The Guadalupe City Council unanimously approved a special event permit for the Guadalupe Greens Festival, which is scheduled for Sept. 19 at Jack O’Connell Park.
The festival, intended to celebrate Guadalupe’s cultural heritage, will include musical performances with reggae band Rebelution as the headliner, a classic car show, food, a vendor marketplace and a family zone. The event will be open from noon to 9:30 p.m.
The event will be organized and funded by Root One and Good Vibez Presents, and in total, is estimated to cost $21,500 with “no anticipated net cost to the city’s general fund,” according to staff.
A portion of all ticket sales and vendor fees are being directly donated to fund the Royal Theater restoration project, with an estimated $25,000 to $35,000 being contributed, depending on attendance. While explicit ticket pricing wasn’t mentioned, $5 will be donated to the theater’s restoration project for every ticket sold.
The now all-ages festival was initially intended to be a 21-or-older “cannabis village,” which would’ve required Department of Cannabis Control licensing. After feedback from the council members, organizers kept the name but added that no cannabis will be sold or licensed at the festival, along with the capacity being halved from 10,000 to 5,000 attendees.
The main parking lot for the event will be adjacent to Taylor Farms and has the capacity for roughly 610 vehicles. Additionally, there will be a free shuttle service from that lot to the festival for attendees.
Council members, along with Police Chief Michael Cash, discussed concerns regarding potential traffic jams, with the possibility of residents being “locked in” because of limited exit routes.
Councilwoman Christina Hernandez suggested holding an open house for residents at the River View Townhomes, as they may be most affected by attendee parking.
Austen Connella, CEO of Root One, highlighted that all traffic will be absorbed by the West Main Street and Highway 1 corridor, which will keep vehicles away from most neighborhoods. The parking and transportation summary also states that no festival traffic is permitted on residential streets.
The council members authorized the festival during the same meeting they approved their budget with a plan to eliminate a projected $3.6 million deficit.
City Administrator David Trujillo emphasized the necessity of events such as this in order to bring the city out of its financial hole.
“It’s just these minimal things; we’re shooting high to make giant impacts quick so that we can get back to zero and start having a net positive from what our city can actually provide our citizens,” Trujillo said.
