Should I Donate at the Gate at Festivals?
We are so fortunate to have the ability to provide communities with community festivals each year. The countless hours of work are worth it to see the event come together, the joy on peoples faces, and the positive economic impact on local businesses. Each year we ask for donations so we can continue putting on these great events. However, donations are at an all time low. We’re here to clarify why you should donate at the door.
- Supporting local businesses: At every festival local businesses and artists come out to serve
customers and display their products. We go through hundreds of
applications and hand select the best businesses for our festivals. Money festival goers spend at vendors or food booths is 100% profit for the business. We are happy to support local business, the festival does not make any profit from these sales.
- Non-Profit Clients: Almost all of our summer festivals are partnered with non-profit clients. Your
donation helps these non-profit companies continue to support your community, local programming and events, and services to keep local businesses alive. From the Andersonville Chamber of Commerce to the Anti-Cruelty Society your donation goes to a good cause.
- The Lifeblood of Summer: StarEvents is a local, Chicago event production company. For 26 years we have supported local businesses, nonprofits, and community organizations. If festivals are not able to raise enough money
for the company to cover the costs put forward to produce it, that festival will not be able to return to the community the following year. Most festivals are not funded by tax dollars, but by the chambers and non-profits that hope to raise funds through them, both for their year long activities, and the festival the following year.
Festivals are the lifeblood of Chicago Summer. They bring joy and camaraderie to the sunniest time of year, and Chicago would not be the same without them. So if you love summer festivals: dancing, drinking, eating, and shopping with your friends and loved ones each summer, please, remember as you pass through those gates, support local, and donate whatever you can.