Clayton reviews 2026 event calendar; council backs Dia de los Muertos, flags staffing and promotion needs

Gary Carter, Clayton’s director of economic development, presented the proposed fiscal‑year 2026 events calendar Tuesday and asked aldermen to weigh in on timing, promotion and which events the Special Business District should fund.

Carter said the calendar compiles all city‑sponsored programming — from neighborhood block parties and restaurant week to larger festivals. “This is all inclusive of all city events,” he told the board, adding that the presentation focused on events funded through the Special Business District and on a handful that his office directly produces.

The proposal keeps the Day of the Dead celebration that launched last year and the Black History Month speaker series among the highlighted cultural events. Carter and council members said the Day of the Dead event had a short lead time in its first year and that more advance promotion could improve attendance.

“Since it was new and from a prior administration ... the attendance was not great,” Carter said, and he recommended giving the event another year with longer lead time. Several aldermen agreed. Alderman Hummel said she would support continuing the Day of the Dead and encouraged staff to coordinate earlier with partners. Mayor McAndrew said she attended and also favored giving it a second chance with better promotion.

Council members raised several recurring issues: staffing capacity for events that require street closures; whether some neighborhood block parties should move out of the heat of late July; and the value of continuing the “Cardinals home opener” event, which multiple aldermen described as declining in downtown commercial benefit. Carter told the board the city is near the capacity of public‑works staff for event support and expects future street‑closing events to be organized by outside promoters that reimburse staff time.

Attendance and cost‑per‑attendee measures were a frequent thread in the discussion. Carter said attendance figures are estimates and the city has not found a consistently accurate counting method. Aldermen asked for clearer budgeting and accounting between Special Business District funding and general‑fund neighborhood events.

The board also discussed the Economic Development Advisory Commission (EDAC). Several members suggested EDAC should include more Downtown business representation so the people who fund the district have a stronger voice in planning events funded by the district.

Alderman Fader and others urged the city to pursue more cultural speaker programming and to coordinate with institutions such as the school district, the Black Repertory Theatre and Opera Theatre when possible. Several aldermen suggested testing smaller cultural events that require only indoor venues — easier on staffing — and using more visible signage across major streets to boost resident attendance for the large festivals.

Carter said staff will: reach out to community partners for Black History Month planning, evaluate the Day of the Dead date with the Hispanic Festival Foundation, pursue more prominent signage for marquee events and review EDAC composition to solicit more business input. The board generally agreed to give the Day of the Dead another try and to continue the speaker series discussions.

The presentation closed with a reminder from Carter that the city will complete three neighborhood block events this summer and then evaluate attendance and costs to decide on dates and continuation.

Ending — The board provided direction to staff on promotion, partner outreach and EDAC composition and signaled general support for the Day of the Dead and additional cultural programming, while urging tighter budgeting, clearer funding breakdowns and recognition of public‑works staffing limits.