SKVA considers canceling Siesta Fiesta

At Tuesday’s Siesta Key Village Association meeting, multiple board members expressed their displeasure with this year’s Siesta Fiesta and what they said were its negative effects on business.

The event, an annual arts and crafts show, was held April 11 and 12.

“Siesta Fiesta is a liability for us,” said Russell Matthes, SKVA board member and owner of Daiquiri Deck.

Matthes said he felt the festival had lost its identity and original purpose. It used to be a party for locals to welcome them back onto the Key after season ended and after most of the tourists had departed. Ocean Boulevard is always shutdown for the festival.

“Season is lasting longer, shutting down the street is hard to manage and parking is at a minimum,” he said. “We’ve seen a saturation of these types of events.”

Matthes said the negative effects have only started in the last five years or so, as tourism has grown on the Key.

Matthes said the week prior to Siesta Fiesta the Daiquiri Deck had been busy but that business was slower during the festival (on a weekend) than during the week — something uncommon for Daiquiri Deck.

“I could have closed and it wouldn’t matter,” said Ed McConnell, owner of Siesta Village Outfitters. “(Attendees) are not spending a nickel at the brick-and-mortar businesses.”

After the meeting, McConnell said that his business had experienced a 65% decrease in revenue when comparing the days of Siesta Fiesta to the previous weekend.

“We’re scratching our head. Why do these guys get to come out here at the height of season while the rest of us businesses have to slug it out all year long?” he said. “It’s always been kind of a negative for us.”

The event has been managed for the last 15 years by Howard Alan Events, which has a contract with SKVA and pays an annual fee to run the Siesta Fiesta and the Siesta Key Craft Festival, typically held in February. 

Helayne Stillings, the onsite show coordinator for Howard Alan Events, said the community had always been supportive of the festival and she was surprised that businesses were not generating revenue during the event. 

The board discussed the possibility of either combining Siesta Fiesta with the Siesta Key Arts and Crafts Festival in February or canceling Siesta Fiesta.

No official decision was made, but the board will discuss the options at its May 19 meeting.