Coral Springs to conduct yearlong feasibility study in fiscal 2026 on reviving the Festival of the Arts as a fully city-run event
Coral Springs, Florida – After nearly two decades as northwest Broward County’s signature cultural celebration, the Coral Springs Festival of the Arts will take a year off as city officials determine whether to relaunch it as a fully city-run event. The Coral Springs City Commission voted at its May 21 meeting to task staff with conducting a feasibility study during fiscal year 2026 ahead of any decision to bring the festival back under municipal oversight.
“In response to the commission’s direction, staff will conduct a feasibility study during fiscal year 2026 to evaluate the potential of adopting the Festival of the Arts as a City of Coral Springs’ signature event,” said Sayona Khandwalla, a city spokesperson. As a result, the festival—held each spring at The Walk of Coral Springs since 2005—will be on hiatus for at least one year. Organizers hope the study will clarify what resources and adjustments would be necessary to hold the event in 2027.
For much of its 19-year run, the two-day Festival of the Arts attracted upward of 30,000 attendees. It offered an eclectic mix of live music, artisan booths, food vendors, and children’s activities, transforming downtown Coral Springs into a bustling hub of art and community spirit. However, rising costs and fundraising difficulties led to organizers’ decision to end the event after March 15 and 16, 2024. Now, city leaders are exploring whether municipal management can provide a more stable framework for keeping the festival alive.
The city’s fiscal year runs from October 1 through September 30, 2026, which gives staff a defined window to assess both the benefits and challenges of reviving the festival. During the May 21 commission meeting, budget officials presented a list of 23 city-sponsored events and their associated costs for the upcoming year. To free up resources for a city-run Festival of the Arts, they suggested possibly cancelling two other signature events: Campout Coral Springs, typically held each January, and the State of the City/Community Concert in February.
Planning a large-scale arts festival under city management would require significant human resources. According to the presentation, about 100 staff members would need to devote portions of their time to planning, permitting, logistics, and day-of operations. In addition, an estimated 38 police officers would spend a combined 156 hours on security, and four firefighters would contribute roughly 18 hours to event safety. Beyond staff, officials said the festival would rely on approximately 120 volunteers to handle tasks ranging from vendor coordination to crowd management.
“The study will examine whether current events would need to be modified or removed to accommodate the festival and explore the availability of third-party companies to manage all aspects of planning and execution,” Khandwalla said. By weighing the pros and cons of internal versus outsourced planning, the city hopes to identify a path that maintains both the high quality of the Festival of the Arts and fiscal responsibility.
Local merchants and residents have mixed feelings about the pause. Some business owners worry that another year without the festival will impact downtown foot traffic and sales, while artists and crafters lament the loss of a premier venue for showcasing their work. On the other hand, a city-run model could address past funding gaps by leveraging municipal budgets and potentially reducing reliance on private sponsorships.
If the feasibility study reveals that resources and logistics can be aligned, Coral Springs may see the Festival of the Arts return in March 2027, renewed under the direct guidance of city staff and local partners. Until then, the festival’s future remains a work in progress—a symbol of community pride waiting for the right combination of support, planning, and funding to come back to life.
