Festival celebrates successful season

SANDPOINT — After residents and visitors enjoyed two weeks of partying at the Festival at Sandpoint, it’s the event organizers’ turn to celebrate.

Sunday’s Grand Finale by the Spokane Symphony and the fireworks show marked the end to one of the most successful seasons in the festival’s 30-year history. Planners approved the largest budget for this year’s lineup in several years, and the investment paid off with huge attendance and sales.

“We’re still in the process of counting, but we certainly set a record — that’s for sure,” festival executive director Dyno Wahl said. “We hit record sales and record attendance.”

Three Festival at Sandpoint shows sold out this year. In addition, Wahl said the Pink Martini and Kenny Loggins shows very nearly sold out. Combined with the excellent ticket sales, festival associates also noted huge sales at the bar.    

Several factors played into the year’s massive success. Most important was the lineup. Wahl said during the planning stages this year, she whipped up some finance matrixes to detail the potential rewards that could come from a larger investment in talent. The board took her advice to heart and authorized the largest talent budget since the beginning of the recession.

Planners used that extra money to hire an even spread of bands over the two-week duration. From the classical and jazz stylings of Pink Martini to the bluegrass-county of Alison Krauss to the energetic alt rock of Counting Crows, the lineup also appealed to a wide variety of musical tastes. As a result, there was a dramatic reduction in must-see shows bottlenecking ticket sales, allowing for steady business all throughout the festival. Although final ticket sales have yet to be calculated, Wahl said the turnout easily surpassed expectations.

“People ask me all the time if I had a favorite show, but the truth is I can’t even pick one,” she said. “Every concert this year was different and special in its own way.”

Thanks to the large number of tourists at the festival this year, plenty of local business owners are feeling the benefits of its success.

Beyond the vendors at the festival grounds itself, tourists took time to check out original Sandpoint businesses and attractions like the Sandpoint farmers market.

In fact, Wahl said the University of Idaho sent a team up this year to investigate the its full economic implications.

Other factors worked out in the festival’s favor this year, too — most importantly in respect to the weather. Sunny weather dominated the skies throughout the first two weeks of August, making for some comfortable outdoor seating as concert-goers enjoyed the performances. According to Wahl, the forces of nature have put a damper on the Festival at Sandpoint as early as the 2009 season.

“This year was really a synergistic success,” Wahl said. “Everything just came together beautifully.”