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Commission approves moving Francis Field weekend to May and extends festival agreement through 2033
Summary
Saint Johns County Cultural Events presented 2025 Sing Out Loud metrics and asked to shift the Francis Field weekend from September to the third weekend in May and to extend the city agreement through 2033; commissioners debated hurricane risk, hotel occupancy data and a proposed rolling‑five amendment, then approved the requested contract modification (roll call 3–2).
Saint Johns County Cultural Events Inc. asked the commission for consensus to move the festival’s Francis Field weekend out of September (hurricane season) to the third weekend in May and to extend the city agreement for the Francis Field showcase through 2033.
Diana Markovitz, the nonprofit’s director of public relations and partnerships, reviewed 2025 impact numbers — the festival drew tens of thousands of attendees overall, including a Francis Field Live Wildly weekend that the presentation estimated brought 25,000 over the weekend and an estimated weekend economic impact of $9 million — and said the organization wants to protect the festival from hurricane cancellations and improve artist availability and attendee comfort by shifting the Francis Field headliner weekend to May. She also requested a 5‑year extension beyond the current 2028 contract expiration to provide planning stability.
Commissioners asked about parking, the festival’s plan to rent the garage for weather evacuations, hotel occupancy data used to justify the move, and whether the commission should adopt a rolling five‑year extension rather than a single contract to 2033. One commissioner proposed amending the motion to allow rolling five‑year renewals; the chair declined to accept that amendment. After debate the motion to approve the contract modification, date change and extension carried on roll call: three commissioners voted yes and two voted no.
What happens next: The festival organizers will work with city staff on the garage rental and logistics for the proposed May Francis Field weekend and the city will finalize the contract modifications. Commissioners asked staff to provide any additional occupancy analyses ahead of the second reading for contract execution.
Representative quote: "We are looking at alternative dates to September… May is the ideal month for weather," Diana Markovitz said during her presentation.
Ending: The commission approved the requested contract modification and date shift while reserving the right to review specific operational details with staff before full execution.
