CARLSBAD — The Carlsbad City Council voted unanimously to approve a Special Events Grant requested by the Carlsbad Beach Fest Foundation to assist with its June 9 event.
The Carlsbad Beach Fest will cover one mile of beach with views of the Pacific Ocean from Pine Avenue to Tamarack State Beach.
The city council agreed on $10,000.
The Carlsbad Beach Fest, marking its fifth year, is a community-oriented event brimful of sports, fun, great food, eco-friendly product vendors, and more.
“The City of Carlsbad offers a variety of grant opportunities for the community under the Community Funding Program umbrella, one of those funding opportunities provided is for Special Events,” said Courtney Enriquez, management analyst for the City of Carlsbad.
Enriquez wants people to know that under this program, the City of Carlsbad is able to allocate funds for “start-up costs” related to special events, which have them poised as a citywide interest. The forecasted analysis shows that by providing financial assistance in the early years, that at some point, these community events will become self-sufficient and self-sustaining.
“The Carlsbad Beach Fest Foundation is requesting a Special Event Grant from the City for the maximum allowed amount of $10,000 to assist in the 5th annual Beach Fest; the grant request is to cover the fully burdened cost of required city services as well as provide a direct cash donation to the event,” said Enriquez, adding that Special Event Grants are discretionary.
The City Council approved the grant to pay for all in-kind city services estimated at $882 in addition to a cash donation of $9,118 to help offset some costs. Enriquez said the cash donation would be on a reimbursement basis only.
Although the Carlsbad Beach Fest will have an array of things to do and see, the gist of the day is to remind folks the importance in preserving Carlsbad’s waterways and beaches.
“There is a boatload of fun scheduled,” said Tamara Urie, president and executive of Carlsbad Beach Fest Foundation.
In the sporting competitions department, events scheduled are a 5K Low Tide Run, a 5K Low Tide Walk, Kids 1-Mile Fun Run, Beach Triathlon, Beach Duathlons, Paddleboard Races, Ocean Swim, Pro and Amateur Surf Contest, Zumba-thon and much more.
In the non-sporting department, visitors can take part in kite flying, beach volleyball, sand-sculpting, health and safety expo, interactive educational booths, surf clinics, all-day beach cleanup, and “Hands Across The Beach.”
“Hands Across The Beach” is handprints in the sand, which stretches along the surf. “We link the entire beach and it’s a symbolic gesture to show everyone’s support for their coastal playground,” she said.
Including spectators, the event is expecting more than 12,000 people. The event’s growth has skyrocketed considering its first year had 850 guests.
Councilmember Mark Packard said he was pleased and impressed to see the growth of the event and thought that the Carlsbad Beach Fest was an appropriate use of the funds. “If the community supports it then it’s worth supporting,” Packard said.
The Carlsbad Beach Fest has changed dramatically since its first three years, Urie said, explaining that it was originally a very small grassroots operation held at Robert Frazee Beach.
In its early years, the event consisted of environmentally centered organizations, punctuated by educational opportunities to promote beach and ocean stewardships. Small activities were offered to entice people to come down.
In its fourth year the foundation called upon Urie to help transform the Carlsbad Beach Fest into both a fundraising and an event to help raise awareness.
Urie said she extended the event down to Tamarack State Beach so she could incorporate sporting events that could generate revenue like the 5K Low Tide Run.
The City of Carlsbad grant means a great deal to the Carlsbad Beach Fest Foundation since it’s still in its growing stages. “A $10,000 grant would help us tremendously with the some of the real hard costs of the resources we need,” Urie said. These resources include staging, live entertainment, rental equipment, marketing, signage, neighborhood notification expenses, and more.
The city, community, and business support it has received will push the event in the right direction.
“A lot of people are making the day a success,” said Urie. “We run it professionally to attract athletes who look forward to signature events.”
For more information about the Carlsbad Beach Fest please visit carlsbadbeachfest.com.
