By COLE REIF
Great Bend Post
Weather put a true damper on several of the major outdoor events last year in Great Bend. After approximately 9,000 people attended the 2021 Great Bend Airfest, less than 5,000 made it out to the 2024 show at the Great Bend Municipal Airport due to weather.
Hosting three days of airshows and entertainment comes with a hefty price tag and a lot of effort in planning and fundraising. Airport Manager Martin Miller said last September’s Airfest generated roughly $273,000 in revenue while costing the city $272,000.
"With the business model and the demographics of Great Bend, versus the quality of show that's been coming to Great Bend...these shows are just as good as shows with 50,000 to 100,000 in attendance," said Miller. "We can't pull that, so we'll always be hampered by ticket sales. We may be hampered by sponsors...you know how this goes...everybody tries for sponsors."
Of the total revenue, just over $162,000 came from sponsorships and ticket sales were around $60,000.
During Monday’s work session, the Great Bend City Council was in favor of continuing Airfest but instead of every three years, the weekend of shows will be hosted every four years. Councilmember Cory Urban and the council agreed that $50,000 will be set aside each year from the city’s budget to help with the cost.
"The city is working with a $28 million budget every year," said Urban. "Can we not set $50,000 aside annually and in four years we have $200,000 to pay for the vast majority of the show? For all the things we spend money on, something like this is drawing people, reaching back historically, there's the kids' day...there's so many things that point to Great Bend when this happens."
Five Airfests have been hosted since starting in 2012. The next Great Bend Airfest will take place in 2028.