Municipal staff delivered economic impact reports shortly before Christmas. Pictured: Pelham Summerfest. Photo Credit: Explore Ontario/X.
The Town of Pelham’s annual summer festival and summer concert series enjoyed another immensely successful 2024 season, boasting an economic impact of almost $6 million.
Municipal staff delivered reports on the 2024 Summerfest and the 2024 Summer Chill Concert Series to the Town Council shortly before Christmas. The reports provided key insights regarding the success of the 13-week Thursday concert series, including the Fonthill Bandshell concerts, the Pelham supper market, and the farmers market.
Through the utilization of the province’s tourism regional economic impact model, it was determined that the 2024 series produced an economic impact of around $969,657 and an overall attendance of 44,215. Subsequently, the four-day Summerfest (July 18-21, 2024) produced an economic impact of nearly $5 million, with the total number of attendees being around 45,000 for the event.
The Friday and Saturday of Summerfest recorded the highest turnout, with 14,569 and 18,857 attendees. Approximately 55 per cent of festival partakers were Pelham locals.
The report also stated that the combination of beverage sales and new sponsorship packages afforded a surplus of around $50,000, which serves as “the highest surplus amount that Pelham Summerfest has seen since COVID-19.”
Other notable strengths include positive community feedback on the Thursday Concert Series and, as explained in the concert series report, there was less opposition to security personnel ensuring that alcohol was only consumed in the Peace Park designated location.
With that being said, the Bandshell committee said that full park licensing received varying perspectives and that the family-friendly environment may have been adversely affected.
“They expressed concerns that the broader alcohol licensing led to a shift in the park’s ambience, citing increased chatter and more people coming and going during concerts” it was outlined in the report.
At the same time, it was also noted that “feedback regarding the new extended licensed area… was overwhelmingly positive, with no notable issues raised regarding any changes to the park’s atmosphere.”
Following a year of high achievement, report findings outlined some key ways through which the events could become even better. These include enhancing landscape maintenance, ensuring the community is aware of shuttle and parking options, as well as increased crowd monitoring by security personnel.
With the official arrival of 2025, anticipation for the new season is ramping up. Summerfest 2025 will take place from July 17-20.
Residents and tourists alike can also look forward to the return of the bandshell concerts, which will commence on June 19 and continue through Sept. 11, the supper market, beginning on June 12, as well as the farmers market, which will be open on May 1 and run until Oct. 9.
Nick Redekop completed his Honours Bachelor of Arts Degree in Labour Studies at Brock University. He has previously served in municipal and federal politics. In his free time, Nick enjoys following sports, taking part in outdoor activities, and reading biographies. Nick resides in Niagara Falls
