A big concert event in northwest Iowa is being pushed back, but not canceled.
Organizers say the 30th anniversary of Sioux City’s “Saturday in the Park” music festival will still take place this year, just not on the traditional 4th of July weekend. Promoter Dave Bernstein says music acts are not touring because of the pandemic, and even if that changes, seven weeks is too soon to put on the event.
“We’re going to postpone the festival, delay it from July 4th,” Bernstein says. “Tentatively, in our minds right now, we’re looking at some dates in either late August or more realistically into September.” Bernstein says it’s tough to accept that nearly three decades, the free music festival at the Grandview Park bandshell won’t happen at its normal time.
“I know this is incredibly disappointing for many, most notably most of us that work on the festival,” Bernstein says. “Also, for so many of our attendees, fans, sponsors, crews. The festival has a real sweet spot in a lot of folks’ hearts, especially after 29 years.” Because the outdoor festival is free, there is a big advantage in not having to sell tickets.
“We have super-generous sponsors who have helped us make this free, so we don’t have to worry about selling tickets,” Bernstein says. “I know a lot of events have canceled and I know a lot of promoters who have had to cancel their events. A lot of that is driven by ticket sales that have dried up. If we were selling tickets right now, we’d really be struggling.”
He hopes to announce a specific Saturday date for the festival in the coming weeks. The 2019 edition featured acts including: Flo Rida, George Thorogood, Liz Phair, Michigan Rattlers, Ben Grillet, and the Black Bloods, and Con Brio.
(By Woody Gottburg, KSCJ, Sioux City)