Budget Cuts Could Put Annual Hartford Events in Jeopardy

Harsh budget cuts in Hartford are forcing event organizers to come up with resourceful ways to make up what used to be covered by city funds.

Every season in recent years Winterfest has turned a concrete slab in Bushnell Park in Hartford into an ice rink for free skating.

But this summer, the city government cut subsidies to community events from $700,000 down to $100,000.

Winterfest organizers set up a fundraising page on crowdrise.com to make up for some of what it lost.

"We need $200,000 before September 1 to make Winterfest happen this year," said Jackie Mandyck of the Iquilt Group.

"We get 50,000 people to come down and just skate in our six weeks that we're open so it's quite remarkable to get that many people out in the dead of winter cold everything else," she said. "We think we're gonna make it but we need a little help to get us to the finish line."

Winterfest is shortening its season, and other community events are cutting spending too even if they get government help.

Mayor Luke Bronin, (D) Hartford, explained, "There was money allocated for the West Indian celebration. We have one of the largest West Indian communities in the country but even that event had to change. There wasn't a parade this year. There was a festival."

Mayor Bronin said officials are trying to help programs that don't enjoy the corporate support that Winterfest has tapped.

"Our goal is to not only keep everything that's been happening going but to add to it, but with less city money because there's no city money to be found," he said.

Another event that has had to become "more creative" in fundraising is First Night Hartford, said organizer Nicole Glander.

Its New Year's Eve program of fireworks and fun faces also faces that September 1 deadline for fundraising. Glander is "pretty hopeful" it will meet the goal.

Contact Us