STAFF REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL
DATE: Regular Meeting of June 11, 2024
TO: Mayor and Members of the City Council
VIA: Dante Hall, City Manager
SUBMITTED BY: Christopher Roke, Parks and Recreation Director SUBJECT: FY 23-24 Co-sponsored Special Events Update and Proposed Co-Sponsored Special Events for FY 24-25 RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Staff recommends that the City Council:
Receive an update on special events co-sponsored by the City and the Bay Front Chamber of Commerce during the FY 23-24 Authorize four City-Chamber co-sponsored special events for FY 24-25 Consider authorizing a fifth co-sponsored special event (Lunar New Year Celebration) and allocating an additional $10,000 for this purpose EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
As directed by City Council, staff worked with the Bayfront Chamber of Commerce to collaborate on a variety of Special Events to be held in Hercules during FY 23-24. The events included National Night Out, the Bay Front Festival, a Crab Feed, and the Cultural Festival.
BACKGROUND:
In FY 21-22, the City Council budgeted $100,000 for Special Events to give the community something to celebrate as we started to recover from the pandemic. With the funding, the City Council directed staff to partner with the City of Pinole to bring a Fireworks Celebration to the community and allocated $25,000 for an agreement with the Bay Front Chamber of Commerce to lead a series of co-sponsored special events.
In FY 22-23, the City Council allocated $50,000 for a Fireworks Celebration and $35,000 to again work with the Chamber of Commerce to produce a series of co-sponsored events that included National Night Out, the Bay Front Festival, Bottles and Bites, and the Cultural Festival.
In FY 23-24, the City Council allocated $50,000 for Fireworks, and another $35,000 for co-sponsored special events with the Chamber. Council requested staff to consider ways to get the other City Recognized Nonprofit groups involved through co-sponsored special events. In response, staff worked with the Chamber to swap the Bottles and Bites event with a Crab Feed event to allow other nonprofit groups to generate funds through ticket sales.
Overall, the special events for FY 23-24 were very well attended. Although the Fireworks Celebration was not a co-sponsored special activity, it drew a crowd of over 5,000 people to the Bayfront. National Night Out drew over 2,000 participants at Refugio Valley Park. The Bayfront Festival saw over 3,000 people at the Bayfront, and the Crab Feed sold 245 tickets to benefit several nonprofit groups through ticket sales. While the numbers are still being compiled for the 2nd Annual Cultural Festival, the turnout was fantastic. More details on these co-sponsored special events can be found on the attached recaps for each event (Attachment 1).
ANALYSIS:
The City of Hercules is fortunate to have worked with the Bayfront Chamber the past few years to bring a series of events to Hercules. FY 23-24 included National Night Out, the Bayfront Festival, a Crab Feed, and the Cultural Festival. As mentioned above, all these special events were well received and attended by the community.
As we focus on future special events, we are reminded that the Hercules community is very diverse with many members of Asian heritage. For this reason, staff proposes to add a co-sponsored Lunar New Year Celebration to the lineup of special events for next year. The Lunar New Year is one of the most important holidays in Asian heritage, often celebrated with big family gatherings, gift giving, the eating of symbolic foods, and displays of festive decorations - all focused on bringing good luck for the New Year and celebrating the imminent arrival of spring. Adding a Lunar New Year event to the list of special events would require an additional $10,000 in the proposed FY 24-25 Annual Budget to co-sponsor the event. Alternatively, the City Council could choose to substitute one of the other proposed events for a Lunar New Year event at no additional cost.
The chart below identifies the recommended co-sponsored special events for FY 24-25. The Fourth of July Celebration is not included in this list because it is not a co-sponsored special event. Funding for next year’s Fourth of July Celebration has been included in the proposed FY 24-25 Annual Budget.
PROPOSED EVENTS
DATE
CO-SPONSORSHIP CONTRIBUTION
NATIONAL NIGHT OUT (AT REFUGIO VALLEY PARK)
Tu 08/06/24
$35,000 for all four events have been included in the proposed FY 24-25 Annual Budget
BAYFRONT FESTIVAL (AT THE BAYFRONT)
Su 10/06/24
CRAB FEED (AT THE COMMUNITY SWIM CENTER)
Sa 01/18/25
CULTURAL FESTIVAL (AT REFUGIO VALLEY PARK)
Su 06/01/25
RECOMMENDED ADDITIONAL PROPOSED EVENTS
DATE
CO-SPONSORSHIP CONTRIBUTION
LUNAR NEW YEAR (AT THE COMMUNITY SWIM CENTER)
Fr 02/09/25
$10,000 (additional) not included in the proposed FY 24-25 Annual Budget All dates are subject to change.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The proposed FY 24-25 Annual Budget includes $35,000 for four co-sponsored special events. If the City Council would like to add a Lunar New Year Celebration as a fifth co-sponsored special event for the next year, an additional general fund allocation of $10,000 would be required.
ATTACHMENTS:
FY 23-24 Co-Sponsored Special Event Update Detail