Two familiar ingredients will be missing from this weekend’s Cherry Creek Arts Festival: No Saturday-night fireworks. And no visiting performance artists.
But according to executive director Terry Adams, the rest of the event’s belt-tightening will be all but invisible.
“For the most part,” he said, “I don’t think our guests will feel much of an adjustment. We’re feeling really good about the content. We’re being able to offer programming pretty much as we know it.”
Chalk up the cuts to — what else? — the lingering recession.
Because of a drop in sponsors, Adams said, the festival needed to trim about $125,000 from its 2009 budget, which came in at a little less than $1.5 million.
What festival organizers did not touch is the visual-arts aspect of the event. The number of artists showing works in this 19th annual edition remains the same as in recent years.
A five-member jury chose a little more than 230 artists from among about 2,000 applicants across the country. Of those, about 70 percent have either never shown at the festival before or not been back since at least 2007.
“First and foremost, we’ve focused on the visual-artists piece as our priority,” Adams said. “I sent a letter to the artists last fall, saying, ‘We’re going to cut some corners, because that’s what we have to do, but we will not cut corners in that area, because that is the foundation of who and what we are.’ ”
If the recession has meant some adjustments in the offerings, Adams expects that it will also spur a boost in attendance, because of more people staying home and seeking low-cost family activities.
“I’m hearing more this year than I ever have,” he said, “of people saying, ‘You know what, we’re always gone on the Fourth of July, but we’re going to be here this year, and we can’t wait to see the festival.’ That staycation mentality.”
Also providing a boost for the festival is the way July 4 falls squarely on the weekend, giving many people a day off from work on Friday.
Last year’s festival drew 355,000 people, and Adams expects that attendance could grow by as much as 10 or 20 percent this year.
“We want to provide an opportunity for the community to come together and celebrate and do something that doesn’t cost you a lot of money,” he said. “People deserve that after what we’ve all been through in the last six or eight months.”
Despite budget reductions, there are a few new offerings at this year’s festival, including the Freshies Cocktail Cabana, a collaboration of Freshies cocktail mixes and Skyy Vodka.
In addition, young visitors can enjoy Kulinary Kidz, a food court devoted to smaller, family-oriented meals and snacks.
And to make things a little more convenient, all the festival’s alcohol and beer stands will accept credit cards for the first time.
Kyle MacMillan: 303-954-1675 or kmacmillan@denverpost.com
CHERRY CREEK ARTS FESTIVAL
Art and music.Cherry Creek North shopping district, area bounded by East Second and Third avenues, and Clayton and Steele streets. More than 230 juried artists and eight emerging artists from across the country will exhibit works in a range of media. The festival will also include nearly continuous music on three stages, as well as artist and culinary demonstrations. 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. today and Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. $5 parking, with proceeds benefiting the festival: Janus Capital Group garage, 151 Detroit St.; Clayton Lane garage, East Second Avenue and Columbine Street, and Whole Foods parking structure, East Second Avenue and Josephine Street. Free. 303-355-2787 or
