City Council
MEETING DATE: 8/9/2017
TITLE:
Title
Desert Glow Fest
End
FROM:
Chris Parman, Communications / Events Manager
RECOMMENDATION:
Recommendation
Staff recommends the approval of Special Use Permit #17-041
Body
BACKGROUND:
The Cathedral City Rotary and the Palm Springs Unified School District Foundation have teamed together, once again, to bring a family-friendly festival to Downtown Cathedral City called Desert Glow Fest. This festival is a redesign of the previous two Passport to Health: Health Fair and Glo Runs that attracted thousands to our City.
DISCUSSION:
The first portion of the festival includes a health fair at Town Square Park. It invites local health and community based organizations to provide information about improving one’s health through exercise, nutrition, and health monitoring. The Health Fair takes place during the regular time of the festival. It will feature health screenings, exercise demonstrations and nutrition demonstrations. Admission to the health fair is free.
For the Festival portion of the event, the organizers have added food and beverage gardens that will serve alcohol to those 21 years and older. They will also have a DJ providing music throughout the event which lasts until 11 pm (one hour past our normal weekend cut-off time). Most of the music will be focused in front of City Hall as they want to use the 3rd Floor balcony as the DJ platform to the crowd below as in previous years.
Instead of holding a 5K/1M Glo Fun Run that maneuvered throughout the vacant lot streets east of the Mary Pickford Theatre, they will create a Glow Dash and obstacle course that will start in front of City Hall and head toward the parking garage. Runners will be sprayed with glow paint at the starting area as in previous years. They will then run through the second and third levels of the parking garage in the driving paths only and return down to the point of entry of the parking garage. The run paths will be taped off to keep runners away from the auto dealer cars parked there. Traffic and parking for the festival attendees will be limited to the 1st floor of the parking garage only. The runners will exit the parking garage run west on Avenida Lalo Guerrero then turn towards the grassy area in front of Desert Cinema where they will maneuver through several obstacles courses while being doused with glow paint. Once completed, they will head to the Festival Lawn and maneuver through more Glow paint obstacle courses and then run to the finish line near Town Square Park on George Montgomery Trail. Similar to previous years, the Glow Fest expects over 1,500 registered participants who will run or walk the downtown course. All net proceeds from the run registration will benefit PSUSD Foundation that offers students assistance and scholarships.
After the Glow Dash, attendees will continue to enjoy the event at Civic Center Plaza with music, food, and dancing. The celebration ends approximately at 11:00 pm.
The City has never had an issue with the glow paint as it is water-based paint that is easily removable.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The current budget allocates a $5,000 cash sponsorship and a $5,000 in-kind sponsorship to cover costs of public works, trash, portable toilets, and clean-up. The organizers are requesting assistance with police for security, but I have already stated that our current budget does not allocate for that expense, unless the Council agrees to a budget amendment and the police have the availablility.
ATTACHMENTS:
SUP #17-041