The Aurora City Council will consider Monday giving $15,000 to the Aurora Pride Festival. The money essentially would reduce the fee for occupying the park from $28,000 to $13,000, according to a memo from city staff to the council. The city would recoup the full amount of its donation, said council member Alison Coombs, who is requesting the sponsorship.
In 2020, the city covered the entire cost of the venue in a sponsorship. Since then, the cost has increased by more than $10,000. According to the memo, the festival will not be able to occur without the sponsorship.
According to a presentation from city staff to council, the festival makes a strong economic impact. This year’s impact is expected to be $487,500. Festivalgoers pay local sales taxes at the event, rent hotel rooms and more. The festival works with over 75 Aurora businesses each year, according to the presentation, and provides free booth spaces to more than 30 artists. Five Aurora-based food trucks feed festivalgoers, according to the presentation, and Aurora-based companies provide rentals, infrastructure, trash services, staffing companies, and more each year. “We keep our money within the City of Aurora, the presentation states. “We only carry Aurora breweries at our bars.”