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Placentia trims Heritage Festival budget, extends parade route and doubles outreach
Summary
City staff cut staff and supply costs and redesigned the 2025 Heritage Festival: net event cost fell from about $75,000 to $42,000, the parade route expanded to one mile with 84 entries expected, the band review was dropped and staff proposed buying barricades to reduce about $9,000 in rental costs.
City staff presented planned changes for the Oct. 11, 2025 Heritage Festival that reduce the event’s net cost and alter programming to boost participation.
Community Services Director Lydia Gutfeld said a staff audit identified changes that cut the event’s net cost from roughly $75,000 in 2024 to about $42,000 in 2025, a $33,000 difference largely driven by eliminated activities (notably the band review), reduced staffing costs and lower supplies and rental expenses. Gutfeld said parade participation increased to 84 entries this year from 53 last year and that staff expects roughly 2,000 people to march or ride in the parade. The parade route was lengthened from a half‑mile to one mile to capture more viewers and improve flow.
New family‑oriented features include an expanded “family zone” with inflatables and an obstacle course, a reptile show, folklorico performances and a professional BMX show at noon. Gutfeld said staff reduced concert time and varied entertainment blocks, and described outreach efforts including social media reels and a QR code along the parade route to collect feedback on what residents want from future Heritage events.
Budget details provided by staff included estimated savings by line item: discontinued band review (~$10,700), rentals and supplies (over $22,000), and staffing (about $13,000). Gutfeld recommended repurposing the Heritage steering committee into subcommittees for parade, car show and concert roles, and suggested purchasing barricades (staff currently budgets about $9,000 for barricade rentals) to reduce recurring rental costs.
Staff also noted the heat index planning for the event: an anticipated 82‑degree day with contingency plans to cancel band participation if heat indexes reach extreme levels (95–100), consistent with school district band safety thresholds.
Next steps: staff will continue outreach and finalize day‑of logistics; council thanked staff and promoted community attendance.
