Sins of Admission

Freedom Fair, Tacoma’s wildly popular July 4th extravaganza, faces an uncertain future. The Tacoma Events Commission, which organizes the event, announced yesterday that revenue from voluntary entry donations was dismally inadequate. Making matters worse, the Tacoma Events Commission was facing a $100,000 shortfall before this year’s million-dollar celebration even began.

Not surprisingly, Freedom Fair organizers are expressing doubts about the community’s commitment to this treasured family event – which has consistently drawn crowds of 100,000. Indeed, air shows and titanic fireworks presentations do not come without significant cost, and it remains to be seen how the finances will be resolved.

Unfortunate as the plight of Freedom Fair may be, it is not a wholly unfamiliar one. Tall Ships Tacoma was a well-executed event that drew thousands to our downtown and waterfront areas, but was quickly stymied by a $500,000 funding gap from lower-than-needed voluntary entry donations. On a smaller scale, the Speakeasy Arts Cooperative recently hosted a fundraising event to cover vital facilities expenses. This effort also did not generate the necessary fiscal resources.

If voluntary giving is seen as a referendum, the trend is disturbing and phrases like “public apathy” might be dusted off and wielded. Nevertheless, the events are well-attended and notably promoted by community networks. Furthermore, when a public event features a host of vendors, attendees must count commissary expenses as a factor – and we all know how expensive that watery lemonade is. It’s reasonable to assume that many participants are simply not going to donate; and in this economic climate, it is less likely that larger donors will subsidize them.

Events like the Tacoma Craft Beer Fest have demonstrated that large-scale downtown waterfront events can charge entry fees and still claim massive attendance. Perhaps this more predictable and stable method of cost control could be applied to future events – especially when budgets are short. What do you think? Are there benefits to the “suggested donation” model”? Is the plight of these underfunded events a reflection of an inopportune funding structure, or incriminating evidence of public disregard? What do you think?