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Metro Detroit Oakland County City
Concerts, a zoo, a market and nightlife: one of Oakland County's liveliest downtowns
01 / Why it matters
Royal Oak is one of the liveliest spots on the Woodward Corridor, about 10 miles from downtown Detroit. Since the late 1990s, downtown around Main Street and Washington Avenue has grown into an entertainment district: bars, restaurants, concert halls and a comedy club, with new condos and lofts in the mix.
Much of the Detroit Zoo is here too, since 1928. It was the first zoo in the U.S. to feature bar-less habitats. Royal Oak also goes by "The City of Trees," thanks to heavy tree planting since the 1930s.
At 12 Mile and Woodward stands the Art Deco Shrine of the Little Flower. Its pastor, Charles Coughlin, gained national influence with his radio sermons in the 1930s, with an increasingly antisemitic message; that's part of Royal Oak's story too. The church's tower was built in response to a Ku Klux Klan cross burning, as "a cross they could not burn."
02 / Known for
The Detroit Zoo has been here since 1928, the first U.S. zoo to feature bar-less habitats.
The Royal Oak Farmers Market opened as a truck market on October 14, 1925, a joint venture of the city and Oakland County.
The Art Deco National Shrine of the Little Flower was built between 1931 and 1936 and became a minor basilica in 2015.
The Arts, Beats & Eats festival has filled downtown Royal Oak every Labor Day weekend since 2010.
"The City of Trees," a nickname earned by tree planting since the 1930s.
Mark Ridley's Comedy Castle is where Tim Allen first did stand-up, on a dare from a friend.
03 / What’s on
Oct 1, 2026, 6:30 PMRoyal Oak Music Theatre · AEG presents Jim Henson's Labyrinth: In Concert 40th Anniversary on Thursday, October 1, at 6:30 p.m. at Royal Oak Music Theatre in Royal Oak. A 40th‑anniversary concert take on the Jim Henson favorite; tickets available online.
Oct 2, 2026, 6:30 PMDetroit Zoo · The Detroit Zoological Society throws a strictly 21+ Halloween costume party at the Detroit Zoo in Royal Oak on Friday, October 2, from 6:30 to 10 p.m. (VIP entry at 6), with more than 100 craft drink tastings, live music and a costume contest. Heads up: every ticket tier was listed as sold out on the official page as of September 29, 2026.
Oct 2, 2026, 7:00 PMRoyal Oak Music Theatre · Artemas plays a concert on Friday, October 2, at 7 p.m. at Royal Oak Music Theatre in Royal Oak. Presented by AEG, with tickets available.
Oct 3, 2026, 3:00 PMDetroit Zoo · The Detroit Zoological Society's merry-not-scary Zoo Boo fills the Detroit Zoo in Royal Oak with trick-or-treat stations, live entertainment and costumed characters on October 3–4, 9–11, 16–18 and 23–25, from 3 to 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $21–$25 ($27 at the gate) through the zoo's webstore.
Oct 3, 2026, 6:00 PMRoyal Oak Music Theatre · Akaash Singh performs Saturday, October 3, at 6 p.m. at Royal Oak Music Theatre in Royal Oak. Presented by AEG; tickets available.
Oct 3, 2026, 8:30 PMRoyal Oak Music Theatre · Akaash Singh takes the stage on Saturday, October 3, at 8:30 p.m. at Royal Oak Music Theatre in Royal Oak. Presented by AEG; tickets are available.
Oct 4, 2026, 3:00 PMDetroit Zoo · The Detroit Zoological Society's merry-not-scary Zoo Boo fills the Detroit Zoo in Royal Oak with trick-or-treat stations, live entertainment and costumed characters on October 3–4, 9–11, 16–18 and 23–25, from 3 to 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $21–$25 ($27 at the gate) through the zoo's webstore.
Oct 4, 2026, 7:00 PMRoyal Oak Music Theatre · Grits & Eggs Podcast hits Royal Oak Music Theatre in Royal Oak on Sunday, October 4, at 7 p.m., presented by AEG. Tickets via the venue.
