Treadway Events says Halloweentown drew thousands; critics at public comment cite budget shortfalls
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Summary
Treadway Events told St. Helens council the Halloweentown program drew roughly 50,000 attendees and about 27,520 paid tickets, with gross event revenue reported at about $419,000; public commenters disputed the contractor’s performance and warned the city budget included optimistic transfers that may leave a shortfall.
Treadway Events and Entertainment presented a year‑end briefing to the St. Helens city council on Dec. 17, saying the Halloweentown event and other seasonal programming brought strong attendance but faced weather‑related declines in organic walk‑ins and higher expenses.
In an executive summary, the contractor said the festival area saw an estimated 50,000 event‑day attendees and about 27,520 paid tickets for the core ticketed experiences. Treadway officials told council gross event revenue increased compared with 2024, but expenses for new onetime buildouts — including a gift shop and expanded activations — raised overall event costs. One figure cited by presenters was total gross revenue of about $419,000 for the event season.
“Only ticketed if you want to go to the activities,” a Treadway presenter said while explaining the paid‑admissions calculation. Staff and presenters attributed lower sales on several weekends to heavy rain and said vendor sales and parking receipts were harmed by weather and reduced organic attendance.
Public comment before the presentation included sharply different views. Brady Preeham told council he believed the event contractor underperformed once a $5 per‑ticket surcharge was removed from the count and said the city’s budget assumes a transfer of revenue that he called unrealistic. “They will not have enough money to carry the program through October year… You have a $300,000 hole in your budget,” Preeham said during public comment.
Other speakers and councilors praised aspects of the programming — citing a successful celebrity lineup, stronger marketing and vendor interest — and asked follow‑up questions about operations. Council members pressed Treadway on vendor management, ADA access to the pumpkin plaza, options for tiered ticket pricing and whether the gift shop should remain open year‑round or move to ecommerce. Presenters said the gift shop sold out its initial inventory and that Shopify was already in use, making an online store feasible.
Treadway also flagged operational problems that affected vendors and attendees: Wi‑Fi congestion during peak nights, weather disrupting some weekends and the need to better space and curate vendors so local businesses are not crowded out. The contractor described outreach to VetTix for free tickets and said about 2,000 complimentary tickets were distributed to service members and first responders.
Councilors and staff said they will examine year‑over‑year financial summaries and asked for clearer comparative figures for 2023–2025 to assess the net fiscal impact. The council also discussed whether to keep a tram vehicle the city owns or focus on sponsoring/renting a trolley, with staff noting the tram would need fueling infrastructure and likely be cost‑prohibitive.
The council did not take a formal action during the work session; several related items — including an amendment to the Treadway contract and budget transfers — were noted for the upcoming regular session.