BACKGROUND:
Coachella Valley Bully Fest is scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 13, 2024, and is requesting use of the Cathedral City Community Amphitheater. Setup would take place the evening before (Jan. 12) and the event would take place from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
DISCUSSION:
This annual event allows dog owners to showcase the talents of their pups and show off their special skills. In previous years, Bully Fest has attracted both a strong local/regional audience as well as out-of-state attendees and participants. Competition trophies are awarded and everything is designed to offer guests a family-friendly experience. There is a strong focus on entertaining and appealing to families and there are no depictions of violence or adult themes included in the show. Event organizers plan to hire private security to roam amongst attendees and to check bags prior to entry at the gate.
While the event organizers are aware of the fees associated with renting the amphitheater, they are asking the City Council to sponsor the Special Use Permit application fee of $510. With City sponsorship, the event organizer agrees to utilize the City’s name and logo in promotional materials/digital media advertising the event.
Coachella Valley Bully Fest projects a strong local and regional audience and projects 1,500 attendees. This event has previously been held in the City of Coachella but event organizers were attracted to the City’s Community Amphitheater after attending multiple successful events hosted at the venue (Tejano Music Fest, Cathedral City Hot Air Balloon Festival, Taste of Jalisco, etc.). Food and alcohol will be served inside the amphitheater, which will require all necessary documentation to be secured and submitted prior to the event from ABC and Riverside County.
FISCAL IMPACT:
As a third-party event, the applicant must submit all necessary payments and documentation to the City prior to the event. This includes the $5,000 per day rental fee established for proposed for-profit events. With the event organizers responsible for cleanup and agreeing to hire private security, they expect the utilization of city staff to be limited beyond our Communications & Events staff.
Since this would be a new event in Cathedral City, the economic impact is unknown, though event organizers have experienced prior success when the event was held in the City of Coachella. Communications & Events sees this as an opportunity to draw more foot traffic downtown and to capitalize on the increased applications for using the Community Amphitheater.