Tejas Fest drew an estimated 20,000 visitors; staff propose earlier booking and smaller hot‑fund request for 2026

City staff reviewed Tejas Fest 2025 performance and presented a proposal for 2026 planning and funding.

Joel, festival staff, said the CVB’s Placer analytics estimated roughly 20,000 visitors over the two‑day event with a typical stay of about 2½ hours; Friday drew about 8,500 and Saturday about 14,500 by that estimate. Sponsorships totaled $87,610—above a $75,000 goal—and local vendor spending and in‑kind media generated additional value. Staff highlighted operational lessons including the need for permanent restroom access for all attendees, vendor bottled‑water arrangements (a model that had supported a charitable partner this year), and earlier talent recruitment to secure stronger headliners.

Joel proposed several revenue strategies for 2026: sell a limited number of paid VIP passes to the general public (estimates suggested potential VIP revenue of roughly $35,000), explore a profit share with mobile bartenders, and better schedule artists to maximize mid‑festival attendance. Staff recommended reducing the city allotment requested from the hotel occupancy tax relative to previous years, proposing $135,000 (with a conservative sponsorship target of $85,000) and an overall budget that aimed to roughly breakeven under that scenario.

Council members praised the festival’s community benefits and safety record and asked staff to continue refining revenue and logistics plans; staff indicated January is the time to begin artist recruitment and sought council feedback on the proposed 2026 structure.