Northglenn council keeps Food Truck Carnival plan for now, will revisit in fall

Director of Communications Diana Wilson told the City Council on Monday that staff is weighing options for the 2026 Food Truck Carnival after the Marketplace declined to host the large carnival component.

Wilson said staff considered three options: keep the event as currently structured and decide in the fall whether the site can accommodate the carnival; combine the carnival with the State of the City event (with a possible drone show) to reduce duplicate logistics; or replace the carnival with a new, smaller event. "We probably can wait until the fall and see what progress there's been for the carnival," Wilson said, noting the carnival operator books far in advance.

The issue stems from uncertainty about demolition and soil remediation at the old City Hall site. Wilson said demolition and asbestos abatement are underway but the timing for a finished parking lot is unclear. Deputy City Manager (mentioned in the discussion as Jason) told council that demolition and site work could be complete by late fall, but that a precise timeline was not available.

Wilson said the Marketplace was willing to partner on smaller events but declined to host a multiday carnival because of tenant liability and parking concerns. She also said replacing the carnival with private vendors such as inflatable companies would likely increase city costs because those vendors require payment rather than sharing proceeds.

Council members questioned alternatives. Council member Connell said he favored combining State of the City with the carnival for cost savings, while several members including Nowicki, Goff and others said they preferred to "keep as is" for now and revisit in the fall. "I think it's a nice kickoff to summer. It sounds like it generates a little bit of revenue," Connell said. Council consensus coming out of the discussion was to maintain the current Food Truck Carnival plan for now and revisit the decision in the fall; if the site cannot accommodate the carnival then council would consider option 2 (combine with State of the City) or another replacement plan.

Wilson noted event finances and logistics will inform the 2026 budget process. She said the City’s current Food Truck Carnival budget line is $65,000 but that hard costs (port-a-lets, golf carts, power, stage, labor) have caused the event to go over budget in the last two years, prompting a proposal to "right-size" that line. She also said staff has a draft $50,000 budget estimate for a full State of the City event with a headliner and a drone show; combining events would likely reduce that incremental cost because many logistics would be shared.

Council direction was not a formal vote. Staff will monitor demolition and remediation timing, continue planning, and return to council in the fall with a recommendation. If demolition and remediation proceed such that the old City Hall parking becomes available, staff may continue with the current carnival plan for 2026; if not, staff will present replacement options or a combined State of the City/carnival plan for council decision.

Less urgent details discussed included attendance patterns (the carnival draws repeat visits and family/teen audiences), liability concerns raised by the Marketplace, and staff observations that some replacement ideas (Blues & Brews, Artfest) would require more marketing and might not match carnival revenue.

Questions about specific vendor scaling, potential relocation of a car show, and partner nonprofit involvement were discussed but no final determinations were made. Staff will present firm site and budget recommendations during the fall budget process or sooner if demolition timelines become clear.