Sacramento added even more events this year amid effort to become "City of Festivals"
SACRAMENTO — The annual Chalk It Up festival wrapped up its three-day run Monday evening, bringing an estimated 40,000 people to downtown Sacramento.
Events like this are becoming more frequent across the city as Sacramento progresses on its plan to become a "City of Festivals."
In 2022, the city launched a $700,000 initiative to create more festivals around town, and activities like Chalk It Up are now becoming more common.
Last year, there were 488 special event permits issued, and this year, there are 536, which is a 10% increase.
"I think it's definitely a good thing and I'm glad that they've been adding more events each year," artist Amanda Maurer said.
Events range from concerts and food fairs to fun runs, marathons, and parades. The city says it has even created a new special event team to help streamline the permitting process.
"I love as many festivals as possible," said Christy Jourdan, the executive director of Chalk It Up. "Any opportunity to bring us all together I think that's good for our community."
The increase is also a boom for small local businesses that participate in these events.
"It's kind of a win-win for everybody that has a business here as well as the public and the Sacramento community," Snowie owner Jason Ramos.
"Festivals like this are a great opportunity for us to get out into the community and meet new people and let them see what we have," said Michelle Grubbs of KC Kombuch.
Many say it's a fun way to make the community more enjoyable.
"The city is bursting with talent in music and art and food, and we need to be celebrating that talent, supporting our local artists and the more festivals, the more times we can get together and celebrate that the better," Jourdan said.