Sunnyvale City Council
September 9, 2025

Consider Hosting a Semiquincentennial
Fourth of July Celebration Event and
Approval of Budget Modification No. 3
Michelle Perera
Sunnyvale City Council
September 9, 2025
2City of Sunnyvale – Semiquincentennial Fourth of July Celebration Event – September 2025 • 2024 Drone Show (300 drones) at Baylands Park – approx. 8,000 in attendance
 Innovative and unique idea resulted in large attendance, only city with drone show
 Opportunities for improvement – traffic and parking, longer drone show, requests for food/activities, enhanced public safety resources and crowd control/crowd limitations
• 2025 Downtown Family Fun Festival – approx. 5,000 in attendance  Free family friendly activities very popular, great entertainment  Opportunities for improvement – requests for food trucks, more activities Background
Fourth of July Celebration Event
3City of Sunnyvale – Semiquincentennial Fourth of July Celebration Event – September 2025 Alternative One Alternative Two
Five Alternatives (Alternatives One and Two)
Fourth of July Celebration Event
• Downtown Family Festival
(similar to 2025)
 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Carnival games and live music
• Budget modification for $400,000
• Civic Center Family Festival
(similar to 2025, but held at the
Civic Center)
 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Carnival games and live music
• Budget modification for $400,000
Food Trucks can be recommended to be added to any location except Downtown 4City of Sunnyvale – Semiquincentennial Fourth of July Celebration Event – September 2025 Alternative Three Alternative Four
Five Alternatives (Alternatives Three and Four)
Fourth of July Celebration Event
• Drone Show Only at Baylands
Park
 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.
• 750 drones, 13-minute show
• Budget modification for
$1,200,000
• Ticketing requirement to limit
crowd size
• Drone Show and Family Festival
at Baylands Park
 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.
• Carnival games and live music
• 750 drones, 13-minute show
• Budget modification for
$1,500,000
• Ticketing requirement to limit
crowd size
Food Trucks can be recommended to be added to any location except Downtown 5City of Sunnyvale – Semiquincentennial Fourth of July Celebration Event – September 2025 Alternative Five
Five Alternatives (Alternative Five)
Fourth of July Celebration Event
• No City-led event and no use of
Service Level Set-Aside funds
6City of Sunnyvale – Semiquincentennial Fourth of July Celebration Event – September 2025 Matrix (scale is between one and three *. The lower number of * means fewer challenges, greater number of * means more challenges) Preliminary Considerations
Event Options Event Scalability Logistical Feasibility Fewer Safety Challenges Fewer Staffing Requirements Financial Feasibility Totals 1 – Downtown Family
Festival
* ** ** ** ** 9
2 – Civic Center Family
Festival
* * ** ** ** 8
3 – Drone Show Only at
Baylands Park
** *** *** *** *** 14
4 – Drone Show & Family
Festival at Baylands Park
*** *** *** *** *** 15
7City of Sunnyvale – Semiquincentennial Fourth of July Celebration Event – September 2025 Preliminary Considerations – Alternatives 1 & 2: Family Festival Event Scalability
•Fun family event; room for attendee growth; no attendance limitations or ticketing; easily walkable and bikeable
Logistical Feasibility
•Minimal disruption to surrounding areas; some barricades; minimal road closures; vendor for stage, tents and game vendor
Safety Challenges
•Crowd staggered over 4 hours; on-duty Public Safety patrols staff and dedicated event staff
Financial Feasibility
•Approx. $350,000 - $400,000
Staffing Requirements
•Large number of staff & volunteers needed; 8-hour day
8City of Sunnyvale – Semiquincentennial Fourth of July Celebration Event – September 2025 Preliminary Considerations – Alternatives 1 & 2: Family Festival Location Differences
Downtown
•Event Scalability
Additional business to Downtown
Greater public accessibility
Civic Center
•Logistical Feasibility
Zero waste management
Site is more manageable for City staff
9City of Sunnyvale – Semiquincentennial Fourth of July Celebration Event – September 2025 Preliminary Considerations – Alternatives 3 & 4: Baylands Park Event Scalability
• Number of attendees limited due to capacity, safety, and traffic/parking limitations,requires advance tickets; accessibility challenges; food trucks
Logistical Feasibility
• Many third-party agencies to be involved: FAA, CHP , Moffett Airspace, County, vendor for stage, tents, contracted food trucks; significant road closures; street signage; fencing and barricades; shuttle buses for attendees; zero waste management; offsite parking; additional lighting, power resources, and marketing Safety Challenges
• Crowd present at one time; need dedicated events officers; regular patrol officers will be responding to large call volume (fires, illegal fireworks, disturbances, etc.); will need to supplement DPS with private security; street closures; potential 237 off-ramp closures (would require CHP approval, which is challenging); would not be able to have a fire engine on-site; mutual aid agreements are for emergency incidents rather than planned events and special agreement for this date is unlikely given demands in other jurisdictions
Staffing Requirements
• 12-hour day; City Manager will need to require safety personnel and city staff to work 10City of Sunnyvale – Semiquincentennial Fourth of July Celebration Event – September 2025 Preliminary Considerations – Alternatives 3 & 4: Baylands Park Drone Show/Family Festival Differences
Drone Show Only
•Financial Feasibility
Approx. $1,000,000 - $1,200,000
Drone Show and Family Festival
•Logistical Feasibility
Game vendor; contracted fencing and barricades; potential contracted shuttle buses for attendees; potential offsite parking; additional rented lighting; additional rented power resources
•Financial Feasibility
Approx. $1,300,000 - $1,500,000
11City of Sunnyvale – Semiquincentennial Fourth of July Celebration Event – September 2025 Alternative 1 or 2
Staff Recommendation
• Alternative 1: Family Festival Downtown, similar to 2025 (10am to 2pm) and Approval of Budget Modification No. 3 for $400,000
• Alternative 2: Family Festival at the Civic Center, with programming similar to the festival held in 2025 (10am to 2pm) and Approval of Budget Modification No. 3 for $400,000
Note: Event is one time for this significant anniversary, would not become an annual city sponsored community event.