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Council weighs consolidating Diwali, Lunar New Year into single international festival
Summary
A council member proposed merging cultural festivals to reduce venue and public-safety costs; others defended preserving separate events. Staff will return with a 'fully loaded' cost analysis (police, fire, advertising) for Diwali, Lunar New Year and the international festival.
One council member proposed consolidating Diwali and Lunar New Year into an expanded international festival to control venue, safety and staffing costs. "If you roll everything into one international festival... we can manage it better," the councilor argued, saying consolidation could reduce duplicative police, EMS and venue expenses.
Other council members pushed back, stressing cultural representation and community value. "I have absolutely no interest in consolidating them," one council member said, noting that residents of many backgrounds attend the separate festivals and that special events are a key way the community gathers. Staff will provide a full cost breakdown for the three events — including police and fire overtime and sponsorship tallies — for a later work session and will continue planning for the current Diwali event in October unless the council directs otherwise.
