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HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 8.1 - 3396 2021 St. Patrick's Day Celebration (2) Page 1 of 4 STAFF REPORT CITY COUNCIL DATE: October 20, 2020 TO: Honorable Mayor and City Councilmembers FROM: Linda Smith, City Manager SUBJECT: 2021 St. Patrick's Day Celebration Prepared by: Shaun Chilkotowsky, Heritage and Cultural Arts Manager EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: The City Council will receive a preview of the 2021 St. Patrick's Day Celebration that includes modifications due to the COVID-19 pandemic. STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Receive the presentation and provide feedback for incorporation into the 2021 St. Patrick's Day Celebration. FINANCIAL IMPACT: The annual St. Patrick's Day Celebration is budgeted to bring in an estimated $190,000 in revenue. Expenditures associated with implementing the festival and supporting the parade are budgeted at approximately $170,000. Due to Covid-19, Staff expects revenue and expenditures to be lower than what was budgeted but will strive to maintain a consistent cost recovery rate. DESCRIPTION: The City of Dublin’s 38th annual St. Patrick's Day Celebration will be drastically different than in years past. Historically, the celebration took place over a two-day weekend, with an estimated 80,000 people in attendance during a good weather event. Some aspects of the event, including the Shamrock 5K Fun Run, Dublin Lions Club St. Patrick’s Day Parade, and the Firefighters Pancake Breakfast took place off the Civic Center grounds, with others such as the Irish Marketplace, Live Music, Celtic Food Court, and the Carnival, were located at the Civic Center complex. Throughout the course of the COVID-19 pandemic and related facility shutdowns, Staff have continued to plan and implement programs and activities in accordance with Alameda County Public Health Department Guidelines. With public health being of the highest concern, Staff has developed a St. Patrick’s Day Celebration that continues to commemorate Dublin’s heritage, but with modifications in place to ensure social distancing and compliance with County guidelines. Certain aspects of the event will still Page 2 of 4 take place over the course of a two-day weekend, while others will be transformed into week-long festivities that engage the community and support local businesses. Events will be spread throughout the City, at the Civic Center Complex, Heritage Park and Museums, and Emerald Glen Park. The event will kick off with a marketing campaign to shop, dine and play local, with the intention of supporting local businesses, from Saturday, March 13th through Saturday, March 20th. Staff, in coordination with the Economic Development Department and the Chamber of Commerce, will work to create a Shamrock Crawl which will entice consumers to visit participating Dublin businesses. This engagement effort with local businesses will allow the community to experience food and drink specials, themed meals, and small hosted events. Maps and other promotional materials will be created advertising participating businesses. Participation and decorations will be encouraged with a “Spirit Award” being given by the City Council to the establishment that goes above and beyond in getting into the Irish spirit. The “Taste of Dublin”, a bingo-type activity, will be incorporated into the campaign to incentivize the public to participate. The bingo activity will feature boxes to be checked off as places are visited, and prizes will be awarded. A family friendly Spirit Week will also take place from Saturday, March 13th to Saturday, March 20th. This will provide opportunities for the community to get engaged in a variety of ways including St. Patrick’s-themed at-home activities, Art in the Park, and the spirited photo collage. At-home activities may include coloring challenges, Irish cooking challenges, and science experiments. The Art in the Park activity will allow for people to come together to create a community mural, while remaining safe and socially distant. This could also include chalk art on pathways at Emerald Glen Park or a temporary mural. Advanced registration will be required, which would limit the number of participants at any given time. In-person activities, which include an Irish concert, Irish Tea Cottage, and family friendly activities will take place at the Civic Center Complex, Emerald Glen Park, and Heritage Park. All of these activities will be registration-based, which will allow for crowd management and compliance with current Alameda County Public Health Department Guidelines. At Emerald Glen Park, an Irish Concert will be the highlight of the celebration. This will take place in the evening of Saturday, March 13th. With a relaxed Alameda County Health Order, the event will be held in the grass and will feature painted Shamrocks that can be reserved. These Shamrocks, which would take up an area of approximately 100 square feet (10ft x10ft) could accommodate a single family or small group and will be spaced apart to allow for social