HomeMy WebLinkAbout8.1 Report on City-Hosted Events and Proposed Event Space Grant Programr
DUBLIN
CALIFORNIA
STAFF REPORT
CITY COUNCIL
Agenda Item 8.1
DATE: February 18, 2025
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Councilmembers
FROM: Colleen Tribby, City Manager
SU B.ECT: Report on City -Hosted Events and Proposed Event Space Grant Program
Prepared by: Jackie Dwyer, Parks & Community Services Director
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
The City Council will receive a report on special events currently provided by the Parks and
Community Services Department, and the potential for the City to provide the opportunity to
recognize and support additional, culturally significant holidays and events on an ongoing basis
through an Event Space Grant Program.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
Receive the report and provide direction.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
The proposed Event Space Grant Program is estimated to cost the City between $1,000 and $3,500
per event, depending on the size and scope.
DESCRIPTION:
At the March 5, 2024 Regular Council Meeting, the City Council requested that Staff evaluate ways
of acknowledging and supporting culturally significant events important to Dublin community
members, in conjunction with the many events the City provides on an annual basis. This Staff
Report provides an outline of the City's current provision of events, what some other
municipalities do in terms of event hosting, and a proposed program to address the City Council's
interest in recognizing the community's rich and diverse culture.
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Current Provision of Events
City -Hosted Events
The Parks and Community Services Department organizes nearly 70 special events annually,
collectively requiring around 2,100 staff hours (see Table 1). The two large-scale events, the St.
Patrick's Day Festival and Splatter, are considered cultural in nature: the former celebrating the
Irish culture and the City's ties to Ireland, and the latter being enhanced in recent years with
multi -cultural food and entertainment offerings. The numerous smaller events are geared toward
general entertainment and enrichment, rather than celebrating certain cultures. However, with
the opening of the Dublin Arts Center, the City will be able to provide new classes, programs, and
shows that are geared to specific cultures relevant in our community.
Table 1: City -Hosted Special Events
Month
Event
Full -Time Staff
Hours
Monthly Hours
January
Weekend Wonders
5
5
February
Weekend Wonders
5
5
March
St. Patrick's Festival
600
605
Weekend Wonders
5
April
Concert in the Park (Benefit Concert)
14
205
Spring Eggstravaganza
45
Farmers' Market (X4)
16
Dublin Pride
130
May
Concert in the Park (Multi -Cultural Night)
14
80
Farmers' Market (X4)
16
Youth Hackathon
35
Bike To Work Day and Bike to Market
10
Weekend Wonders
5
June
Concert in the Park (LGBTQIA+ Night)
14
83
Picnic Flix (X2)
20
Farmers' Market (X5)
20
Family Camp Out
24
Weekend Wonders
5
July
Concert in the Park (Family Fun Night)
14
103
Picnic Flix (X4)
40
Farmers' Market (X4)
20
Family Camp Out
24
Weekend Wonders
5
August
Concert in the Park (Back to School
Night)
14
63
Farmers' Market (X5)
20
Family Camp Out
24
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2
Weekend Wonders
5
September
Concert in the Park (The Arts)
14
429
Farmers' Market (X4)
20
Splatter
Trail Challenge
250
Weekend Wonders
5
Grandparents Day
15
October
Harvest Fair
50
205
Ghosts of Dublin
35
Floating Pumpkin Patch
80
Senior Information and Resource Fair
40
November
Tree Lighting
120
265
Weekend Wonders
5
Holiday Boutique
80
Mental Health Forum
60
December
Breakfast with Santa
10
60
Weekend Wonders
5
Holiday Dancescape
20
Home Holiday Decorating Contest
25
Total PCS Events: 69
Total Hours: 2,108
Other Events
The City has also recently sponsored events hosted by community organizations. For the Lunar
New Year Celebration Concert, the City partnered with Inspiration Studios, XingHai Conservatory
of Music Alumni Association, Eva Dance Academy, Breaking BEARiers Youth Leadership Club, and
the Dublin Rotary Club. This partnership enabled a culturally diverse program featuring music,
dance, and community involvement. The City provided the event facility and staffing support,
including three part-time employees and approximately five hours of full-time staff time, to ensure
a smooth and successful event.
Additionally, the City collaborated with Advancing Asian Pacific Islander Communities (APAPA) to
host the Asian American Heritage Showcase. This event promoted cultural diversity and
celebrated the contributions of the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community. The
City contributed the venue, four part-time staff members, and approximately 10 hours of full-time
staff support to facilitate the showcase.
Other Municipal Organizations
In researching this topic, Staff contacted several local entities to gauge municipal involvement
with cultural celebrations and help inform how Dublin might handle such events. Table 2
summarizes those findings.
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Table 2: Cultural Events in Other Cities
Municipality
Event
City Sponsorship
Host Organization
Fremont
Holi (3 events)
No
Local Groups
Milpitas
Holi
Yes
Milpitas
Pleasanton
Diwali
No
Local Groups
Pleasanton (Firehouse
Art Center)
AAPI Heritage
Celebration
Yes
Pleasanton
Pleasanton (Firehouse
Art Center)
Juneteenth Celebration
Yes
Pleasanton
San Ramon
Art and Wind Festival
Yes
San Ramon
San Jose
Holi
No
Local Groups
Union City
Culture Festival
Yes
Union City
Walnut Creek
Cultural Festival
Yes
Walnut Creek
Walnut Creek
Holi Scavenger Hunt
Yes
Walnut Creek
The Walnut Creek event, Family Art Day (Cultural Festival), lasts three hours and is relatively
small in scale. In contrast, Union City's Culture Festival spans from 12 pm to 4 pm and features
performances and vendors.
