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History & Mission

The Ann Arbor Summer Festival was incorporated in l978 as a town-gown nonprofit organization and presented its first full season in l984. The Festival was created to support two concurrent and complementary performing arts programs, one indoor and one outdoor, on the University of Michigan campus. The Mainstage series occurs in the Power Center for the Performing Arts and Hill Auditorium, and includes ticketed performances of music, dance, theater and comedy that are national and international in scope. The second series, Top of the Park, takes place directly outside the indoor venues and is free to the general public.

Early Festival seasons emphasized classical music and theater but have since become more popular and diverse in nature, encompassing a breadth of performance genres. Top of the Park was initially developed as a gathering place for patrons before and after the indoor performances and featured live entertainment and refreshment sales. Top of the Park soon began to attract audiences on its own and is now one of Ann Arbor's favorite community events featuring an eclectic mix of performances by local and regional artists. A selection of classic, children's and popular films are screened at dusk. Attendance at Top of the Park averages 1,500 people per night.

Mission Statement
The mission of the Ann Arbor Summer Festival is to provide a widely accessible, high quality summer program representing a variety of the performing arts for the cultural enrichment and entertainment of a regional audience in a festive atmosphere.

Demographics*
Our audience members are your clients, customers, employees, family, friends and neighbors. Our most recent market research indicates the following:

  • 55% of Festival patrons reside in Ann Arbor
  • 45% of Festival patrons live within a 45 mile radius, including Birmingham, Bloomfield, Detroit, Lansing, Jackson and Toledo
  • The average Power Center Series ticket buyer is 35-59 years of age
  • Top of the Park audiences average 25-50 years of age
  • 59% of Festival patrons are college educated
  • 45% of Festival patrons have an average household income of $50,000 - $75,000
  • 24% of Festival patrons have children under the age of 18
  • Individuals of diverse cultural backgrounds frequent both indoor and outdoor Festival stages

Budget
The Ann Arbor Summer Festival is an independent nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization publicly supported by the community it serves. The costs for producing the Summer Festival each year are approximately $1.3 million. Earned revenue from ticket sales and beverage sales covers only 61% of total expenses. The remaining expenses are met by partnerships formed with local businesses, corporate sponsors and individual donors making tax-deductible gifts.

 

*Demographic information provided by AMS ArtsVision Patron Analysis Report.