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The organisers of the 2018 Rose of Tralee Festival are calling on the businesspeople in Tralee to contribute to the Street Entertainment will cost €355,000 to present a line-up of family-friendly, free and affordable fun from 17 to 21 August. Some of this year’s Roses visited Tralee last month to help promote the 2018 Rose of Tralee International Festival. Photo By Domnick Walsh © Eye Focus LTD
EXCITEMENT is already building ahead of the start of the Rose of Tralee International Festival and an appeal has gone out to local businesses and professionals to give financial support to fund the free street entertainment laid on during the week.
The street entertainment alone will cost €355,000 this year to present a line-up of family-friendly, free and affordable fun from Friday August 17, to Tuesday, August 21.
Therefore, a significant increase in financial support is required and Festival organisers are asking local businesses for their support again in 2018, with every Euro contributed set to be invested directly into staging so many events on Tralee’s streets.
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The Managing Director of the Rose of Tralee International Festival, Anthony O’Gara, said: “We are grateful to our partners in the local business community for their contributions towards the Rose of Tralee Street Festival in the past. The collection from them raised €40,000 towards the Festival Street Entertainment costs in 2017. This year’s Street Events will cost €355,000. Contributing to and organising the funding of the balance of €315,000 is placing a heavy burden on the Rose of Tralee. It stifles our capacity to develop the overall event for the benefit of town and county. This is a town partnership endeavour, and the commitment and participation of businesses in the town and surrounding areas is so important.”
The High Kings, Jake Carter, Sean and Conor Price, Hermitage Green – all will perform free on Denny Street during this year’s Festival.
The amazing inflatable world of light and colour, the Miracoco Luminarium, will span the length and breadth of Páirc an Phiarsaigh while Tesco Family Town will be bigger and better than ever.
The Festival organisers say it would not be possible to offer such variety on Tralee’s streets without sponsorship and the backing of local businesses, many of whom rely on a successful Festival for their own bottom line and said a significant number of businesses and professionals in Tralee and its environs give nothing and let their fellow citizens carry the burden of helping to fund the event.
They are making a special appeal to those people and to everyone in business to make a reasonable contribution to the event.
“As it stands financial support to the Festival from business people outside the town and county is over four times more than the local contribution. That imbalance is not healthy and we would hope that this appeal will help to create an awareness of the importance of supporting an event that highlights so much that is positive about Tralee,” said Anthony O’Gara.
Contributions towards this year’s street festival may be made by cash or cheque, payable to: Kerry Rose Festival Ltd, Ashe Memorial Hall, Denny Street, Tralee, Co Kerry.
For full details of all the fun of the 2018 Rose of Tralee Festival visit www.roseoftralee.ie or download the Rose of Tralee App from iTunes or Google Play Store.
