Fort Bragg Blues
Festival 2026 - A
Celebration of Music,
Community &
Economic Impact
Two Years In —
And We're Just
Getting Started
Year 1
Near total sell-out — a debut that
proved Fort Bragg was ready for a
world-class blues festival
69.67% Revenue Growth
Ticket sales surged from $46,380
to $78,692 in Year 2
75% Sell-Out Rate
Across an expanded, multi-venue
calendar including the Skunk Train
kick-off and Whiskey & Blues
Seafood Dinner
2025 vs 2026 Financial Summary
2025
-Ticket Sales - $46,476
-Total Revenue - $68,893
-City Contribution - $20K
-Other Sponsorship Dollars - $1,200
-Net Profit - $19,500 (parlayed into 2026 festival)
2026
-Ticket Sales - $80,600
-Total Revenue - $132,000
-City Contribution - $13,250
-Other Sponsorship Dollars - $14,250
-Net Profit - $7,010
Major Expenditures
Infrastructure: $72,00
-Equipment Rentals
-Sound & Lighting
-Event Production
-Other
Musicians: $30,500
-12 Bands
-Greenroom/Hospitality
-Other
Marketing: $11,500
-Signage & Banners
-Social Media/Content Creation
-Paid Advertising
-Digital Festival Program Guide
-Postcards, Flyers, Posters
-Other
A Festival Across Fort Bragg
12 Live Performances
Across multiple venues — from intimate
indoor stages to Glen Blair Bar to the openair festival tent at Noyo Headlands Park — the festival transforms Fort Bragg into a
living music destination.
" Skunk Train Kick-Off
A Prohibition-themed evening through the redwoods — a oneof-a-kind Fort Bragg experience impossible to replicate anywhere else
f Whiskey & Blues Seafood Dinner
At Noyo Harbor Inn — pairing world-class cuisine with live music for an unforgettable evening on the water
2026 Growth & Expansion:
-9 performances in 2025 vs 12
performances in 2026.
-Bigger, more well-known musicians.
-Larger venues = greater capacity.
-Free Community Concert at Bainbridge Park - more than doubled capacity over 2025.
-Whiskey & Blues Dinner in February to gain marketing attention and attract sponsors.
-Roaring 20's Kick-off Event on the Skunk Train bringing people to town 1 day early! -Early-bird ticket sales opened in Dec. vs Feb. to allow for longer lead-time for visitors to plan their stay.
A Weekend That Filled the Town
Total Attendees
64% traveled from outside the immediate
coastal region
739 Estimated Room Nights
Generated for Fort Bragg area lodging
over the festival weekend
2.5 Avg. Nights Stayed
Over 85% of out-of-town visitors stayed 2
to 3 nights
Local Hotels/Motels · 48.08%
Short-Term Rentals áAirbnb/VRBOâ · 28.02%
Campgrounds/RV Parks · 13.86%
Staying with Friends/Family · 10.03%
The Silver Economy Advantage
Who Is Our Audience?
The Fort Bragg Blues Festival attracts one of the most
economically powerful tourism demographics in the country — the mature, post-career traveler.
Stable retirement incomes, fixed pensions, and accumulated disposable capital — uniquely insulated from job-market volatility
They plan travel around our first-weekend-of-May dates for anniversaries, milestones, and seasonal trips
Over 90% of attendees are in the mature 60+ demographic — the most financially stable tourism segment
70 · 47%
6070 · 43.4%
Under 60 · 9.6%
47%
43.4%
9.6%
How Visitor Dollars Flow Back to Fort Bragg
Visitor
Revenue
Flow
Local Businesses
Hotels, restaurants,
Main St. shops, Noyo
Harbor
City General Fund
14% TOT + 9.25%
sales tax
Visitor Cash
Inflow
604 attendees
spending locally
14% TOT "Bed Tax"
A couple booking 3 nights at $250/night generates $105
directly into the City General Fund. Multiply that across hundreds of multi-night visitors and the impact is substantial.
