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Snellville plans bigger downtown season with six concerts and partner-led programming
Summary
City events staff reported small but growing attendance at downtown concerts and movies in 2024 and outlined a 2025 calendar that expands the concert series to six nights, aims for more diverse music and seeks stronger partnerships with local businesses.
Speaker 2, city events staff, said the city will expand its downtown concert series and broaden programming to reflect the city's diversity, while keeping per-person costs low.
"We had approximately a 160 total attendees spread over those 5 concerts," Speaker 2 said, summarizing 2024 outcomes. The staff presentation described five intimate third-Thursday concerts, two movie nights and seasonal events at The Grove that drew families and neighborhood residents.
The city invested in reusable event infrastructure last year (a photo-frame backdrop and other items), Speaker 2 said, which inflated one event's per-person cost to about $12.78 but will reduce future recurring costs. Staff said individual concerts were underwritten by a local sponsor and cost roughly $250 apiece.
For 2025, Speaker 2 said the Downtown Tunes series will run from May through October and expand to six concerts, with programming that may include blues, Motown, jazz and salsa to reflect Snellville's population. The city also plans to pilot a partner-led food-and-beverage approach called "bags, bites and brews," intended to funnel attendees to existing downtown businesses rather than bring in food trucks.
Speaker 2 said registration for some partner events is already open and highlighted recurring favorites such as Santa's at The Grove and a new Paws & Play event planned for National Pet Day. Staff framed these initiatives as low-cost ways to draw residents downtown and support small businesses.
City officials said more formal sponsorships and modest budget increases will appear in the city's upcoming budget proposals so staff can book larger acts and modestly improve production values. The presentation closed with an invitation to council members to propose dates and suggest local partners for 2025.
The events update came during a departmental presentations retreat; staff emphasized the programming is intended to strengthen downtown foot traffic and local business revenue rather than be a major general-fund expense.