Oct 8, 2026, 7:00 PMRoyal Oak Music Theatre · Robin Trower plays a concert on Thursday, October 8, at 7 p.m. at Royal Oak Music Theatre in Royal Oak. Presented by AEG; tickets required.
Oct 9, 2026, 3:00 PMDetroit Zoo · The Detroit Zoological Society's merry-not-scary Zoo Boo fills the Detroit Zoo in Royal Oak with trick-or-treat stations, live entertainment and costumed characters on October 3–4, 9–11, 16–18 and 23–25, from 3 to 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $21–$25 ($27 at the gate) through the zoo's webstore.
Oct 9, 2026, 7:30 PMStagecrafters at the Baldwin Theatre · Stagecrafters performs The Fall Of The House Of Usher at the Baldwin Theatre, 415 South Lafayette Avenue in Royal Oak, on Friday, October 9, 2026, at 7:30 p.m.. With seven performances in the run, you've got options.
Oct 10, 2026, 11:00 AMRoyal Oak · Royal Oak Downtown Events hosts Boos + Bites on Saturday, October 10, from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. in Royal Oak. It's a community gathering featuring local bites and a relaxed vibe.
04 / Places
Blind Owl Restaurant & Bar - Royal Oak511 S Main St, Royal Oak, MI 48067
Breakout Escape Rooms Royal Oak222 E 4th St, Royal Oak, MI 48067
Café Muse418 S Washington Ave, Royal Oak, MI 48067
Emagine Royal Oak200 North Main Street, Royal Oak, MI 48067
Five15600 S Washington Ave, Royal Oak, MI 48067
Hotel Royal Oak811 E 11 Mile Rd, Royal Oak, MI 48067
Pronto! Lounge & Showbar608 S Washington Ave, Royal Oak, MI 48067
Sing Out Detroit320 W Seventh St (Royal Oak First United Methodist Church, rehearsals), Royal Oak, MI 48067
Stagecrafters at the Baldwin Theatre415 S Lafayette Ave, Royal Oak, MI 48067
The Great Escape Room Royal Oak301 W 4th St, LL110, Royal Oak, MI 48067
Closed – archive entryMain Art Theatre118 N Main St, Royal Oak, MI 4806705 / What to do
A 125-acre zoo with more than 2,000 animals: the Polk Penguin Conservation Center is the largest penguin facility in the world, and the Arctic Ring of Life has polar bears. It's at 8450 W. 10 Mile Road.
Official site ↗Farmers market on Saturdays from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., plus an antiques and collectibles market on Sundays from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., at 316 E. 11 Mile Road (2026 hours).
Official site ↗An Art Deco stone church trimmed in copper at 12 Mile and Woodward, with a 28-foot figure of Christ on its tower. Worth a stop even just from the outside.
Official site ↗Opened as a movie house on Fourth Street in 1928 and a concert hall since 1976; it holds 1,700 for general-admission shows.
Official site ↗Art, 200 musical acts and plenty of food downtown over Labor Day weekend; the 2026 edition ran September 4 to 7.
Official site ↗06 / History
Governor Lewis Cass names the settlement Royal Oak during a surveying expedition.
Royal Oak incorporates as a village.
Royal Oak becomes a city.
The Royal Oak Farmers Market opens on October 14 at 4th and Troy streets.
The Detroit Zoo officially opens on August 1; the building that's now the Royal Oak Music Theatre opens as a movie house the same year.
The Arts, Beats & Eats festival moves to Royal Oak from Pontiac.
07 / Born here
Sam Raimifilm director, producer, screenwriter · 1959
Bruce Campbellactor, producer, director, writer · 1958
Mary Barraautomotive executive, engineer · 1961
Paul Feigdirector, writer, producer, actor · 1962
Meryl Davisice dancer, Olympic champion · 1987
Christopher Georgetelevision and film actor · 193108 / People
Population and area are Census Bureau figures (Royal Oak city).
Change since 2020, per the Census Bureau estimate: −1.1 percent.
