2025 Parish Festival Vision

Provide a fun event to promote and support St Patrick – St Anthony Food Pantry, Haiti and Migrant outreach ministries.

Please contact Tom Godfrey with questions at 616-935-8738.

Festival Goal:
- Provide a fun event to promote and support St Patrick – St Anthony Food Pantry, Haiti and Migrant outreach ministries.
Hospitality/Evangelization:
- Develop a plan of hospitality and information around St Patrick – St Anthony “Outreach”
- Integrate “who we are” and “what we do” into the festival experience
- Create a hospitality plan that ensures guests feel valued, appreciated, and comfortable
Food, Fun Activities and background music entertainment

Festival Duration:
- A one-day event
- Schedule all festival events in a way that does not conflict with time of parish liturgy
  - Saturday, August 16, 2025 morning and afternoon to end at 3:00pm a parish dinner could be served after 5:00pm Mass
  - Or: Festivities and lunch to start Sunday, August 17, 2025 at 12:00 noon after 11:00pm Mass

Strong Planning Process:
- Establish strong leaders with clear roles early in the process
- Engage volunteers from Food Pantry, Haiti Ministry and Migrant Ministry
- Create a plan timeline to avoid last-minute changes

Optimize Flow & Movement:
- Plan and design festival layout to allow easy movement between areas
- Provide comfortable spaces for gathering and rest
- Arrange attractions in ways that are easiest to navigate, attract participants, and provide easy access
Improve Signage:
- Develop clear, consistent signage for tickets, activities, food, and directions
Enhance Welcoming Experience:
- Ensure a clear entry point with visible signs of welcome
Plan Parking:
- Create clear plans for general and handicap parking to minimize confusion

Identify Volunteer needs:
- Appoint a volunteer coordinator who would coordinate with other teams to identify how many volunteers are needed and what they will do
Develop Volunteer Instructions:
- Provide all volunteers with clear instructions and expectations
- Create a volunteer check-in process that includes an instructional packet

Music
- Find local music talent for entertainment
- Focus on music enhancing the festival experience, not dominating it
Games
- Coordinate games and activities in an area with high visibility and easy access

Tickets:
- Review ticketing for food and drinks for ease of purchase.
Offerings:
- Coordinate preparation and sale of food and beverages
- Possibly incorporate food truck options for variety
- Provide options with smaller portions that are affordable for families with children at dinner
Timing:
- Consider the best timing for meals to embrace festival vision and goals
- Time dinner in a way that avoids long lines and delays

Main Raffle:
- Ensure that the main raffle list is up-to-date and includes parishioner addresses for mailings
- Pre-package weekend raffle tickets for easy distribution during the event
Mini Raffle:
- Explore ways to expand the Mini Raffle
  - e.g. Display mini raffle gifts ahead of time
  - e.g. Allow mini raffle tickets to be purchased ahead of time
- Strengthen parishioner engagement
  - e.g. collect mini raffle gifts/donations from parishioners early on
- Announce winners after all names have been drawn

Intentional Marketing Plan
- Appoint a marketing lead with marketing expertise to drive the process
Develop Marketing Strategy:
- Communicate a well-planned marketing timeline
- Determine effective and simplified means of communicating with parish & community
  - i.e. social media, local radio, newspapers, area church bulletins, diocesan lists

Provide a fun event to promote and support St Patrick – St Anthony Food Pantry, Haiti and Migrant outreach ministries.

Role will provide vision and overall guidance for functional leaders (below); Keeping festival leaders moving forward and working together. Shared leadership. The second chair will lead next year.

Facilities Lead and Logistics
- Communicate with other festival functional leaders regarding space needs and flow.
- Lead logistics of festival physical footprint, layout and work with Parish Facilities Maintenance Mgr. for set-up and teardown.
Volunteer Coordinator
- Provide volunteer coordination with other parish festival leaders.
- Coordinate volunteers check in, responsibilities, locations and times.

Coordinate Games location, times and supervision. (Small Children, Teens and Adults)
Coordinate Music. Find and schedule musicians. Set up stage.

Coordinate greeting and welcoming activities. Goal: to help all festival visitors feel welcome and convey a sense who we are as a Catholic parish. Sharing the Good News while sharing information about St. Patrick – St. Anthony Outreach and Evangelization initiatives.

Coordinate marketing communication and promotion for festival, including planning and implementation, design and meeting deadlines.