Bellingham awards funding to this new springtime music event
A four-day music festival is being planned for April 2023 after the Bellingham City Council approved a contract to kick-start Bellingham Exit, an event chosen from among seven entries to a recent request for proposals.
Bellingham Exit will receive $85,000 in funds from the city’s lodging tax revenue, after a 5-0-1 vote Monday night, May 9.
Councilwoman Hollie Huthman is on an extended leave, and Councilman Dan Hammill didn’t vote, saying that he owned a business that could benefit from the event.
“The goal of this signature event is to boost tourism during the off-season and provide economic support to our local businesses and artists,” said Tara Sundin, community and economic development manager.
Next year’s Bellingham Exit will feature 80 performances for all ages in 15 local venues and include “national and international” headline acts, Sundin said in a memo to the council.
No details were provided and no bands or performers were named, but Sundin said performances will include music, performance and visual arts, as well as comedy acts.
“The team is really top-notch, we’ve got professionals that are very experienced,” Sundin told the council’s Committee of the Whole on Monday afternoon.
