Silver Lake Jubilee returns with a higher pricetag
Kevin Bronson on
5
When the Silver Lake Jubilee returns in May for a third year, the nascent neighborhood festival will come with a higher admission price and a new location.
The May 26-27 street party moves one block from its previous Myra Street location to Santa Monica Boulevard, just below Sunset Junction. And general admission – $5 the Jubilee’s first two years – will now be $20.
“At the end of the day, we set the $5 ticket price out of naiveté,” concedes Jack Martinez, executive director of the sponsoring organization, the Los Angeles Arts & Athletics Alliance (LAAAA). “We have make sure we do what’s fiscally responsible for the organization, and make sure we have a safe, clean festival.”
The Jubilee will feature 35-plus bands on two stages, along with more than 75 vendors, 15 food trucks and 40 comedians and other performers, along with a free community area for children’s activities, games and informational kiosks repping other nonprofits. But the hiked ticket price is sure to raise howls of protest from residents and music fans still stinging from last August’s debacle surrounding Sunset Junction, the long-running street fair that was scotched at the 11th hour because it could not come up with the required funds to pay city fees. Among the hot topics was how SJ’s sponsoring organization, the Sunset Junction Neighborhood Alliance, spent the receipts from a festival that, in its early years, was free.
Martinez acknowledges the Jubilee’s higher ticket price might induce a similar outcry. “That’s something that going to happen naturally,” he says. “But all the complaints people had about Sunset Junction – I feel like we’ve stepped up and addressed them. We’re a very transparent organization as far as where the money goes, and what we contribute to the community. We’re really proud of that.
“In the end, we want to be able to stage a quality event and answer our commitment as a nonprofit.”
On its website, the Jubilee offers a breakdown of where patrons’ $20 goes – half to community programs, and the rest for such expenses as city fees, administration and marketing. The group also lists 16 beneficiaries of its fund-raising efforts.
The music lineup is expected to be announced March.
Photo by Laurie Scavo
$20 ain’t bad at all, especially if the lineups continue to be good and interesting. I don’t think the locals will be happy about it.
As a Silver Lake resident, I applaud the Jubilee’s transparency. The last two years have been great, very community-centered without sacrificing the quality of the music or art. I work for the city, so I know all about increasing city services fees. $20 seems reasonable for what the Jubilee offers, and its support of the community is really spectacular. Rock on!
$20 is fine … if they pay the bands.
i hope they have started the process to get teh needed permits already
The Silver Lake Jubilee can charge whatever it wants, but the Eagle Rock Music Festival has a big festival and is free, with only a $5 requested donation.