Festival at Sandpoint recap

By Ben Olson
Reader Staff

With a flash of fireworks and a crescendo from the Festival at Sandpoint Orchestra, the popular summer concert series wrapped its 41st season on Aug. 4. The Reader tracked down Executive Director Ali Baranski, who shared insights into this year.

“We had really strong ticket sales this year,” Baranski told the Reader.

While Baranski noted a “record-breaking July,” it’s too early to give final attendance numbers, because several refund requests are still being processed after Gavin DeGraw canceled his performance on Aug. 3 due to laryngitis.

“We also had record-breaking ticket sales for our grand finale: ‘How to Train Your Dragon in Concert’,” she said.

One show that stood out in many younger Festivalgoers’ minds was the Big Boi and Trombone Shorty performance on July 27.

“The Festival … received a lot of positive feedback for the Big Boi/Trombone Shorty show — for both acts — as well as we enjoyed reading the article by Kaleb Keaton in the Reader [Perspectives, “The right kind of change,” Aug. 1, 2024],” Baranski said.

“Since I started booking in 2020, there has always been exploration into all genres,” she added. “At the end of the day, and due to our limited dates, what ends up booked comes down to a lot of luck and the chance that a tour happens to be routed through the Inland Northwest during our limited dates. Only about 10% of the offers we send out end up confirming, so this was not our first offer into the hip-hop genre, and it won’t be the last.”

This summer marks the second year under a new stage, after the iconic white tent was scrapped due to safety concerns before the 2023 concert series. Baranski noted it was an especially difficult year for setup.

“Due to the Microsoft outage, the stage tech’s flight was delayed several hours, meaning our stage set-up was delayed several hours,” Baranski said, noting that every hour counts when setting up the venue.

The excessive heat also contributed to the difficult process.

“The extreme heat during load-in meant that we were ending days early, as the heat — especially on the artificial turf — was not safe to have crews on in the afternoons,” she said. “We also had injuries and health concerns that left us without key seasonal staff members for the majority of their supervisory duties. It was one of the hardest set-ups we’ve experienced in recent years; however, I could not have been more proud.”

When asked whether the Festival would remain at Memorial Field in the future, Baranski said that it’s complicated.

“The Festival at Sandpoint is seeking property for a new venue, however, this is a multi-year project, so we plan to remain at Memorial Field for the near future,” she said. “We will only move when the perfect property is found, procured and after a lengthy planning, fundraising and development process.”

Many challenges remain with hosting a concert series at Memorial Field. Baranski said city park fees increased by 60%, the event decking required to rent each year to protect the new artificial turf costs an additional $100,000+ and the new stage setup must be rented each year since the Festival can’t buy a stage for a pop-up venue.

“In short, our costs in the past four years to remain and operate at Memorial Field have increased tenfold and now exceed $200,000 annually,” Baranski told the Reader. “We love the location of Memorial Field, being on the water, the ease of access for those on foot, bike or our very close shuttle. We love the history of our location and the proximity of Lakeview Park. However, financially, it is no longer feasible to remain here long-term.”

Baranski said she’s grateful for all of the Festival’s supporters, volunteers, sponsors and donors. 

“As our costs keep increasing rapidly, our community is rising to the occasion,” she said. “We received record sponsorships and donations again this year — our third year in a row — and could not be more honored by the confidence, trust and support we’ve received year after year.

“Though to pop up a venue on a football field and put on nine high-calibur concerts in 11 days while coordinating over 600 volunteers and over 50 seasonal staff is no small feat, it is all worth it,” she continued. “Every year there are moments that make me … misty-eyed while witnessing our crew dig deep and achieve the impossible during load-in, seeing thousands belt every word of their favorite artist — these are the moments when I remind myself that the Festival at Sandpoint is a catalyst of joy, community and connection, and I wouldn’t trade my job (or lack of sleep) for the world.”