9.25% Sales Tax
Every meal at Noyo Harbor, every espresso downtown, every souvenir — all captured by local and city tax streams, reinvested directly into Fort Bragg's future.
Giving Back to the Community
$10,700 in Nonprofit Revenue
Distributed to vital local organizations
that strengthen the Fort Bragg
community year-round
Beneficiary Organizations
Mendo Food Network + Flockworks +
Gloriana Musical Theatre — pillars of
our local cultural fabric
Free for All
A free public concert at Harold O.
Bainbridge Park brought the blues to
every member of the community — no
ticket required
The Music That Moved Us
A Year-Round PR Campaign, Not Just a 3-Day Event
Regional & National Media
Major travel and culture publications are
already citing the festival as a highlight of
visiting Fort Bragg — earning coverage in
WorldAtlas.com, Blues Festival E-Guide,
Mendocino Today.
10 Months of Multichannel
Marketing
Regional & local radio on 6+ stations,
targeted digital campaigns, physical flyer
distribution from Gualala to Westport to
Ukiah, and direct person-to-person contact
— 85% of the year.
Passionate Brand Advocates
Our audience has become organic
ambassadors — returning to Fort Bragg as
an annual tradition and spreading the word
to their networks
A Year-Round PR Campaign, Not Just a 3-Day Event
Major travel and culture publications are already citing the festival as a highlight of visiting Fort Bragg — earning coverage in WorldAtlas.com, Blues Festival E-Guide, Mendocino Today.
Regional & local radio on 6+ stations, targeted digital campaigns, physical flyer distribution from Gualala to Westport to Ukiah, and direct person-to-person contact — 85% of the year.
Our audience has become organic ambassadors — returning to Fort Bragg as an annual tradition and spreading the word to their networks
The Crowd That Came Alive
Fiscally Responsible: $132,020 Gross Revenue on
$114,970 in Costs
A Clean, Positive Balance Sheet
Every dollar managed with strict professional oversight across 10+ operational categories.
Exceeded Projections
Revenue surpassed forecasts by over $6,000 — with a clean positive balance after all operational adjustments
Sponsor Revenue Growth
Reached 72% of projected sponsor revenue targets in just year two — strong momentum for year three
0 5k 10k 15k 20k 25k 30k
Cost ($)
Production & Management
Artist & Entertainment
Operations & Incidentals
Logistics & Infrastructure
Audio/Visual Engineering
Venues & Transit
Campaign & Media
Ticketing & Logistics
Marketing Execution
Permits, Security & Fencing
Community Accessibility
Expense Category
Looking Ahead - The Case for a 5-Year Commitment
2027 & Beyond: Building On Our Success with Access to More Dynamic Venues such as Noyo Headlands Park & Bainbridge Park and Greater event Capacity A 5-year municipal commitment transforms the Fort Bragg Blues Festival from a promising young event into a permanent fixture on the Northern California cultural calendar.
Lock In Loyalty
Our 60+ audience plans travel months in
advance — they need certainty that the first
weekend of May belongs to Fort Bragg. A
multi-year commitment converts curious
visitors into devoted annual traditionmakers.
Attract Premium Sponsors &
Artists
Multi-year stability signals credibility to
corporate partners and national travel
publications. Stability unlocks tier-one
artist bookings and marquee sponsorship
conversations.
Empower Local Businesses
Main Street and Noyo Harbor can
confidently invest in inventory and staffing
knowing this economic engine is
guaranteed — turning festival weekend into
a planned annual revenue peak.
Fort Bragg's Blues Future Is Bright
The infrastructure is built. The audience is loyal. The economic model works. 1 Today
69.67% ticket revenue growth, 739 room
nights, $10,700 back to nonprofits
2 Year 3+
A permanent fixture on the Northern
California cultural calendar
3 The Vision
A year-round engine for Fort Bragg's
economic and cultural revitalization —
for generations to come