Revenue up a good chunk, attendance down a good bit, not a
single arrest on Sunday, vendors happily reporting brisk business,
temperatures warm with a cool breeze, focused return to local
roots.
That’s the short story on Garlic Festival XXIII.
Revenue up a good chunk, attendance down a good bit, not a single arrest on Sunday, vendors happily reporting brisk business, temperatures warm with a cool breeze, focused return to local roots.
That’s the short story on Garlic Festival XXIII.
It seemed charmed, honestly. The crowds stayed and stayed; there were lines at more than a few booths at 6:30 p.m., a half hour before close, on Sunday. People couldn’t get enough.
Of course, it takes a while to answer some of the deeper post-Festival questions like does Gourmet Alley need a facelift and should the Rotary wine tent be moved closer to the Alley for synergistic reasons?
But the most obvious question – Did the $5 base ticket price hike help or hurt? – seems moot. If the measure is simply ticket sales, then it hurt. Attendance tailed off a bit to 97,667. But if it’s an equation that includes total revenue, which is up, and a happy crowd that clearly defined the event as a food festival not a party festival, then the conclusion has to be that the festival is, without question, on the right track.
Volunteer President Greg Bozzo has the ship on the right track, too, with the idea of sustainability – using local foods and products – and the implementation of a green strategy – making recycling a mainstay for operations.
Meanwhile, the budget focus is on sustainability, too. Sponsorship money, up considerably from last year, will be siphoned off into the community capital benefit fund for donations to civic projects. That allows sponsor dollars to be over and above operational dollars. Thus, the festival can pick and choose its partners without depending on that cash.
It’s a good spot to be in. Having nearly 98,000 show up to your event is a great position to be in. The Garlic Festival remains a media darling. It is maturing, however, into a classier food fest while retaining a sense of humor during the entire party. It “feels” markedly different than 10 years ago with far less trouble brewing and more revenue streaming in.
Hats off to all the Gilroy volunteers and the Garlic Festival staff who worked hard to pull it off. From Gourmet Alley to the Cook-Off Stage, Festival XXXIII will go down as an important shift in direction, pointing the Garlic Festival ship on a new course toward a bright future.
For this community, that’s the best possible news coming off our big weekend.
