Oxnard Salsa Festival returns in July with new entry fee
Correction: An earlier version of this article gave the festival budget as $80,000 to $100,000 but the figure was for only planning the festival. The full budget amount is more than $350,000.
The Oxnard Salsa Festival, last held in 2019, will return next month with new admission fees and costlier salsas.
The weekend festival, which was previously free and drew about 35,000 people, will run from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on July 27-28 at downtown Oxnard's Plaza Park, 500 S. C St. The gathering celebrates all things salsa — the sauce, music and dance.
Admission will be about $12 including fees. Children 12 and younger get in free. The ticket price includes entertainment and access to food and merchandise vendors but does not include salsa tasting.
Salsa samples will also cost more this year. A ticket for the salsa tasting lounge is about $32 and covers general admission, tortilla chips, six salsa samples and a choice of beer, margarita or bottled water.
"It's very challenging to find festivals of this scale and experience that are not somehow monetized through admission," said Gary Blum, board chairman for the Oxnard Downtowners, the nonprofit that hosts the festival and other events in the city.
The COVID-19 pandemic took a toll on the event after it was last held in 2019. The festival, launched in 1993, typically costs about $80,000 to $100,000 annually to plan, he said. The actual budget is more than $350,000.
Last year, the gathering was canceled as costs rose, among other challenges, and organizers didn't feel confident they could move forward, he said.
Organizers also had to find a new management company to help plan and promote the festival after the previous firm scaled back operations, he said.
The nonprofit hired CBF Productions, which also runs the Tequila & Taco Music Festival in Ventura. Those costs are still being calculated, Blum said.
Although the admission fee is new this year, past festivals included some charges. Attendees paid $5 for seating at the main stage, for example, and forked over $5 for salsa tasting, which included chips.
Money from the new admission tickets and salsa tasting will go to the increased costs of security, insurance and portable toilets, Blum said.
"We know that change is difficult," he said, especially for the salsa festival's "very passionate" attendees.
This year's event will be fenced off for the first time. Unlike previous years, attendees can walk the entire 5-acre grounds with an alcoholic beverage, Blum said. The festival will also be cashless, he said.
A temporary use permit is being submitted to the city with the gathering's adjusted layout, he said. Three entry points are planned.
Organizers are still finalizing details on entertainment and salsa vendors.
For more information and to buy tickets online, visit oxnardsalsafestival.com.
Wes Woods II covers West County for the Ventura County Star. Reach him at [email protected], 805-437-0262 or @JournoWes.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Oxnard Salsa Festival returns in July with new entry fee
