 6 p.m. May 12.

“On behalf of Berkley Public Safety and our greater community, we send our sincere thanks and appreciation to our mutual aid partners who came out to support us in keeping everyone safe tonight,” Berkley Public Safety Director Matt Koehn said in a prepared statement. “Our focus now is closing out this year’s event safely and strongly for Berkley’s families.”

The city stated in a news release that at this time no decision has been made about next year’s event.

Additional information regarding updates for Berkley Days will be posted on the city of Berkley’s Facebook page and at berkleymich.org.