Too Many Festivals?

There are over 40 festivals and events scheduled between April and October right here in Fort Wayne. New Havens Canal Days was very close to being canceled this year due to lack of sponsorship. Committee members for the event met Thursday evening to discuss the future of the event. So the question is, “are there too many festivals going on?” If you head to eventful.com and search ‘Fort Wayne’ from June to August over 30 festivals pop up. From Germanfest to Greekfest to The Three Rivers Festival going on right now, each has something different to offer. “Each of them cater to a different demographic” says Jerry White, Board President for The Three Rivers Festival. “The population is diverse enough to support 40 some events” says Geoff Paddock, Director of Headwaters Park. “I mean theres people that go to Germanfest that maybe dont go to other festivals” says Bob Anweiler, Treasurer for Germanfest. So despite the large number of events, competition between each is low. “It doesnt seem as though anybodys suffering down here” says Paddock. And even despite the economy, festivals thus far have actually seen an increase in sales. “It looks like were up somewhere between 5 and 8-percent over 2007” says Anweiler. “The sales at the concerts have been up. Also the sales at the food concessions have been up this year” says White. So why the increase? “It shows that most people are what we like to call ‘vacationing at the fair’” says White. “Theres a lot of people staying closer to home” says Anweiler. So despite some businesses suffering right now, the economy is proving to be a good thing for most festivals here in Fort Wayne. As for New Haven’s Canal Days, Sharon Robison, the executer director for event says that at tonights meeting they determined that, as of right now, the event actually came out with a 4-thousand dollar profit. As for the future of the event, that wouldnt be determined until at least October when the new board starts working on next year’s budget.