The last of the City’s Large Scale Tourism Events fund looks to be given to the East Coast Garden Party. The Community Living Committee recommended the remaining $50,000 go to the two-day festival and slow pitch tournament last week.
The city created the $200,000 fund for 2017 in the hopes of supporting large events that bring people from outside the region into the city. A report from staff estimates the East Coast Garden Party had a $500,000 economic impact on Grande Prairie, with at least 35 per cent of the 4,500 attendees coming from further than 40 kilometres away.
Earlier this year, the city awarded $100,000 from the new fund to the Bear Creek Folk Festival and the other $50,000 to the Grande Prairie Stompede. All three have been asked to find better ways to prove how many people attend from out-of-town.
City manager Bob Nicolay says it’s expected policies surrounding the funding will be reviewed in 2018. If the money is approved for the East Coast Garden Party, it will return the $7,000 grant it got this year from the Arts Development Festival Funding.