The Houston Mud Festival Flop
As I suspected would be the case, the most recent International Festival was pretty much a flop:
The Houston International Festival recorded its fourth consecutive decline in paid attendance during its windy, rainy debut in Reliant Park, figures released last week show.Yes.Only 27,061 tickets were sold this year, down 58.3 percent from 2003 and by far the most precipitous year-to-year drop since 2000-2001, said Jim Austin, president of the city's traditional cultural rite of spring.
Citing low attendance, coupled with the fact that no rain insurance was purchased for the rainiest day, organizers estimated the festival fell about $600,000 short of its anticipated revenue goal of $1.2 million.
"In this business there are good days, and there are bad days," Austin said. "This was a bad day."
And nobody seems really to peg why the lifeless mud festival had such a dreadful showing:
This year's attendance was down both weekends -- including the fair-weathered but windy opener April 17-18 -- but Austin blamed the weather. He said it was the worst festival weather he has experienced in his 18 years with the event.One year, Mack Brown blamed the wind for one of his recent HUGE losses to Oklahoma. It was only a little less believable. We would note, of course, that the downtown buildings of past festivals might have acted as a good windbreak."Our impression was that attendance was a little lower than average (the first weekend)," Austin said, citing winds that blew so hard staffers had to disassemble structures to keep them from blowing over. "It was not a great environment. We did think the wind kept people away."
There were some good acts, but there was also one less stage this year and the venue was not attractive.This year, festival promoters hoped that robust attendance would favorably showcase the event's new venue at Reliant Park. The talent lineup included Los Lonely Boys, Lucky Dube, Emmylou Harris, the Flatlanders and a host of performers from Thailand, this year's featured country.
The move to the Reliant Astrodome-area site came after City Council essentially quintupled the cost of using the festival's old downtown location.
The city previously had waived fees for services such as street closing and security. Three years ago, the council voted to charge the festival a percentage of its admissions and concessions income, a policy that last year cost the festival $51,000.
At least some festival-goers were dismayed by the move.
But Austin argued the new site has merit.
It's interesting that "some festival-goers" were dismayed by the move, according to the story. I would suggest that the rest of us just stayed home. Moving the thing to a venue that turned into a lifeless combination of concrete and mud was one of the silliest decisions recently made in this city.
I don't think the city did everything it could to accommodate the festival downtown, but is it REALLY that unreasonable to ask the festival to contribute a little more money for the city's expenses, considering the promoter was hoping to take in $1.2 million off the thing, and was charging $12 per head?
For many years, the downtown Houston International Festival was one of the best big events in this city. Nice job ruining it, guys. I can't even blame it on Lee Brown.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/18/04 23:13 | Houston | Technorati
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Comments
I didn't see it, but from your description, I didn't miss anything. I agree--the Internation Festival has been great in years past--hate to see it ruined by the lowest common demoninator in our "culture."
For the most comprehensive links to news, viess, politics, and government, check out All Things Political (http://www.allthingspolitic...). For my rantings on the issues of the day, check out my Blog http://www.allthingspolitic...)
Posted by David Broadus @ 09:01 on 05/19/04
My bad--my Blog is http://www.allthingspolitic...)
Posted by David Broadus @ 09:05 on 05/19/04
Hi David,
You're welcome to leave comments, but there's no need to leave that disclaimer on every post you leave. Simply post in your url in the space provided in the comments box, and it will automatically link your blog with your name. Folks will find your blog.
The disclaimer on every post takes up database space, is redundant, and is poor "blog etiquette." I don't mind it on one comment, but there's no need to fill up the comments with it. Furthermore, you'll get more attention for your blog by putting up reciprocal links in your sidebar to blogs you like than you will by filling up comment sections with disclaimers that are longer than your actual comment.
You may not know all of that, so just consider it friendly advice. :)
Posted by Kevin @ 09:32 on 05/19/04
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