Festival, state officials say they’re working to keep Superfest in B.R.

During a press conference this morning to announce the 2012 lineup for the third annual Bayou Country Superfest in Tiger Stadium, festival and state officials reiterated their mutual desire to keep the event in Baton Rouge for years to come. Festival producer-director Quint Davis, however, did not guarantee it would return to the city in 2013. The two-day festival is getting a $600,000 subsidy in 2012: $200,000 each from the Baton Rouge Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, the state office of Culture, Recreation and Tourism, and the city-parish. However, that money came only after the Metro Council stripped a $300,000 subsidy from the current budget. “We have a long-term contract with LSU and have renewed our agreements with sponsors,” Davis says. “What we don’t have is a long-term deal with the city. This year, that was a real hurdle.” Most of the funding mechanisms are now in place to keep the festival in Baton Rouge, Davis says, adding that the city-parish is addressing the issue with a long-term planning committee that includes Mayor Kip Holden, Metro Councilman Joel Boé, Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne and representatives from the BRACVB. “They want a five-year plan,” Davis says. “There’s a concerted effort by all players to get it done.” He did not say whether a timetable has been set to finalize the deal. The state’s position was articulated by Dardenne: “We want to keep it in Baton Rouge, we want to keep it here in Tiger Stadium, and we certainly want to keep it in the landscape of what Louisiana has to offer.” Headliners announced today for the 2012 event, which will take place over Memorial Day weekend, include Keith Urban, Rascal Flatts and Carrie Underwood. See the full lineup and ticket information at the festival website here. —Ian McGibboney