Wausau events may have to change Concerts in the Square, other events

WAUSAU, Wis. (WSAW) – On Friday, the non-profit Wausau Events said they may have to make some changes to their free and ticketed events next year due to line items in the 2025 Budget Cuts for the City of Wausau.

Wausau Eventsa 501c3 non-profit organization that hosts a variety of events in and around the Wausau area. Notable events include the Concerts in the Square on the 400 block of Wausau, the Big Bull Falls Blues Fest and the Holiday Parade.

Two line items have direct impact safety measures and the Wausau Events budget. The first is a public safety fee of $1,000 per night, which covers 400 block concerts. That means having security officers at all twelve Concert on the Square events, Wausau Events will have to pay a total of $12,000.

The second public safety fee is for special ticketed events where there would be a per dollar fee. Wausau Events receives money from sponsorships, grants and room fees. While the organization can usually balance costs, these new charges would send them over budget.

“All told, between the two proposals, we could be looking at a bill of $40,000 to $50,000 or more for the next season of the event, and for us, with our budget and everything else, that’s easily a fee additional 10 percent,” said Pete Valiska, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Wausau Events.

In order to continue the concerts, Wausau Events must make changes to the event structures. These changes would probably manifest themselves through a reduced number of concerts or a different concert format in general. I cannot charge for Concert on the Square events because they are located in a public space.

“From our point of view, we should probably look at reducing the number of concerts we have here on the 400 Block to be able to have a run of eight or nine versus a run of twelve because we have to offset that cost somewhere,” said Valiska.

Ticketed events will also see changes likely reflected in increased ticket prices or additional surcharges.

“For the ticketed events that we have, we really have one of two options. First, we have to try to absorb it into the current ticket price, or second, we have to increase the ticket price or add that surcharge in there,” Valiska said.

Wausau Events’ current plan is to host all of their regular events next year. This is important not only for the cause of community building, but also for the local businesses that benefit from the busy downtown concert scene.

“We went to have lunch here when we were planning an event and some of the staff came up to us and said, ‘You’ve got the concert downtown this week, it’s really affecting our wages.’ It affects the restaurant’s ability to stay open during that time,” Valiska said. “Those 12 shows, those 12 nights throughout the summer, it’s huge for them business-wise.”

The organization wants to continue the positive relationships they have with the City of Wausau, Wausau Police Department, Wausau Fire Department and other community partners. They said they understand the City Council has had to make difficult decisions to achieve what is best for the Wausau community.

“There are a lot of things they have to look at. We, from our point of view, really don’t see any other way they can make this up,” Valiska said. “We wish it didn’t have to happen, but we’re going to make adjustments to our operations, we’re going to make adjustments to our events, and obviously we have to make adjustments to probably our ticket prices if this goes through.”