Fremont grants the Festival of Fog (FOG) Organization a Special Event Permit to host a Holi
Festival open to the public. Typically, this event occurs in a middle or high school parking lot,
providing a controlled environment for the color -throwing festivities. Attendance estimates range
from 500 to 1,000 people. These figures have varied in recent years due to the pandemic and
weather conditions.
Milpitas is the sole city hosting a Holi Festival, which is now in its second year. Milpitas focuses
primarily on expanding this event and has no plans to include a winter Diwali celebration. The
event includes stage performances, arts and crafts, food trucks, and a dedicated color -throwing
segment. This year, the total cost for this event will be under $10,000, not including any part-time
or full-time salaries.
Proposed Program
Staff believes that the best way to accommodate additional cultural celebrations is through an
Event Space Grant Program that is run through the Heritage and Cultural Arts Commission. Under
this program, the City will provide a venue, once per quarter, for a local group to host an event.
The host must be a non-profit organization and must fill out an application that will be considered
by the Commission at a regular meeting in advance of the planned event.
In addition to the venue, Staff from Parks and Community Services will also allocate a Staff
member to assist the approved non-profit with obtaining supplemental services, including
coordination of police services, road closures, maintenance requirements, fire permits, and waste
services when applicable. It should be noted that the group hosting the event will need to cover
the cost of such supplemental services.
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Other guidelines for the proposed Program are as follows:
• Informal requests will not be considered.
• Non -profits based in the City of Dublin will be given priority. Organizations from
neighboring communities that serve a significant number of Dublin residents may also
apply. National agencies will not be considered.
• The event must focus on a significant cultural holiday and must not conflict with the City's
Mission, Vision, and Values.
• The event must be free for attendees and open to the public.
• Events must comply with all requirements outlined in the City of Dublin's Special Event
Permit Application.
• Larger events may not be split over multiple locations.
• All applicants must attend and present their event at the Heritage and Cultural Arts
Commission meeting that precedes by start of the quarter by four months
o For events between January 1 - March 31:
■ September Commission meeting of the year prior to the event.
o For events between April 1 - June 30:
■ December Commission meeting of the year prior to the event.
o For events between July 1 - September 30:
■ March Commission meeting of the year of the event.
o For events between October 1- December 31:
■ June Commission meeting of the year of the event.
• The Commission may grant a fee waiver to an organization once annually, regardless of
how many branches or affiliations it may have.
• A deposit will be required to ensure that the City does not incur clean up or maintenance
costs after the event.
Next Steps
Upon approval of the Program, Staff will formalize and publish the guidelines and begin the
program. There is currently one group requesting assistance from the City on a cultural event they
would like to hold in May; Staff agrees that, while the timeframe is shorter than four months, this
event could be presented to the Commission for consideration and be used as test case for the
Program.
STRATEGIC PLAN INITIATIVE:
Strategy 4: Inclusive and Effective Government
Objective D: Conduct ongoing outreach and garner feedback on services and programs to meet the
community's needs.
NOTICING REQUIREMENTS/PUBLIC OUTREACH:
The City Council Agenda was posted.
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ATTACHMENTS:
None.
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City -Hosted Events and
P roposed Space Grant
P rogram
February 18,2025
DUBLIN
CALIFORNIA
7
Background
• City Council requested that Staff evaluate
ways of acknowledging and supporting
culturally significant events important to
Dublin community members in conjunction
with the many events the City provides on an
annual basis.
8
Current City -Hosted Events
• The Parks and Community Services Department organizes
around 70 special events annually, collectively requiring around
2,100 staff hours.
• Two major events that collectively draw 95,000+ people
— St. Patrick's Day Festival spans two days of celebrating Irish culture.
— Splatter is a one -day event that highlights multicultural food and
entertainment.
9
Current City -Sponsored Events
• Lunar NewYear Celebration Concert
— Partners include: Inspiration Studios, XingHai Conservatory of Music Alumni Association, Eva
Dance Academy, Breaking BEARiersYouth Leadership Club, and the Dublin Rotary Club.
— City provides the event facility and staffing support, including three part-time employees and
approximately five hours of full-time staff time.
• Asian American Heritage Showcase
— The City collaborates with Advancing Asian Pacific Islander Communities (APAPA).
— City contributed the venue, four part-time staff members, and approximately 10 hours of full-
time staff support to facilitate the showcase.
Proposed Event Space Grant Program
• Event Space Grant Program
Heritage and Cultural Arts Commission will approve a fee waiver once a quarter for a local non-profit group to host a cultural
event.
Fee waiver will include the cost to rent a City -owned facility and the Special Event Permit Event Application, which equates to
$1,000-$3,500 per event or $4,000-$14,000 annually.
• Grant Program Parameters
Informal requests will not be considered.
Non -profits based in the City of Dublin will be given priority. Organizations from neighboring communities that serve a significant
number of Dublin residents may also apply. National agencies will not be considered.
The event must focus on a significant cultural holiday and must not conflict with the City's Mission,Vision, and Values.
The event must be free for attendees and open to the public.
Events must comply with all requirements outlined in the City of Dublin's Special Event Permit Application.
Larger events may not be split over multiple locations.
All applicants must attend and present their event at the Heritage and Cultural Arts Commission.
The Commission may grant a fee waiver to an organization once annually, regardless of how many branches or affiliations it may
have.
R4
m
DUBLIN
CALIFORNIA
Next Steps
• Upon approval of the Program, Staff will formalize and publish the
guidelines and begin the program.There is currently one group
requesting assistance from the City on a cultural event they would like
to hold in May. Staff agrees that, while the timeframe is shorter than
four months, this event could be presented to the Commission for
consideration and be used as a test case for the Program.
Questions?
VM
DUBLIN
CALIFORNIA
13