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Discover Davis staff report festival and Moonlight ride attendance and economic impacts
Summary
County tourism staff briefed commissioners on Discover Davis signature events: the Great Salt Lake Bird Festival (nearly 1,300 tickets sold, reported $61,000 revenue and about $450,000 estimated local impact) and the Animal by Moonlight ride (reported ~1,500 riders and sponsorships); staff described volunteer reliance and legacy community projects.
Davis County tourism staff presented an overview of 2025 Discover Davis signature events at the commissioners’ Dec. 9 work session, highlighting attendance, sponsorships, volunteer support and community‑focused programming.
Staff (identified in the meeting as Speaker 2) reported the Great Salt Lake Bird Festival — in its 27th year — sold nearly 1,300 tickets in 2025, generated $61,000 in revenue, and drew roughly 1,800 participants. Presenters said cash and in‑kind sponsorships supported the festival and staff estimated about $450,000 in local economic impact during festival days. The festival featured about 80 separate events ranging from small field trips to free family‑day programming and a new ‘Wings and Things’ vendor fair with about 45 vendors.
Presenters noted the festival returns education and community value: a student art contest received roughly 900 entries this year (up from around 200 in earlier years) and the festival installed a pollinator garden at Western Sports Park as a community legacy project.
Staff also reviewed the Animal by Moonlight themed night ride (presented as the 30th annual ride): staff said the ride drew just under 1,500 riders, involved 17 vendors, and included both cash and in‑kind sponsorships. The presenter stated revenue figures during the briefing; staff characterized both signature events as largely self‑supporting while producing measurable local economic impacts.
Commissioners asked operational questions about capacity, volunteer reliance and geographic mix of attendees; staff said about 40% of participants were from Davis County with remaining attendees from across Utah and some from out of state and abroad. Staff closed by sharing 2026 dates for signature events and soliciting theme suggestions for next year’s Moonlight ride.
What happens next: staff will share slides and event summaries with commissioners; no formal action or funding request was made during the presentation.
