Art in the Park Starts Tomorrow: Parking, Street Closures, and the Traffic Charges That Follow

Art in the Park opens tomorrow, July 10, and runs through Sunday, July 12. In its 46th year, it draws more than 400 artists and close to 300,000 people into downtown Plymouth over three days. It is the second-largest art fair in Michigan and, for one weekend, it turns a small downtown into one of the densest pedestrian environments in the state.

Street closures, overflow parking into residential neighborhoods, and enormous foot traffic produce a specific set of traffic and vehicle charges every year. Here is what to know before you drive into town.

The Street Closures

Historically, the closures for Art in the Park cover the core of downtown — Main Street through the festival footprint, Penniman Avenue, Ann Arbor Trail, and Forest Avenue, with closures beginning the evening before the fair opens and lifting Sunday evening. Exact boundaries and times are set by the City each year, and shuttle service typically runs from designated lots.

What matters legally is that these closures are enforced by barricade and by officer, and both carry consequences.

Disobeying a Barricade or an Officer

Under MCL 257.611, a driver must obey the lawful order or direction of a police officer directing traffic. Driving around a barricade or through a closure where an officer is posted is a misdemeanor, not a civil infraction.

In an ordinary setting, this might draw a warning. In a setting with 300,000 pedestrians, officers treat it as a genuine safety threat and charge it accordingly.

Reckless and Careless Driving

• Reckless driving (MCL 257.626) — operating with willful or wanton disregard for the safety of persons or property. A 93-day misdemeanor, $500 fine, six points, and a 90-day license suspension. If serious injury results, it becomes a five-year felony; if death results, a 15-year felony.
• Careless driving (MCL 257.626b) — a civil infraction with three points.

The proximity of pedestrians is the aggravating factor. Driving that would be charged as careless on an empty road at 2:00 a.m. gets charged as reckless when it happens on a street lined with families.

Pedestrian Right-of-Way

Michigan requires drivers to yield to pedestrians in crosswalks and to exercise due care to avoid any pedestrian, in a crosswalk or not. With crowds crossing mid-block continuously all weekend, the practical rule downtown is simple: pedestrians have the right of way, always, everywhere in the festival footprint.

A pedestrian strike — even at very low speed — triggers a serious investigation. If injury results and impairment is suspected, the charges escalate immediately.

The Charge Nobody Expects: Failing to Stop at a Property Damage Accident

Under MCL 257.618 and 257.619, a driver involved in an accident resulting in damage to a vehicle must stop, provide identifying information, and if the owner cannot be located, leave written notice in a conspicuous place on the vehicle and report it.

Art in the Park weekend fills every residential street around downtown with tightly packed parked cars. Clipping a mirror while squeezing out of a spot and driving on is, under Michigan law, leaving the scene — a misdemeanor. If injury is involved, MCL 257.617 makes failing to stop a five-year felony.

Doorbell cameras on those residential streets catch this constantly. People are frequently charged days later based on footage a homeowner turned over.

Parking Enforcement and Towing

Residential parking restrictions around the festival footprint are enforced heavily. Blocked driveways, fire lanes, and hydrant clearances all draw immediate towing. Parking tickets themselves are civil, but an unpaid accumulation can eventually lead to registration holds through the Secretary of State.

Recovering a towed vehicle from a Plymouth impound requires a valid license and proof of insurance — which creates a secondary problem for anyone driving on a suspended license.

Driving While License Suspended

DWLS under MCL 257.904 is a misdemeanor. A first offense carries up to 93 days in jail and a $500 fine, plus an additional suspension period. It is the most commonly charged criminal traffic offense in Michigan, and festival weekends produce a lot of them — someone drives into town without realizing their license was suspended for unpaid tickets or a missed court date, gets stopped in a traffic control zone, and now has a criminal case.

OWI in the Festival Footprint

Art in the Park has beer and wine service, and downtown restaurants run at capacity all weekend. Under MCL 257.625, first-offense OWI carries up to 93 days in jail (180 for a High BAC of .17 or above), $100–$500 in fines, a 30-day hard suspension followed by 150 days restricted, six points, and mandatory substance abuse assessment.

Enforcement concentrates on the arteries leading out of downtown — Ann Arbor Road, Main Street north and south, Sheldon, Lilley, and Plymouth Road — particularly between 6:00 and 10:00 p.m. when the fair closes each day.

Practical Advice for the Weekend

• Use the shuttle lots. The walk is shorter than the tow.
• Check your license status before you drive if there is any doubt.
• If you tap another car, stop and leave a note with your name, address, and registration information. Two minutes prevents a misdemeanor.
• Do not argue with officers directing traffic. Obeying a direction you disagree with costs you nothing; refusing it is a criminal charge.
• Assume every residential street has a camera pointed at it, because most do.

If You Were Stopped or Cited

• Photograph the location, signage, and any barricade placement.
• Note the exact time and the officer's agency.
• Preserve any dashcam footage from your own vehicle immediately.
• Do not admit fault to anyone, including a property owner or an insurance adjuster.
• Keep the citation — the specific statute or ordinance cited determines everything about the defense.

Where These Cases Are Heard

Everything arising in the City of Plymouth goes to the 35th District Court in Plymouth, including civil infractions, misdemeanor traffic charges, and felony arraignments. Felony cases proceed to probable cause conference and preliminary examination before any bind-over to Wayne County Circuit Court.

Why Traffic Misdemeanors Deserve a Real Defense

Reckless driving and DWLS are criminal convictions, not tickets. They carry points, suspensions, insurance consequences, and permanent records. Many resolve as reductions to civil infractions when someone actually contests them — and almost none get reduced when the defendant just pays.

Attorney Aaron J. Boria handles traffic-criminal cases in the 35th District Court every week. Call Boria Law at (734) 453-7806 before your court date rather than after.