an editorial by Kirby Lindsay, posted 7 August 2013
In 2011, the Fremont Chamber of Commerce, and many Fremont business owners and residents, were in heated debates over events. Did Fremont have too many?
This year, after nearly four years of Fremocentrism and Fremocentrist.com, it felt like fewer events will take place in 2013. Yet, research has shown that since 2010 only four large size events have disappeared: Fremont Lovefest, Tour de Fat, Red White & Dead Zombie Walk, and the Seattle Erotic Art Festival. Tour de Fat, produced by New Belgium Brewing, still happens, but not in Seattle. The Zombie Walk also took place this year, but not in Fremont.
Upcoming Attractions
Fremont still has more than its share of fun activities – and some weekends, we’ll have everyone’s share.
The weekend of August 17th & 18th, Fremont will be a hot ticket. On Saturday, Groundspeak will host the Geocaching Block Party & Geocaching International Film Festival, while a few blocks away the Fremont Outdoor Movies will be screening ‘Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy.’ On Sunday, enjoy the Fremont Sunday Market during the day, and Ignite Seattle 21 that night.
The weekend of September 7th & 8th will also burst with activity as the Fremont Chamber holds its second annual Fremont Universe Wiffle Ball Classic at the Upper Playfields of B.F. Day School on Saturday, and the High Times U.S. Cannabis Cup spends the weekend at Fremont Studios.
Five Factors In Event Success
Rarely does it seem that one factor figures into whether an event has a future, or not. Instead, five factors can influence an event in varying degrees. These are:
5. Idea/Venue – Some event ideas start with a venue, and some locations will inspire ideas – like Shakespeare On The Troll (another event now R.I.P.) Some event organizers will deliberately change up locations like Tour de Fat, the International Food Bloggers Conference (held at Theo Chocolate in 2010 but this year at W Hotel.) When Red Bull brought its Soapbox Derby to Fremont in 2007, they promised it would take place only once in Seattle – a grave disappointment for many Fremonsters, and a big relief to others.
Yet, some ideas born here work better elsewhere. The Seattle Street Food Festival will take place on Capitol Hill on August 10th, although Ryan Reiter-Hegeman (of the Outdoor Movies and the Sunday Market) first suggested it for Fremont in 2011. The Fremont Chamber discouraged him, feeling the event would overwhelm our resources, so Reiter-Hegeman built the Mobile Food Rodeo here, but takes the larger Street Food Festival on the road.
Reiter-Hegeman also began the Zombie Walk here, and saw it quickly grow to outrageous proportions – then smack right into Factor #4…
4. Permits – The City of Seattle Special Events Committee issues permits for events that use public resources including streets, Seattle Police, parks, etc. Permits, and insurance, costs have become significant enough to prohibit some events.
Also, some permits never get issued – or contain restrictive requirements. The Fremont Arts Council applied early for a permit for its 25th Solstice Parade this year, and found the City gave priority to a newer event, the Seattle Rock N Roll Marathon. Instead, the City demanded the Arts Council change the start time, offered only limited police assistance, and METRO warned of limited transit options.
According to Reiter-Hegeman, his decision to give up organizing the Zombie Walk came in large part from the City’s determination that it was a sporting event, and thereby required to pay a tax on each attendee. Attendees didn’t pay an entry fee, so organizers would be required to change the event – or cancel.
3. Money – While many events raise money, nearly all require a source to fund permits, insurance, porta-potties, entertainment and other decorations/staging. Funding sources can vary as dramatically as the event themselves: entry fees, vendor fees, sponsorships, grants, passing-the-hat, etc.
For 2013, the Arts Council Board voted to host three beer gardens to pay for its Solstice Parade. Two happened, but one didn’t – and it raised a conflict still unresolved. Fremont bar and restaurant owners complained that the Arts Council beer gardens would cut into their niche. Do events bring in business, or cut into it?
2. Volunteers – The Fremont Oktoberfest will take place at the end of September (20th – 22nd,) but organizers have already sent out a call for volunteers. Oktoberfest requires over 1,000 volunteers to keep the attendees, and the beer, flowing. Many upcoming events – the Goddess Festival, the Wiffle Ball Classic, and Luminata – depend upon volunteers, or else they will not happen.
I once organized an event called ‘Kids Day! In Fremont’, and its demise came about in large part due to a lack of interest by volunteers. Granted, I’m a spectacularly rotten volunteer coordinator, but the absence of assistance convinced me to shift my time elsewhere.
1. Attendance – With modern technology, and the deluge of information we all struggle with daily, getting out word about an event has actually become more difficult. Weather, bad PR, a competing event, traffic, misinformation, and/or a lack of information can all make predictions about the attendance impossible. Sometimes too many attendees can also ruin an event – short lines can whet the appetite of attendees, but long lines can send them home, never to return.
Those Gone Before Their Time
One event I’d like to see return to the Center of the Universe is a cycling event. In 2010, on a very drizzly day, the Fremont Criterium Bike Race ran, once. The weather didn’t doom this competition, rather a combination of dismal attendance, money, permits, and venue – and a community already too overwhelmed to show this event adequate support.
One factor not listed, but intrinsic to all – particularly in Fremont – is community support. Fremont has a wealth of events that take place here each year – perhaps more than any other neighborhood in Seattle, outside of Downtown Seattle/Seattle Center. This community has supported events of every stripe and size (sidewalk sales, Honk Fest West, comedy shows, Trick-or-Treat, miniature golf, chalk art, Moisture Festival, etc.)
Yes, in the last few years a certain weariness set in, but even if we are a few events lighter, Fremont remains a place to hold creative, community-based celebration – and hopefully always will!
Publisher’s Note: In interests of full disclosure, this author organizes Trick-or-Treat In Fremont and the Fremont Fireside Chat series – in addition to her past history with Kids Day! In Fremont – and participates in the Seattle Art Car Blow Out.
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©2013 Kirby Lindsay. This column is protected by intellectual property laws, including U.S. copyright laws. Reproduction, adaptation or distribution without permission is prohibited.