Temple officials outline Tanglefoot festival plans, ticket sales and logistics; festival funded by hotel‑motel tax

Temple city staff and the event promoter Sound Skills presented an update Aug. 21 on Tanglefoot Music & Barbecue Festival logistics, marketing and finances, saying a two‑day festival Sept. 19–20 at the MLK Festival Grounds is expected to draw roughly 11,000 attendees.

The city’s events lead, Heather (staff member), told council the promoter has sold about 3,100 tickets so far and reported about 76,000 visits to the festival ticketing page. Sound Skills is managing talent procurement, site logistics, vendor and sponsor recruitment, ticketing and marketing; the promoter subcontracted PR to Painting Pictures and digital marketing to Grayscale.

Heather said organizers increased the event’s talent budget to attract more recognizable acts and added advertising, a VIP deck and shuttle service after reviewing the parking and traffic plan. She said sponsorship fundraising has exceeded an initial $150,000 goal and that Sound Skills expects roughly 60% of ticket sales to occur in the last two weeks before the event.

On food programming, staff and the promoter described the barbecue component as a tasting‑style experience (not a competitive cook‑off) with vendors representing regional barbecue traditions. The barbecue area will be ticketed; attendees must purchase an event admission ticket to buy barbecue tasting tickets.

Staff described the parking and mobility plan: paid parking will be available at Santa Fe Plaza and the Fourth Street garage, with reserved parking for certain ticket levels and dedicated spaces for downtown business staff. A shuttle hub is planned at Wilson Park. Council members raised concerns about on‑street parking taking up merchant spaces; staff said they are coordinating with downtown businesses, providing staff parking lists and encouraging businesses to run promotions to capture festival foot traffic.

Heather reminded council that the festival is paid for from the Hotel‑Motel Fund, a restricted revenue source that can be used only to promote tourism and increase hotel room nights. "This source of funding is not available to provide additional police officers or firefighters, fill potholes, street crews, mowing crews, parks crews," Heather said.

Council asked about revenue sharing and vendor/contract details. Staff said the city’s agreement with Sound Skills includes ticketing and sponsorship revenue provisions; in the briefing staff noted a 70/30 split referenced in presentation materials ("70 to the city, 30 to the promoter/visitor entity"). Council asked staff to confirm payment timing, installment schedules and the exact revenue split in writing before the regular meeting. Staff also said final vendor and driveway/site plan adjustments for Cheddar’s and nearby properties are being coordinated with traffic and code staff.

Officials said event marketing targets both local attendance and regional road‑trip visitors and includes Amtrak landing‑page promotion, regional advertorials and influencer outreach. The city’s Discover Temple team will publish local hospitality content and a special Tanglefoot train travel landing page.

Staff listed remaining operational tasks: finalize shuttle and parking details, confirm vendor footprint and finalize site safety and traffic mitigation. Council members emphasized the need for clear communication with downtown businesses about staffing and enforcement during the event. The briefing did not include council action; staff will return with contract and revenue‑share details for the regular meeting.