The City of Richmond is looking at holding scaled-back special events for 2021 with a proposed budget one-third of that originally approved for 2020 events.
With a focus on online or physically distanced events for community celebrations like the Steveston Salmon Festival, the Cherry Blossom Festival and Doors Open Richmond, the total proposed budget for 2021 is $258,000.
Furthermore, staff are proposing to use $151,000 from the 2020 unused budget and to take the remainder from the rate stabilization account.
The 2020 special events budget was originally set at $1.065 million, but with COVID-19 restrictions in place, council reduced the budget in May to $285,000 - largely because most events were cancelled, drastically reduced or moved online.
The children’s arts festival was the last large-scale event to take place in 2020, but even then city staff noticed a smaller number of attendees as news of the COVID-19 virus was spreading.
The Cherry Blossom Festival was cancelled while the Steveston Salmon Festival, Doors Open Richmond and Richmond Maritime Festival went completely online.
Staff is proposing keeping some of the online elements but also introducing safer in-person components like a drive-through or timed pickup salmon bake for the salmon festival, whose budget is proposed at $25,000 – the festival’s budget in 2019 was $250,000.
As for the Richmond Maritime Festival, whose budget in 2019 was $300,000, staff are proposing some in-person events with an arts and history focus, including roving and staged performers, interactive and hands-on activities and artists’ installations. They are proposing using $15,000 in city funds supplemented by a federal grant, which the Richmond Arts Coalition is applying for.
The children’s arts festival wouldn’t be a in-person gathering as in previous years, but an art truck might instead tour schools.
Other proposed events are a series of farmers markets, instead of Farm Fest at Garden City Lands and a new event based on the city’s Richmond Has Heart initiative.
In 2019, the city spent $400,000 on the World Festival, $250,000 on the Steveston Salmon Festival and $300,000 on the Maritime Festival.
The 2021 special events budget item will be dealt with at Monday's general purposes meeting (Nov. 30).
