Park City leaders and the Kimball Art Center on Thursday are slated to discuss the possibility of a multiyear agreement to hold the annual arts festival along Main Street, a deal that would be expected to be splashed in green as the not-for-profit organization seeks financial support from City Hall.
The two sides last reached an agreement in 2016 and extended the deal twice. The agreement expires in mid-August, shortly after the 2023 edition of the event closes.
The Park City Kimball Arts Festival remains one of Park City’s top special events and draws some of the largest three-day crowds of the year.
Mayor Nann Worel and the Park City Council on Thursday are scheduled to talk about the prospects of a five-year agreement, sought by the Kimball Art Center, starting with the event in 2024 and ending with the 2028 festival.
The Kimball Art Center wants the festival held in August, on the first full weekend of the month. An exception is under discussion for the 2026 event, which would be shifted to the second full weekend, to avoid a conflict with a soccer tournament. The event would continue to be held on Friday evening, Saturday and Sunday.
The logistical footprint would remain largely the same as in recent years. The Kimball Art Center in a four-page March letter to the municipal government, though, notes the possibility of major development at Park City Mountain and Deer Valley Resort as well as work at Park City High School. It is not clear when any development would commence at the Snow Park base at Deer Valley or the Park City-side base at Park City Mountain, but it seems possible work could start at some point prior to the end of the proposed contract term.
The locations are used as parking for the festival, and the organization requests assistance from City Hall if it needs to seek other options for parking based on construction impacts.
The letter, signed by Kimball Art Center Executive Director Aldy Milliken and festival director Hillary Gilson, says the organization “recognizes this potential challenge and KAC will work with city staff and council to mitigate festival, resident, and tourism impacts during these construction periods.”
The Kimball Art Center side, meanwhile, outlines a request for financial support from City Hall. The organization desires officials continue to waive up to $180,000 annually to assist with municipal services. The Kimball Art Center would still put $10,000 toward the costs.
The letter indicates the art center “has determined that a $180,000 city service waiver is necessary to sustain the festival. A reduction in the city service waiver value or services included will cause negative impacts to festival operations, sustainability work, and social equity initiatives, as well as cause year-round impacts to the arts education programming the Kimball Art Center provides to the community, programs which are directly funded by the arts festival’s net income.”
The elected officials are not scheduled to cast a vote on Thursday but are slated to take public input. Main Street and Old Town residents typically closely monitor discussions about the festival since it is such a large event on the shopping, dining and entertainment strip and involves impacts in the surrounding neighborhood.
City Hall staffers are expected to return to the elected officials later with an agreement for the consideration of the City Council. It seems likely the elected officials on Thursday, though, could provide direction that would influence the details of an agreement.
The meeting on Thursday is scheduled to start at 5:30 p.m. at the Marsac Building. It will also be broadcast online. More information is available on the municipal website, www.parkcity.org. The direct link to the meeting information is: https://www.parkcity.org/Home/Components/Calendar/Event/39007/15.