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It won’t be long now: New Bern’s Mumfest, which started 34 years ago as a small street festival and is now the city’s premier event, will be here Oct. 11-12.
Susan Moffat-Thomas, executive director of Swiss Bear Downtown Development Corp., who is marking her 29th Mumfest, said the festival has grown so much it touches many people year-round.
“There are so many people who participate and benefit,” Moffat-Thomas said. “The economic impact is tremendous with hotels, restaurants and stores. But I think a lot of people don’t realize there are a lot of people who come from outside New Bern and spend their time here and on gas and food. There are many dollars spent here.”
There are also nonprofits, such as the New Bern Lions Club, that sell carbonated drinks to raise funds for its blindness program, she said.
An economic study done on Mumfest in 2002 found that 55,000 people attended and the economic impact was $2.5 million, Moffat-Thomas said.
“We know the crowd has doubled since then,” she said. “This is good for our community in many ways. It is a grand community effort, and I think everyone is very proud of it.”
Mumfest grew initially from a strategic event to draw people downtown when it was being revitalized in the 1980s, Moffat-Thomas said.
It won’t be long now: New Bern’s Mumfest, which started 34 years ago as a small street festival and is now the city’s premier event, will be here Oct. 11-12.
Susan Moffat-Thomas, executive director of Swiss Bear Downtown Development Corp., who is marking her 29th Mumfest, said the festival has grown so much it touches many people year-round.
“There are so many people who participate and benefit,” Moffat-Thomas said. “The economic impact is tremendous with hotels, restaurants and stores. But I think a lot of people don’t realize there are a lot of people who come from outside New Bern and spend their time here and on gas and food. There are many dollars spent here.”
There are also nonprofits, such as the New Bern Lions Club, that sell carbonated drinks to raise funds for its blindness program, she said.
An economic study done on Mumfest in 2002 found that 55,000 people attended and the economic impact was $2.5 million, Moffat-Thomas said.
“We know the crowd has doubled since then,” she said. “This is good for our community in many ways. It is a grand community effort, and I think everyone is very proud of it.”
Mumfest grew initially from a strategic event to draw people downtown when it was being revitalized in the 1980s, Moffat-Thomas said.
“By partnering with the city, it allow us to really grow,” she said. “Then we began recruiting sponsors. We partnered with all the media to really market the festival because tourism was such an important part of the revitalization project. We wanted to market the festival so people would come in and stay overnight and enjoy the city.”
As the Bicentennial Park was developed and the revitalization of downtown started filling the empty buildings, venues for the festival were getting restricted.
“The density of the crowds was becoming too much,” Moffat-Thomas said. “We were beginning to worry about the safety of the people.”
But after the new drawbridge was completed, Swiss Bear was able to work with the Department of Transportation and get East Front Street and two blocks of Pollock Street closed, linking the Board Street area with Union Point Park for the two-day festival, Moffat-Thomas said.
“There have been a lot of partnerships and organizations helping us; the city and nonprofits,” she said. “We’ve grown from a little festival of maybe 10,000 in the 1980s to probably more than 100,000. I’m very proud of that. We have received many awards over the years. We have worked hard and we are going to make darn sure we live up to our reputation and quality.”
Some of this year’s newer attractions that promise “Something for Everyone” will include: Signora Bella, the Great Italian Equilibrist; a longer water taxi from Lawson Creek Park to Union Point park (small fee); a pirate Skallywag School; and the late Dale Earnhardt’s No. 3 GM Goodwrench Service Plus Chevrolet Monte Carlo and two other races care from Richard Childress Racing for NASCAR fans; and many other staples of the festival.
This year there will be 23 venues at Mumfest and a lot of entertainment for young people, Moffat-Thomas said.
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