When it was created in 2013, one of the goals of Jaxtoberfest was to draw tourism to Jacksonville through a signature Downtown event.
With German-inspired food and drink and events like bratwurst-eating contests and pumpkin bowling, the family-friendly event drew 25,000 its inaugural year. That was at the Shipyards, the same place the two-day festival was held a year later when it drew about 50,000.
It was growing, further attaining that goal of helping spotlight Downtown, said Mike White, whose Client Focused Media helps put on the event.
In its third year, however, there won’t be steins overflowing or wiener dog races along the St. Johns River next month. The venue will be the St. Johns Town Center.
“We were told a couple of months ago we couldn’t use the Shipyards,” White said.
The site has been undergoing environmental tests, with arsenic, lead and other contaminants found at the former shipbuilding site.
Those environmental issues mean the city will not use the site as a programmable space for special events, according to Dave Herrell, the city’s sports and entertainment officer.
“The public’s safety is always our top priority with the events we produce, manage and permit,” he said in an email.
The site will still be open for parking for events like Sunday’s Jacksonville Jaguars game.
Additionally, since the last Jaxtoberfest, there also has been movement about the future of the property. A development group created by Jaguars owner Shad Khan secured the right to negotiate developing the site, with the goal being a massive mixed-use property. Those talks with the Downtown Investment Authority and the city are still ongoing.
“The Shipyards is evolving,” said Randy Goodwin, founder of PRI Productions, which also puts on Jaxtoberfest. “We knew this wasn’t a permanent location for it.”
Goodwin said the event “wasn’t birthed just to be there” and he and White knew at some point they’d have to find a new location.
White said the decision on the Shipyards being unusable left them with about 60 days to find a new spot. Some in the community stepped up, but there were too many logistical hurdles to overcome.
Almost immediately, Jaguars President Mark Lamping offered to let the festival come to EverBank Field. Goodwin’s production company has a long working relationship with the team.
White said after those talks started, it was determined it couldn’t work — the stadium has exclusive sponsorships on items like beer, meaning some sponsors wouldn’t have been allowed to participate.
Next, Jacksonville Landing co-owner Toney Sleiman pitched for the event to remain on the riverfront at his Downtown venue. But, White said, logistically it would have been difficult to close the Landing for just the event during football season.
White and Goodwin said they were appreciative of the outreach, calling it an example the community rallying its support.
Other Downtown venues like Hemming Park were considered, but didn’t work out, White said.
With time running short, the St. Johns Town Center stepped up and was the best option for Jaxtoberfest 2015, White said. It’ll be Oct. 9-10 at the Town Center in the area behind The Capital Grille near Dick’s Sporting Goods. More information can be found at jaxtoberfest.com.
“We’re happy to have it there,” said Goodwin. “We have a wonderful relationship with them.”
The majority of the event’s sponsors have followed, White said.
The two presenters also have continued to support the event. White said he and Goodwin last year combined to contribute about $357,000 in funds and services to put on the privately funded event. White calls it a relative bargain compared to what the city could do it for, as the marketing and production aspects can largely be done in-house.
Both men said they love Downtown and the direction it’s going, but White said there were challenges to putting on the event along the river. Noise issues meant the festival had to close down by certain times, and permitting was more of a challenge.
White said the hope is to continue growing the festival to draw as many as 150,000. Whether that means coming back Downtown is yet to be determined, but the allure remains.
“The Shipyards is a sexy property,” he said, “and it was a great venue.”
Goodwin said feedback so far has been positive and he doesn’t view the decision as having taken away from Downtown.
“It’s still a Jacksonville community event,” he said.
For at least this year, it’ll just be somewhere else.
@writerchapman
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