Last year’s Brew-B-Que festival in Buda was about more than beers and barbecue, as this girl discovered on a bungee ride. (Photo by Lincoln Ramirez)
by WES FERGUSON
Brew-B-Que, an annual festival celebrating beer and barbecue, is leaving Buda.
Officials in Conroe have offered festival promoter Jeb Hurt $30,000 to relocate his event to the city on Interstate 45 about 40 miles north of Houston, according to published accounts.
Jack Jones, Buda’s parks and recreation director, said Buda has already been approached by two other promoters with concepts for events that could replace Brew-B-Que.
“Of course we’re disappointed they’re leaving, but we anticipate adding more special events to make up for any loss in sales tax dollars or hotel occupancy,” Jones said.
Brew-B-Que drew an estimated 5,700 people to City Park in 2010, its first year in Buda, but attendance dropped to 2,400 last year.
Held on Sunday of the Labor Day weekend, the event battled less-than-hospitable weather and might have suffered from proximity to the Bastrop wildfires.
“Drought, heat, wind,” said Jones, who attended the event. “Dust was blowing everywhere.”
The three-year-old event combines a barbecue cook-off, brewing demonstrations, a beer-themed “Olympics” and Chihuahua dog races.
Hurt told the Conroe City Council that his event had outgrown Buda, but Jones said Buda’s City Park has the capacity to hold 6,000 people at any time. Jones declined to say whether he thought Conroe would get its money’s worth for the festival.
“We know it generated significant hotel occupancy,” he said. “You can assume that a successful event that brings in folks from outside your community has a positive impact on your sales taxes.”
Hurt’s company, Roadway Productions, also promotes the Louisiana Swamp Thing and Crawfish Festival, which is scheduled for April 14 at City Park.
