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Route 66 Fest draws smaller crowd amid poor weather; vendors sold out
Summary
Kingman staff reported that the fifth annual Route 66 Fest drew an estimated 5,600 attendees over Oct. 10–11; weather reduced wristband sales and curtailed rides, though vendor participation remained strong.
Josh Noble provided a preliminary report on the fifth annual Route 66 Fest, held Oct. 10–11, and said weather — wind and intermittent rain — constrained several rides and attractions and reduced attendance compared with last year.
Noble said cellular data estimated about 5,600 unique attendees for the weekend, a roughly 19% drop from the prior year; wristband sales were down about 28% because rides were curtailed when winds were high. He said vendor spaces (about 80 available) were sold out with 44 vendors attending and roughly two dozen vendors on a waiting list.
Noble described new programming introduced this year, including a Silent Disco experience and "modern classics" (late-era muscle cars) on Friday night. He reported that out-of-area visitation rose to about 20% of attendees, up from about 16.4% the prior year, and gave hourly peak counts (about 600 at 10:10 a.m., peaking near 2,000 around 6 p.m.).
Staff said risk management, parks and public works collaborated on event safety and logistics. Noble said next year’s festival is planned for Oct. 16–17 and will be combined with a film debut on Oct. 15 at Beale Street Theater.
Commissioners asked clarifying questions about demographic reach and data; staff said the increase in out-of-area visitation was an encouraging sign despite weather impacts.
