P’ville Music Fest’s Red Ink Prompts Discussion on Revamping Event

For many attending last July’s Pleasantville Music Festival, it was a great day. But for the three days leading up to the event, the weather forecast for rain turned away many potential concertgoers, even as cloudy skies in the morning gave way to afternoon sunshine.

Pleasantville village officials announced last week the festival, held on Saturday, July 13, lost $96,000, forcing a discussion on how to contend with the losses. The new executive director, Doug Panero, and former director Bruce Figler, brainstormed with the Village Board last week.

“That $96,000 accounts for overtime and all of the actual expenses,” said Mayor Peter Scherer. “That compares to previous years where we have sometimes lost (money). In 2017, we made $47,000 and in 2019 we made $40,000. For all these many 18 years of the festival we have operated on the assumption that we are going to have some up years and some down years and overall it would even out. The question really is what does it look like going forward?”

The hour-long conversation focused on how to cut costs on the annual village-supported music festival.

Figler said wishing for good weather was always part of the equation.

“We always knew our luck was going to run out,” Figler said. “The forecast (this year) going right up until the festival was rain, flooding and lightning. People were deciding if they were going to spend this kind of money if they don’t know what it would be like out there. The weather forecast has always affected the bottom line.”

With the forecast predicting that the rain would stop by early Saturday afternoon, ticket sales were much lower than usual, despite it becoming a nice day.

“By that point the damage was done,” said Figler.

Scherer said he has received suggestions on how the festival could stay solvent.

“People have said not to spend so much on bands but rather have a bunch of cover bands and make it a great, sort of a fun party day,” he said. “Others told me to spend way more and get a band that’s really a big draw.”

According to Figler, there are popular name bands that could really move the needle.

“But they’re all $100,000 and the most we’ve ever paid (one band) was $50,000,” he said. “If we considered paying $100,000, it would seriously curtail what we could do with the other bands.”

Other suggestions included presenting 15 bands instead of 18 bands and on fewer stages. Shortening the festival from nine hours to seven could cut several costs, including overtime expenses for village employees.

Figler objected to those ideas because having fewer bands would limit the musical diversity.

“If we did that it would no longer be the Pleasantville Music Festival,” Figler said. “You wouldn’t have the same appeal. We try to touch on everyone’s different tastes the best we can. Folks will pay to hear a band they know. Having a number of different headliners to cover the different demographics and tastes ends up filling the place as it did in 2017 and 2019.”

Adding another shade tent so more people can be out of the sun was considered but would also raise costs.

Raising ticket prices was another suggestion. Advance tickets cost $75 for adults (22 to 64 years old) and $55 for students (21 and under) and seniors (65 and up). Admission at the gate increased to $85 for adults and $60 for students. Children under 12 have gained admittance for free if accompanied by an adult who buys a ticket.

Village Trustee Paul Alvarez argued in favor of raising ticket prices to help pay for the festival.

“I do think that there is a base that is going to support this,” Alvarez said. “If there are a lot of people complaining that tickets cost too much, there will be many people who won’t complain at all. This is a village and community event but it’s also called New York’s Backyard Jam, which is an amazing product. People are getting an incredible deal and they are willing to pay for it.”

For village Trustee Nicole Asquith, approaching the festival as a business venture was troublesome.

“It’s important to remember that we are not a business and this is not a product,” she said. “We are a government that is staging a community event and we have to charge for it or there would be no way to do it. The elephant in the room is the taxpayer.”

Asquith said she received several comments from people who are very anxious about how much money the festival lost this year.

“In addition to the music festival we are getting pressure from different areas,” she explained. “We are having to invest money to support the farmer’s market and we are looking at cutting services in other areas because the burden on the taxpayer is getting pretty intense.”

This year the village’s costs for the farmer’s market is $14,000. Regular loses for the festival would be a big issue for Asquith.

“There has to be some kind of reassessment of how can this be done in a way that it is financially sustainable and is not asking the taxpayer to assume much of the cost for a one-day event,” she said.

Hiring young, local talent, including performances by high school students, is one way that could draw more people and was an idea village Trustee Yemi Healy suggested.

“I think more people would show up in support of that,” Healy said. “I’m talking about high school sophomores who perhaps are getting their act together who would highlight local events.”

Healy also mentioned how a Taylor Swift cover band who performed in Valhalla in July was a big draw.

More ideas are expected to be discussed at the next Village Board work session on Oct. 28. Tickets for the festival typically go on sale the day after Thanksgiving.