Star-studded talent announced for 2024 Arts, Beats & Eats

ROYAL OAK — Arts, Beats & Eats is set and ready to showcase star-studded performances, one-of-a-kind artists and plenty of great tastes at the end of summer festival. 

On July 31, organizers of the event released the music lineup that will be performing Aug. 30 to Sept. 2.

Featuring nine stages, there will be hundreds of musical acts representing a variety of genres. For the 2024 event, there will be 65 new local artists, bands and ensembles taking the stages at Arts, Beats & Eats. 

Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Cheap Trick, known for songs including “I Want You to Want Me” and “Surrender,” will be performing 7:30. to 9 p.m. Aug. 30 on the Jim Beam National Stage. 

Additionally that night, the 1980s double-platinum rock band Tesla, who are well known for “Love Song,” will be performing on the Jim Beam National Stage from 9:30 to 11 p.m.

Chairman of the Oakland County Board of Commissioners Dave Woodward expressed his appreciation for the event at the press conference and highlighted the importance it has had for him and his family throughout the years. 

“I had the opportunity to attend the very first Arts, Beats & Eats in 1998 in Pontiac, and I have been coming every single year,” Woodward said. “My children have grown up with this festival and refer to it as the party in their town. Nowhere else in Michigan are you going to find the incredible musical talent that you do at Arts, Beats & Eats.”

The headliner to close the festival on the Jim Beam National Stage will be R&B star and American Music Award winner Keith Sweat, whose songs include “Nobody” and “Make It Last Forever,” from 7:45 to 9 p.m. Sept. 2.

Other well-known musicians who will be taking the Jim Beam National Stage include rock band Gin Blossoms at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 1 and Detroit’s Queen of the Blues, Thornetta Davis, at 4:30 p.m. Sept. 2.

Maurice Norris, who goes by the stage name Maurice King Wolf, will be a first-time performer at the event, taking the Michigan Lottery R&B Stage from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Sept. 1. 

Norris has been an entertainer for 14 years, showcasing his talents all over America. He is most well known for his DJing abilities, but he said he is also a singer, specializing in hip-hop, R&B, funk and pop. 

At Arts, Beats & Eats, Norris is going to be performing songs accompanied by a DJ and live guitarist. His plan is to create a set list that is molded specifically for the audience. 

“I am really good at reading the crowd. A lot of experience in the music business, coming from a DJ, is that you are literally controlling the party, and you have to know the people, and I’m really good at that,” he said.

During the press conference on July 31, a raffle with names of all the artists who wanted a chance to be on the main stage during the 2025 Arts, Beats & Eats event, Norris ended up getting his name pulled.

“I was not expecting that,” he said. “My biggest takeaway from this is to give the people a good experience, and if you see me on Sunday, you will see a good show, one good enough so people remember who I am for next year.”

Along with the hundreds of musical performances across the nine stages, attendees can expect to view art from more than 125 artists from across the nation, according to a press release.

Artists participating will be competing in the Corewell Health Juried Fine Art Show, where a “vast selection of styles and mediums will be represented by these artists who are eligible to win cash rewards,” according to the release.

To satisfy the “eats” part of the title, there will be more than 50 restaurants, caterers and food trucks throughout the festival bringing a diverse menu of options for people to indulge in.

Newcomers to the 2024 event include Royal Oak’s North End Taproom, showcasing unique self-pour taps and scratch menu items. Cafe De Olla is joining the fest as well, bringing authentic Mexican food. Returning favorites include I Freeze Creamery, Drunken Rooster and Princess Mediterranean Grill.

Flagstar Bank is once again partnering with Forgotten Harvest and having a food drive that gives people the chance to get in free to Arts, Beats & Eats.

From Aug. 12 to Aug. 27, people can receive a ticket valid for free entry between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. or a $5 discount for admission anytime to the festival by donating three or more cans of food or nonperishable items at participating Flagstar Bank locations listed on artsbeatseats.com.

Arts, Beats & Eats will open 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Aug. 30 through Sept. 1 and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sept. 2. Early bird tickets are being sold for $7 and can be purchased at artsbeatseats.com.

Admission is free before 5 p.m. Aug. 30 and costs $12 after 5 p.m. Every other day, admission costs $10 before 3 p.m. and $12 after 3 p.m. Cash and credit card transactions will be accepted at the gate entrances.

For more information, visit artsbeatseats.com.