Guylene Ozlanski, Arts & Culture Administrator and Brenna Hosey, Festival & Event Coordinator

Highlight the city’s 2021 special events and request council feedback on recommendations for future event enhancements, and proposed new events for Civic Square. (Guylene Ozlanski, Arts and Culture Administrator; Brenna Hosey, Festival & Event Coordinator)

There is no fiscal impact associated with this presentation.  Special event enhancements, modifications and potential additions have been submitted for consideration in the fiscal year 2023 budget process where they will be weighed against competing needs and priorities of the City.

Goodyear currently hosts nine Signature Events and 13 Community Events that directly impact the community.  These events tie directly to the city’s strategic initiatives of:

• Sense of Community
• Quality of Life
• Economic Vitality
• Fiscal & Resource Management

Staff continues to evaluate current and new events that support Goodyear values and encourages people to gather.  These events are planned to celebrate holidays, promote the Arts, encourage participation from a varied demographic of attendees, and are fun!

As Goodyear grows, staff continues to evaluate our current signature events in response to community input and support growing attendance.  The following signature events are to be enhanced to address community need:

• Heart & Sole: Addition of a new 10K distance, outreach to teens and encouraging more family participation.
• Veterans Day Tribute: Temporary week-long mural experience installed along Bullard Wash Park for Veterans to come out and meet the artists as they paint.  A concert, food trucks and outdoor fun will be the culminating celebration for Veterans and the community.

Additionally, staff is planning that a new celebration for Juneteenth be added to the city’s Signature Event lineup.  The new event:

• Juneteenth Celebration: This event will be planned in partnership with local non-profit organizations to provide education about the holiday and celebrate the diversity of our community. 

The new fiscal year brings the opening of Civic Square Park.  To engage and activate this new amenity for Goodyear and build a destination location for residents and visitors, the following events are proposed to be held at Civic Square Park:

• Existing events to potentially move:
  • Shakespeare in the Park: Outdoor performing Arts experience for professional and community theater performers.
  • Campus Concert Series: Up to five concerts per year celebrating many genres of music.
  • Holiday Variety Show: Event to be recreated as a “Dickens on the Square” to celebrate the holidays at Civic Square.
• New events and activities being explored:
  • Hark in the Park: Movie night, in partnership, with Harkins Theater.
  • Dancing on the Square: Event that celebrates dance and gets people moving.
  • Go with the Flow: Yoga event, in the park, that would provide variations of Yoga for participants to join in at this day-long event.
  • Temporary Ice-Skating Rink: Holiday experience when visiting Civic Square Park.
  • Food Truck Series: Food truck nights to encourage people to come out and enjoy great food in a beautiful setting.
  • Farmers Market: Partner with local organizations to bring a seasonal Farmers Market to the square.