HomeMy WebLinkAboutStaff Report 1788City of Palo Alto (ID # 1788)
City Council Informational Report
Report Type:Meeting Date: 6/6/2011
June 06, 2011 Page 1 of 2
(ID # 1788)
Title: World Music Day
Subject: World Music Day Update
From:City Manager
Lead Department: City Manager
Background
Since 2009, the World Music Day event has been gaining momentum in Palo Alto. Held on
Father’s Day in downtown the World Music Day event features between 40-50 musical groups
with performances representing many genres. The performances take place on sidewalks,
street corners, and plazas along University Avenue. Jazz, classical, pop, rock, choral, and many
other types of music feature sounds from around the world. All performances are free and
open to the public.
The response from merchants, shoppers, and visitors over the years has been largely positive,
including several requests to close University Avenue during the event to create even more of a
pedestrian-friendly and festival environment, and to enhance the overall experience.
Due to the enormously positive feedback and instructive thought received after the recent
collaborative success of the Parade of Champions in January, the City Manager thinks that
testing the closure of University Avenue could be useful if given the right type of event and an
effective outreach strategy. In this case, success would be determined by attracting the Palo
Alto and greater community to spend time walking around downtown, visiting our shops and
restaurants, having an enjoyable experience, thereby raising the visibility and awareness of the
charm and character of our Downtown.
As such, the City Manager has approved the use of this year’s World Music Day as a test case
for a University Avenue closure, and will help to defray the additional expenses (mostly
additional staff costs) through the City Manager’s Contingency Fund if the police and public
works budgets are unable to easily absorb the staff costs in their end of the year budget
projections. There will be a particular focus on outreach/ inclusion to the merchants, as well as
a plan to gauge the overall success of the street closure through a count of visitors as well as a
random survey.
June 06, 2011 Page 2 of 2
(ID # 1788)
In the past, the closure of University Avenue for events during the weekday commute hours has
caused a number of traffic issues and complaints. Having an event on a weekend mitigates
many of those concerns. An effective outreach strategy to merchants, visitors, and travelers, as
well as a coordination of City Departments and their efforts should further mitigate issues
caused by a closure.
As of May 31, 2011, every ground floor business in the affected area has been notified in-
person at least once by the City, volunteers from the World Music Day and Downtown Business
and Professional Association. The focus of the outreach is not just to inform the merchants of
the street closure, but also to invite them to get involved through the placement of tables/
chairs or merchandise along University Avenue. The City has also developed a plan to provide
some merchants/ restaurants with tables and chairs if they need extras.
In regards to this current outreach, the response from merchants thus far has been extremely
positive, and the City Manager hopes that many will decide to use the street closure as an
opportunity to promote their businesses during the event. The City and volunteers plan to
reach them again at least once more in-person. As outreach to the many above ground and
surrounding units, a letter has been prepared and is being mailed to every parcel in the
downtown. The City also plans to put out an updated press release and use social media to get
the word out to the general public. The Alert SCC system will also be activated to inform the
area of the street closure. With a great event, a targeted outreach and inclusion campaign, and
hopefully great weather, staff expects that this year’s World Music Day can provide valuable
insights for the feasibility of future events along University Avenue.
Prepared By:Thomas Fehrenbach, Econ Dev Mgr
Department Head:James Keene, City Manager
City Manager Approval: James Keene, City Manager