SAVANNAH, GA. -- This southern coastal city celebrates St. Patrick’s Day in a big way. Which means the city needs to be ready for the people, and the cost burden.
According to local news WTOC.com, it cost Savannah $400,000 of its 2016 budget to put the festival on.
To help offset costs this year, prices to attend are going up. City staff reported that there has been a big increase in the number of party buses bringing in St. Patrick’s Day festival-goers over the past few years.
To help pay for security and traffic control of those buses, Savannah’s city council decided to charge the party bus companies $200 for each bus -- up from $35 last year.
We are moving the buses around. That will take some more security on our part, and parking people, and forcing, and parking signs etc. So we feel like that’s a pretty fair price,” said Marty Johnson, deputy assistant to the city manager.
In addition, revelers who want to imbibe in the festival zone will pay double for a wristband this year, which is now $10. The St. Patrick’s Day committee, which is made up of nonprofits and business leaders, made the decision to raise the wristband price.
“One of the big risks I don’t think people think about, the nonprofit takes, is they have to sign contracts for bands, and when they do that, they are committed. So if it pours down rain, and no wristbands are sold, they still have to pay those contractual agreements,” Johnson said.
This year’s festival will run from March 16 through 18th.
