Future of Siesta Fiesta remains in question

For years after its inception in 1978, the Siesta Fiesta was designed to live up to the second half of its name.

Nominally an art festival held in Siesta Key Village, the event doubled as a party celebrating the end of tourist season. Marching bands and alcohol and food vendors lined Ocean Boulevard, and tens of thousands of visitors would come to the island to take part in the festivities.

This year’s Siesta Fiesta was undeniably tamer than that. On April 9 and April 10, art vendors set up on the sidewalks of Ocean Boulevard — breaking from tradition, no streets were closed for the event. Promoters touted just one feature in addition to the craft displays: a “green market” featuring “plants, orchids, body products and tasty dips.”

Brian Wigelsworth, a Siesta Key veteran who founded the Crystal Classic and owns Gidget’s Coastal Provisions, said the evolution of the event has been hard to miss.

“Now, it’s much more ‘siesta’ than ‘fiesta,’” Wigelsworth said. “It used to be the other way around.”

On May 3, the Siesta Key Village Association reviewed this year’s Siesta Fiesta and discussed the future of the event. Last year, the organization considered scrapping the event entirely, and not for the first time. This year, there continued to be a lack of enthusiasm regarding the prospect of keeping the art show alive.

“It’s definitely one year at a time at this point.” — Russell Matthes

Attendees did offer some positive and negative feedback — keeping the street open helped business, but putting vendors on the sidewalk made things feel too narrow. By and large, however, the group seemed to see the Siesta Fiesta as a burden as much as a celebration.

“It’s definitely one year at a time at this point,” said Russell Matthes, an SKVA board member.

This isn’t an isolated phenomenon. Talk to businesses in the village, and you won’t find too many people who are passionate about the event in its current form. There are those who long for the good ol’ days and want to re-create the party atmosphere that made the Siesta Fiesta a big deal in the beginning.

On the other end of the spectrum, there are the businesses that have driven the recent downsizing of the Siesta Fiesta. As tourists stick around the Key for longer than the traditional “end of season,” what is the benefit of holding such a large event in April? Why close a major road cutting through the village; why sacrifice parking spaces in a crowded district?

Some people believe the tweaks implemented this year were a step in the right direction. No street closure meant better business for restaurants, and the smaller footprint had less of an impact on merchants who weren’t happy with the traditional setup.

With a few more adjustments, perhaps, the event could be generally seen as a net positive — not Earth-shattering, but smooth and enjoyable. One possible change would be pushing it back closer to the beginning of the summer, which Siesta Key Association President Michael Shay said would address the shifting end of tourist season.

“If it could be done at the end of April, beginning of May, when things are starting to slow down, it’d be easier,” Shay said. “It’s just the timing was hurting them.”

But even that change poses a challenge for SKVA leaders. The group works with Howard Alan Events to organize the Siesta Fiesta, which typically falls a couple weeks after Easter. Both groups partner in the Siesta Key Craft Festival in February, as well. Because of the event organizer’s schedule, village businesses have been unable to change the timing of the Fiesta, which varies from year to year depending on when the holiday falls.

Some other possible changes were thrown around at the SKVA meeting — maybe the event could close a less busy street than Ocean Boulevard? — but it’s still unclear what, exactly, the Siesta Fiesta will look like next year.

Ed McConnell, the owner of Siesta Village Outfitters, believes the event has hurt his business in the past. He suggested moving the event out of the village entirely. He thinks it’s possible to attract visitors to the area without blocking off streets or sidewalks in the heart of the commercial district.

“If we’re going to do stuff like that, I’m not sure why we’re not focused more on the new beach pavilion area,” McConnell said.

“If it’s done right, it helps the businesses.” — Brian Wigelsworth 

Wigelsworth represents that other end of the spectrum — the business owner who thinks a more extravagant celebration to justify the temporary impact on traffic. He says his store still benefits from the Siesta Fiesta, but the event lacks the cachet for visitors that it once had.

He’s aware of the challenges associated with holding a bigger bash, as most businesses in Siesta Village seem to be. Still, he thinks an event with a stronger identity — one that harkens back to the original vision for the Siesta Fiesta — would provide an overall benefit for merchants.

“If it’s done right, it helps the businesses,” Wigelsworth said. “Any exposure to the Key that wouldn’t happen otherwise, it’s got to be a good thing.”