Local officials weigh in on Big Barrel cancellation
It’s one and done in Dover for a country music festival. Big Barrel won’t be returning to the Dover International Speedway for it’s 2nd year.
Thursday night, Goldenvoice, the national company behind the festival announced on the event’s website that it was cancelled.
“Hopefully they may reconsider down the road,” said Dover Mayor Robin Christiansen, “It had an economic impact of great magnitude for Dover and Kent County and the entire state of Delaware.”
Its cancellation breaks up an economic trifecta for the Dover area. That being the NASCAR FedEx 400 in late May, the Firefly music festival in mid June, and Big Barrel just a week later.
Mayor Christiansen tells 47 ABC that if the country music event returned the possibilities were endless.
“Big Barrel had the potential to grow just like firefly,” added Christiansen, “The stages were already set, the infrastructure was there,”
Kent County tourism Director Wendy Vestfall tells us that last year 30,000 attended Big Barrel over three days. About a third of some 90,000 who attended Firefly over four days.
She says the area will take a hit from Big Barrel’s departure but other events will be able to pick up the slack.
“It does help with job creation, restaurants are ordering more food, people are staying in hotels and they’re just participating in the local economy more during that time. But with NASCAR and Firefly and all of the other great events in this area, they will kind of supplement that.”
As to why Big Barrel cancelled still no reason given. We reached out to Goldenvoice they have not replied. A representative with the Dover International Speedway told us that no one was available for comment.
47 ABC spoke with a handful of Dover business owners and managers. For the most part they told us that Big Barrel leaving wouldn’t have much of an impact.
One area employee told us that because it took place right after Firefly its positive impact
may have been minimized anyway.
“It might affect a little bit, but from last year we didn’t have a lot of business because A it was too close to Firefly and B it was bad weather,” said David Demont of Angelo’s Pizza.
