I wish it were the DIY Street Fair everyday. Seriously. I went last year and again this year. I will be making sure that I have absolutely nothing to do when it rolls around next year. It's officially worked its way into an event that I will plan other stuff around.
The booths are all very cool. The beer selection is great. The people are cool. The activities, events, and bands are all usually really good.
Words can't do this fair justice. You have to go check it out for yourself.
My favorite Ferndale festival. Something for everyone, especially if you dig sweet handmade goods and stuff you won't find anywhere else. I always find the most unique stuff and the vibe is super cool and laidback. They had great bands this year too, much improved. Can't wait til next year!
Review Source:I'm just a huge fan of this fair!! It's not nearly as large, as congested or as expensive as Arts Beats and Eats and it seems to be more Michigan concentric and locally sponsored. There aren't as many options for music, entertainment or food....that's true, but the vibe is way way more chill and people are far less impolite when compared to the like. I'm geeked that it's in my backyard and I'm thoroughly looking forward to 2013's DIY! There's always plenty of highlights and it grows a little larger each year so if you didn't make it this year next year's should only be better.
Review Source:Everything that's great about Ferndale distilled into one happy 3 day weekend. Also, probably the best street fair/art fair in the Detroit area (they've lost some competition in the last few years: 4th st, DFA, etc.)
Sometimes its what you *don't* do that sets you apart: No admission fee, no water bottle gouge, no drink-ticket-to-dollars calculus, no lousy carnival food, no raingutter salemen. So easy to spend the whole weekend here.
this is tops on reasons why i love living in ferndale.
this is the outdoor festival to go to in southeast michigan. Â perfect size and perfect setup. Â and you don't have to spend a lot of money to have a good time. Â 20 dollars for 5 beer tickets is an awesome deal!
i get so excited for the labor day weekend just to hang out at the DIY fair. Â every year i get something amazing for my house. Â the last two years i've gotten some deep discounts on framed photos the last day. Â every year i drink amazing beers. clementine lemon thyme beer, yummo! Â every year there are great bands and great crowds. Â
this year they added some food trucks. i heard taco mama was amazing, but she sold out before i got there. Â treat dreams had some awesome ice cream shots. Â we got a green fairy shot which was vanilla with absinthe and some vanilla and hot damn ones.
i'm already looking to next year. Â it seems to grow a little each year.
love, juston
I look forward to this event ALLLLL summer long. I love attending this every year. Sampling beer, shopping, and bad ass music, what more could a girl want?! I always buy some kind of handi-crafted thingamabob from someone who worked hard at creating a piece of art. The vibe is chill, the people are cool and you are guaranteed an awesome time. P.S. the food is great too! Mark it on your calendar for next year folks, you will not be disappointed :)
Review Source:So you know how a lot of fairs and festivals can start feeling really trashy as the day goes on? People get progressively more drunk and the litter piles up? The sun covers everyone in a sticky glaze of sweat and you end up spending $15 on a cup of water? Or, on the other side of the spectrum, the elderly, small children, and oblivious tourists clog every vein of movement in the vicinity?
Thank goodness this is not at all the MO for the DIY Street Fair. Instead, there is room to breathe, the place is kept clean, and there are plenty of places just to perch on a curb or at some tables and rest. Eat. People Watch.
The DIY booths were fairly heavy on the t-shirt and clothing side of things. But there were also some quirky booths selling things like little characters made out of condoms.
My absolute favorite was the Four Chamber Forge booth with hand-made rustic jewelry out of reclaimed urban wood. So insanely beautiful and very reasonably priced. The 'Detroit Lives' shirts were also great (and apparently they are at the Rust Belt Market every Saturday if you missed them at the fair).
The music wasn't bad and it also wasn't loud enough to where it overwhelmed the entire fair. The beer stands seemed really expensive! But I saw a lot of breweries represented. Were I a sunny-day-drinker (and not the dark, divey, and sultry bar drinker that I am) and the prices were more reasonable, I would've loved to sample all those Michigan brews.
