Transit Guide Detroit: Labor Day Weekend
Here are the major events happening this weekend & how to get there.
Art, Beats and Eats in Royal Oak
This annual event has been in Royal Oak since 2010 and is a great family friendly event. A,B&E features a juried fine art show, local and national music acts and dozens of food vendors. On Friday the festival is free to enter until 5pm, after 5pm the price is $7. On Saturday, Sunday and Monday, admission is $3 before 3pm, $5 after 3pm, and $7 after 5pm. This is admission fee supports the festival as well as 13 non-profit partners.
How to get there:
The number one way people get to A,B&E is by driving. About 400,000 people attend which creates a parking problem. Fortunately there are lots of parking garages downtown, free shuttles, free bike parking, SMART bus and free Chariot rides between Ferndale/Pleasant Ridge and Royal Oak.
Detroit Jazz Festival
Formally the Monteux Detroit jazz Festival, the Detroit International Jazz Festival was formed in 1980 by Robert McCabe and the Detroit Renaissance. Held at Hart Plaza and Campus Martius, the festival is the largest free Jazz festival in the world (Detroit Historical Society). The event kicks off Friday night and runs through Monday evening. Check out who is playing here.
How to get there:
For those who drive, there are 65,000 parking spaces downtown. From there you can walk or make your trip a little faster with MoGo bike share, Bird scooters, Lime scooters, QLine, People Mover, DDOT or SMART. Lyft is the official ride share. Depending on how far you are coming from that can still be costly. DDOT can get you downtown from all over the city & SMART’s FAST bus service from the suburbs can drop you off by the Guardian Building. Careful choosing the QLine because it can get tied up by heavy downtown traffic.
Hamtramck Labor Day Festival
This festival, like Jazz Fest, has been around since 1980. This multi-cultural event will feature local bands, a Polish parade to celebrate the early history of the city and a variety of local food from across the globe.
How to get there:
Driving is still the popular choice. There will be $5 parking in the city lot and first come, first serve street parking. There are public transit options but they’re not that frequent. DDOT’s #10 Chene bus runs every 60 minutes. #12 Conant runs between State Fair & Belle Isle every 60 minutes and #38 Plymouth runs every 60 minutes across town connecting DDOT & SMART buses at Trowbridge to Caniff. Of course, there’s always Uber/Lyft and perhaps the Detroit Bus Company will be running some shuttles from the Fowling Warehouse to downtown Hamtramck.
For more public transit info, check out www.transitguidedetroit.com