distancing. Under the current Alameda County Health Order, the event would be transitioned into a drive-in concert. This would still allow for the live-concert experience, but from the safety of a passenger vehicle. The location would change, to possibly Dublin High School or another large parking lot that could accommodate vehicles as allowed by the Health Order. While the entire event is designed to be family friendly, the Civic Center Complex will focus on youth activities. Events will run on Saturday and Sunday, March 13th and 14th from 10am-5pm. All activities will be registration-based, and could include Irish dance lessons, Irish arts and craft activities, and Irish storytelling. The City would look to Page 3 of 4 partner with organizations like McGrath and McBride Irish Dance, the Dublin Arts Collective, and Dublin Public Library. Registrations will be limited to what the Health Order allows and include time between groups to allow for any necessary cleaning and disinfecting. No shared supplies or materials would be used. At Heritage Park, the Irish Tea Cottage will be the featured event. This dining experience, which most recently took place inside Civic Center, will be moved outdoors, and follow the model for outdoor dining as approved by the Alameda County Public Health Department. Like the activities at Civic Center Complex, this will run from 10am- 5pm on March 13th and 14th. Registration will be required, with space being limited and buffers scheduled between groups to allow for cleaning and disinfecting. The Shamrock 5K Fun Run will be conducted virtually, allowing runners/walkers to complete the 5k from March 13th to March 20th. Runners will register, with time being tracked in a smart phone app, and prizes awarded to winners in each category. A registration fee will be collected and will include a t-shirt that could be picked up via vehicle drive-thru or another socially distant manner. Winners will be announced, and prizes would then be distributed. Portions of the annual event that are not recommended at this time are the Children’s Carnival, Irish Marketplace and Craft Fair, and Celtic Food Court. These elements provide logistical challenges to manage and would conflict with the desire to support local businesses. Should Health Orders change, these elements could be further considered and would be included on a lesser scale. The Dublin Lions Club is interested in hosting the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade and is currently looking at options to do so in a safe and compliant manner. Fire Station #16 and the Firefighters Association is also interested in moving forward with the annual Pancake Breakfast fundraiser but would need for restrictions to be significantly relaxed in order for this to happen, as the current Alameda County Health Guidelines present logistical challenges. Alternative events could be considered to raise funds. Marketing is another element that will modified to account for the changes to the planned events. The event is known regionally and draws crowds from all over the Bay Area and beyond, due in part to the comprehensive marketing that is done. Due to modifications and the smaller nature of the event(s), marketing will be reduced to focus on Dublin and the Tri-Valley community. Radio advertising, BART, bus banners, and regional publications that target the entire Bay Area would not be utilized. Print publications would be limited to local circulations, and other marketing strategies similar to those for the Summer Concert Series and Holiday Events would be utilized. The COVID-19 pandemic is unpredictable and can change quickly. Elements of the event would be subject to change and the event would evolve to ensure compliance with Alameda County Health Orders with public safety being the number one priority. STRATEGIC PLAN INITIATIVE: None. NOTICING REQUIREMENTS/PUBLIC OUTREACH: Page 4 of 4 None. ATTACHMENTS: None. 38th Annual St. Patrick’s Day Celebration Celebration Purpose & Overview Business Community Involvement Taste of Dublin ●“Taste of Dublin” restaurant bingo. ●Participating restaurants will be encouraged to feature Irish cuisines. ●Participants will be entered to win raffle. Community Engagement •Dublin Spirit Week •Virtual Events •“We ☘Dublin” Community Photo Collage 38th Annual St. Patrick’s Day Reservation Based Celebration •Celebration locations to be spread throughout town. Heritage Park Irish Tea Cottage •Follow the current model by ALCO for outdoor dining at Heritage Park. •Participants must reserve their seating times. •Acoustic Tea Cottage performers to play throughout the day Celtic Rock Concert Civic Center Complex Family Friendly Activities •Irish Dance Lessons •Irish Limerick and Storytelling •Irish Themed Crafts and Games •Roaming Bagpipers and Leprechauns 23rd Annual Shamrock Virtual 5K Fun Run & Walk •March 13th –March 20th •Participants may register online and run a 5k independently. •Tracking done using a smartphone app. Expanded Possibilities •Children’s Activities at Imagine Playground •Additional Vendor Opportunities •Enhanced Entertainment Options Thank You