Tuscaloosa Council Inks Deal to Keep Kentuck Festival Here for 15 Years
The Tuscaloosa City Council voted last night to partner with a local nonprofit to host the world-renowned Kentuck Festival of the Arts for the next 15 years.
As first reported by the Thread, the city and leadership at the Kentuck Arts Center have been weighing an agreement which would see the annual event hosted in Tuscaloosa through 2039.
On Tuesday night, the city council voted to sign the deal and host the Festival for the long run after its first iteration in Tuscaloosa drew 16,000 visitors to the renovated Snow Hinton Park last October.
The new partnership is borne out of a messy divorce with former elected officials in Northport, which had housed Kentuck since its inception in 1971.
Both Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox and Kentuck's Executive Director Exa Skinner celebrated the agreement in Wednesday statements.
“Having such a culturally renowned event in our City is a great source of pride for me and for our community. By committing to this 15-year partnership, we are investing in our future generations,” Maddox said.
“We are grateful to the City of Tuscaloosa for their commitment to Kentuck and the arts,” Skinner said. “This 15-year partnership reflects the strength of our collaboration, and we look forward to watching it grow in the years ahead. Together, we will continue bringing a world-class festival to the citizens of West Alabama and to visitors from across the nation.”
This year's Festival is a month away, on October 11th and 12th - an away game against Missouri for the Tide.
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