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Co-chair Felicia Hilbert says Rose Festival drew about 26,800 and organizers ask for continued support
Summary
Co-chairs reported that the Rose Festival drew about 26,800 attendees for the Friday–Saturday Rose District events, plus roughly 2,000 on a third-day event; organizers highlighted increased participation, community art contests and heavy volunteer time and asked for ongoing city support to keep the event free.
Felicia Hilbert, co-chair of the Rose Festival, told the board the festival’s Friday and Saturday events drew about 26,800 people and that a third-day event in a different location added roughly 2,000 attendees. "Our attendance was 26,800," Hilbert said, adding that the event grows each year and that organizers aim to keep it free so families can attend.
Chris Foster, the other co-chair, said the festival’s slate of activities and outreach expanded this year and thanked the city for support. Organizers described a 22% increase over last year and noted comparisons with other regional events: "That's up 22% from last year," one organizer said when summarizing attendance figures. Presenters emphasized the role of sponsors and volunteers and cited substantial staff and volunteer time: one organizer said they logged about 2,500 hours of work on the festival.
Organizers also described community programs tied to the festival: a community-college design contest (with a $150 prize for the winning T-shirt design), an arts contest open to public-school students through senior citizens, and expanded performer outreach to attract entrants from multiple states. "We had people coming from Dallas, from Missouri," an organizer said, noting participation from performers and entrants across state lines and from "32 different people from different countries." The presenters asked the board to continue supporting the festival’s model, which relies on sponsors and volunteer labor to keep public access free.
The co-chairs closed by answering questions from board members and thanking staff; they said they would continue sponsor recruitment and community outreach for future editions of the Rose Festival.
