With Bayou Country Superfest unable to call Tiger Stadium its home for at least the next two years, Baton Rouge stands to lose millions of dollars worth of economic impact if another venue in the Capital City cannot be found for the annual country music megafest.
According to Visit Baton Rouge, the festival, which has attracted musical acts such as Taylor Swift, Lady Antebellum, Darius Rucker and Little Big Town, has had an economic impact in the tens of millions of dollars. The numbers are courtesy of an economic impact study done by Bayou Country Superfest organizer Festival Productions, VBR says. Concrete economic impact figures were not available as of this afternoon’s publication.
“We’re looking at the loss of not only the economic development, but of keeping people in town on a weekend that they would normally go out town …” says VBR President and CEO Paul Arrigo, who dubbed the venue-changing decision a “surprise.” “It brought people from all over the country and internationally into Baton Rouge.”
The festival drew out-of-towners who stayed in Baton Rouge hotels and ate at local restaurants like Walk-On’s Bistreaux and Bar, Arrigo says. It also introduced young people to LSU’s campus and carried headlines of a midsize city hosting a big festival.
But late Thursday, LSU Athletics announced that it’s kicking Bayou Country Superfest out of Tiger Stadium for the next two years so it can complete renovations to bathrooms and concessions stands, in addition to other improvements. The work will take place during the offseasons following the 2016 and 2017 college football seasons.
Quint Davis, Bayou Country Superfest’s producer and director, was not available for comment today. When contacted, Festival Productions told Daily Report it couldn’t provide any information beyond what was issued in LSU Athletics’ Thursday evening press release.
In that release, Davis thanks LSU Athletic Director Joe Alleva for being a welcoming host to the country music festival. “We’ll explore alternatives to keep presenting what has become one of the biggest annual country music festivals in the South,” Davis says in that statement.
Baton Rouge Mayor Kip Holden says Davis notified him yesterday of the cancellation. While he’s disappointed, Holden says he understand LSU’s need to complete renovations it has been putting off for some time.
“We had built that event up to be a major event, not only in our city, but in our nation,” Holden says, adding that the city is a trailblazer of sorts for hosting the megaconcert.
It’s unclear how much LSU took in from this year’s festival. Business Report previously reported that the university is reimbursed for expenses related to renting out the stadium. It also receives a cut of ticket and concession sales and half of parking revenues.
LSU made a more than $2 million profit from the festival between 2012 to 2014. The Tiger Athletic Foundation has a second contract with Bayou Country Superfest for the use of its Tiger Stadium suites, but the foundation did not provide Business Report its for-profit figures for that use.
News of the venue change reached Arrigo when he was traveling. Arrigo says he received a phone call from Festival Productions notifying him of LSU Athletics’ decision. He spoke to LSU shortly thereafter.
Arrigo says about a month ago he and Festival Productions were in talks about incorporating Baton Rouge’s 200th birthday as a theme or promotion in next year’s show.
“Obviously, we’re disappointed with the way that things are going to go for the next couple of years,” Arrigo says, adding that he’s not angry over the developments.
It’s unclear what the future holds for Bayou Country Superfest. Holden says Davis will have to decide whether to keep the festival in Baton Rouge.
Arrigo says he discussed other venue options, like soccer fields off Lobdell Avenue, with Festival Productions when they first came to Baton Rouge about 10 years ago. At the time, a larger venue like Tiger Stadium was deemed a better fit for a stadium show model.
“My intent is to have a sit-down meeting with Festival Productions at the appropriate time,” Arrigo says.
—Alexandria Burris
