Juvy, a staff member, told the Little Elm Town Council on Jan. 7 that the town planned and executed 219 events in 2024, representing what she described as an 895% increase year over year and a 2,333% increase from 2022.

The presentation said the events program included community nights at the lawn, monthly concerts, themed family programs and four regional events. “If you take up just the event on everything we spent and everything we need in revenue, we were a 116% cost recovered,” Juvy said, adding the department’s strategy was for larger, ticketed regional events to subsidize smaller community offerings.

The recap gave event-by-event figures and operational notes. For example, the Brew and Q event sold out and staff reported 14,800 attendees in 2024; the town will cap Brew and Q at 11,000 for 2025 and implement an age-based pricing policy for ages 12–20. The presenter said the event used a security checkpoint and will maintain the same rules (no outside alcohol, no weapons) and fireworks will continue.

Staff said the town’s July Jubilee last year was reduced to a fireworks-only program because of flooding but still attracted about 10,010 attendees; the presenter said the event was 78% cost recovered and that staff plans to stage one fireworks show in 2025 due to construction at the lakeside park. Organizers also plan to continue security checkpoints and use volunteers to help operate events.

Other recurring events noted included AutumnFest (12,000 attendees in 2024; staff reported 278% cost recovery), Juneteenth (about 560 attendees; 108% cost recovery), and multiple holiday events in December (6,200 attendees overall; 22% cost recovery for that series). Staff said some smaller community events historically run at low or zero cost-recovery and are supported by revenue from larger regional events.

Councilmembers and staff discussed making a public recap available so residents understand where event revenues go. A staff speaker, Drew, said the events program ‘‘generate[s] your own revenue and be self rec’’, and emphasized that money from larger, regional events can be reinvested in community-oriented programming rather than coming from general tax revenue.

Staff also described program changes for 2025: producing the race in-house (with a kid’s mile preceding the adult run), piloting a volunteer program to supplement paid staff, exploring a parade to kick off the race, adding entertainment to smaller special events, and possibly outsourcing the Taco & Tequila event due to staff capacity constraints. Organizers also plan to continue movie nights, a minimum of monthly concerts during most months, a children’s entrepreneur market, toddler time, and other family offerings.

The presentation included several operational clarifications: some events will continue road closures (triathlon and tri events), park closures for multi-day set-up (Brew and Q), and limits on capacity to keep crowds comfortable and safer. Staff indicated they will keep a mix of paid admission for regional events and free or low-cost community offerings.

The council did not take formal action on the presentation but asked staff to consider preparing a public-facing recap summarizing staffing, cost recovery and how event revenue is used.