MILWAUKEE - For the first time in more than 20 years, the organizers of the Harbor Fest musical festival in Racine, Wis., were forced to cancel their seminal summertime event on the shores of Lake Michigan.
Sure, attendance has dwindled in recent years, but rising costs and a 40 percent drop in corporate sponsorship dealt the final blow. "It boiled down to, if we can't do it the right way, let's just not do it," said Joe Mooney, the event's organizer for all but one year.
From a hot air balloon festival in Jackson, Mich., to parades in Clearwater, Fla., to a seafood festival in Annapolis, Md., organizers grappling with the effects of a weakening economy are calling it quits. Or at least putting off their events until next year.
Corporate sponsors are pulling out as they worry about their own financial well-being, let alone donating money to a festival. Organizers are reluctant to raise ticket prices since families shelling out $4 for a gallon of gas may not want to pay the extra money. And costs for hiring bands, vendors, and renting grounds are rising.
There are tens of thousands of festivals and parades nationwide each year, ranging from events with a few balloons and a tent to those with rides, musicians, and acres of vendors.
The economic impact is big, with festivals generating hundreds of millions of dollars for organizers, many of which are nonprofit and donate proceeds to charities. As many as 80 percent break even each year, Rosen said.
This year, festivals are weighing their options and studying the impact of tough decisions like raising prices. It's unclear how many have decided to cancel or delay their events for a year, though attendance so far has been flat, said Ira Rosen, the North American director of the International Festivals and Events Association.
A number have opted to remain free but request donations.
Problem is, not everyone is willing to pay. Donations didn't generate enough cash this year for the Sarasota Arts Day festival, and it lost so much money that organizers shelved next year's event.
The festival, which normally draws about 25,000 people to downtown Sarasota, Fla., during a weekend in January, doesn't charge attendees but suggests they make contributions. Those dropped by half to just over $15,000 from last year, and the fair lost $30,000, said Martine Meredith Collier, executive director of the Sarasota County Arts Council, which organizes the fair. The year before, it lost $3,700, so this year's loss was nearly 10 times that.