Definitely some kids running around but they were well-behaved little buggers with mellow parents. Wasn't crowded enough to kick social anxiety or claustrophobia in gear, but enough hustle and bustle to make the place feel loved.
And there was FREE WATER! In compostable cups! Halle-freakin'lujah! So refreshing (pun?) to hydrate one's self without having to sell your soul to finance some h2o in a non-enviro-friendly bottle.
Great selection of food. The pulled-pork sandwich from Omnivorous Catering was particularly memorable with the option of 7 different creative and mighty delicious sauces, as well as kimchi!
Have fun trying to park, though! Even the paid parking spots were filled up. The residential streets were packed, too. Put yer walkin' shoes on and get ready for a nice saunter (it really was pleasant, actually).
As a new addition to Ferndale, I can't tell you how many times residents and friends told me to check out the DIY fair. Even more than the Dream Cruise, DIY holds a special place in Ferndalers' hearts -- and for good reason, as I came to find out.
The DIY backs up with the Ferndale Art Fair, so I take them as a single unit rather than two separate events. Take a section of Nine Mile and turn it into an open-air fair of arts, crafts, photography, sidewalk sales for local businesses, and everyone out with their kids and dogs on a sunny day. Now spice up with a variety of food vendors (including food for the pups and a carnival-like atmosphere with the obligatory lemonade, popcorn, and corndog options), and you have the art half of the festival.
On the other side of Woodward, the area around the WAB became a smorgasbord of local craft beers, B. Nektar's delicious meads, and more food vendors providing hot dogs to tacos and the Emory's ridiculously tasty French fries. It's free to enter and fun to navigate through an array of stalls and tents where ridiculously talented locals turn kitsch into glorious creations, be it fun cards to household goods, or astound with what they can do with yarn or metalwork. Truly, I know we are a gifted city but rarely do I feel so pathetic in my art-and-craft skills as I did here.
Was that reason to be sad? No way. I love talking to the people who make the beers or the lovely hats, and they are more than happy to share their stories, offer custom work, and promote their favourite places around town. Definitely a resource for anyone interested in knitting or beading or metalworking, I highly recommend it just to become acquainted with some of the serious developments in the arts and crafters community.
Best of all, the Michigan focus shines through. There are representatives from other areas, but the Buy Michigan! Buy Local! theme gently flows through rather than slapping you in the face. The organizers found some wonderful representatives in several fields, and I really do hope this continues to grow.
Finally, the music of the DIY is probably as much a draw as the food and shopping. Plenty of local bands show, including some unexpected ones (Insane Clown Posse, and it was rumoured Jack White was going to show, which didn't pan out) ranging from rock to indie to techno. Meet friends, have a beer or mead, and listen to music showcased on a stage. Jump over to Como's for a meal, or kick back and chow on a taco while hearing how someone made a giant metal t-rex skeleton out of forks last winter just because they could. RAWR, Ferndale, you are amazing.
One of my favorite events around Metro-Detroit, hands down. I mean, how can you go wrong with arts, crafts, clothes, beer, food, and awesome local tunes? Uhmmm...you can't!
Bless the organizers for putting together such a wonderful weekend year after year after year and knocking it out of the park each time. I could easily spend open to close there seeing all the music, drinking beer after beer (supplied by many a Michigan brewery), and spending a ton of money buying copious amounts of jewelry, artwork, pottery, clothes, etc etc from amazing local artists and vendors. My tummy could be happily filled on a steady diet of Emory, WAB, Treat Dreams, Taco Mama, and all the other excellent eats to be found.
It's just a perfectly well rounded festival that's organized impeccably and a great time for all (even kids thanks to their Kids play area!). Parking can be a little tough but don't be afraid to walk a few blocks. It's certainly worth the visit. Plan to spend a few hours because there's a whole lot to explore!
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