Fresno’s Grizzly Fest on hold. Here’s what organizer says needs to happen for return

There won’t be a Grizzly Fest in Fresno this year.

The organizers of the annual springtime music festival announced Wednesday they’re suspending the event in 2020.

“Grizzly Fest will be in hibernation in 2020 as we continue negotiations with the City of Fresno on securing a long-term agreement,” event organizers posted on Instagram.

“See you in 2021,” reads the caption to the post.

Grizzly Fest was a downtown Fresno event at Chukchansi Park for three years, before moving to Woodward Park in 2018 and expanding to a two-day format. While Grizzly Fest remained popular with fans, vendors and performers – in 2018, Snoop Dogg, Nas and Foster the People headlined the event that drew 16,000 over the two days – the new venue in north Fresno drew concerns from nearby residents over noise and traffic issues.

Last year’s Grizzly Fest, also over two days at Woodward Park, was headlined by G-Easy, Portugal. the Man and Matt and Kim. Organizers said it drew an even larger crowd than in 2018.

Grizzly Fest organizer Aren Hekimian said he understands that the relationship between the festival and the city may appear contentious, what with the debate given over the festival’s move to Woodward Park in 2018 and council Garry Bredefeld’s continued push to have it return to downtown.

But Wednesday’s announcement had little to do with past concerns about noise or traffic or even the venue, Hekimian said.

“We’re not fighting with the city,” he said.

Ongoing negotiations

Organizers are working toward an agreement that would allow the festival to operate over multiple years without being at the whim of a new city council or mayor. As the festival grows and begins courting larger headlining acts, the risk — financial and otherwise — also grows. Taking those risks becomes impossible without a long-term contract, Hekimian said.

“Because of the magnitude of the event as it grows, we didn’t want to sell ourselves short down the road.”

Mayor Lee Brand said he and his administration are working closing with the festival and have discussed different long-term arrangements.

“We look forward to continuing our relationship on terms that are mutually satisfactory both to them and to the taxpayers of the City of Fresno who I was elected to protect and serve,” Brand said in a statement.

Despite public speculation on other possible venues, Hekimian said there’s no plan to move the festival to another location within Fresno or outside it.

As far back as 2017, organizers scouted locations across Fresno, Kings, Tulare and Madera counties. Logistically, Woodward Park was the best choice for the kind of event Grizzly Fest wants to become, Hekimian said. Aside from being scenic, it offers some natural boundaries and has ample space for the festival to continue to grow.

So, what is the future of Grizzly Fest?

This isn’t the first time Grizzly Fest has gone on hiatus. The first Grizzly Fest was held at the Fresno Fairgrounds in November 2012 by Fresno rapper Fashawn. It was revived at Chukchansi Park in 2015.

The hope is to have the festival return to Fresno — and Woodward Park — in 2021.

“We want to keep presenting this festival. We want to keep that stream of revenue coming into Fresno,” said Hekimian, who in April said the 2018 Grizzly Fest boosted the local economy that year by $3 million to $6 million.

“We want to keep giving Fresno the national spotlight in a positive way.”

And Grizzly Fest won’t be silent for the year. While there are no concrete plans, there is talk of partnering in on smaller one-off concerts and other events, like the Fresno Cares Day it hosted in November.

Fans should continue to follow the Grizzly Fest social media or details.

This story was originally published January 15, 2020 at 10:13 AM.