Wonderfront has grown into a major “tastemaker” festival with 42,000 guests dancing by the San Diego waterfront each year — all the more reason to keep the sponsor list under control.
“We have limited real estate for how many of those folks we can bring in because of the topography of the park,” said festival founder Paul Thornton, referring to the event’s home base at Embarcadero Marina Park North. “It’s not all flat ground. We’re kind of limited, so we’re pretty picky about it.”
Wonderfront Festival will kick off at noon on Friday, May 16, lasting through the weekend with several acts across various stages.
This year’s lineup includes Daniel Caesar, Peggy Gou, Foster the People, Janelle Monáe and Magdalena Bay. About 30 sponsors will also be in attendance, including major brands like White Claw and Pepsi and local firms like the Music Box San Diego venue and Old Town Trolley Tours, which offers excursions in downtown San Diego.
The park’s limited landscape helps keep the brands relevant, Thornton explains, even if it comes at a cost.
“We’ve had different brands approach us that want to pay us $500,000 or $600,000 a year,” he said. “It’s always hard to say no to that kind of money.”
Alcohol brands present a unique challenge, as they often come with exclusivity clauses that limit the use of competing spirits.
“In one case, it was a foreign brand that wanted to get into the U.S., and it just didn’t feel right. You gotta be authentic. When it feels like you sold out to a product just to take the money, that diminishes that guest’s experience in their mind,” Thornton adds.
Thankfully, Wonderfront has been acquired by ticketing platform Events.com in a deal announced late last year, allowing the festival to grow without having to resort to opportunistic partnerships.
Opening Doors
Events.com also bought two of Thonrton’s other events: the Temecula Balloon and Wine Festival and the La Jolla Concours d’Elegance car show.
Both events will still be managed by Thornton’s company TAG Presents.
“We kind of merged into Events.com,” he told Vendelux. “We still run everything, so a lot of that hasn’t changed. They want to grow their platform and bring events to it, and we’re kind of a natural fit.”
The partnership gives the festival access to a bigger marketing platform through the Events.com website, along with new operating software and funding opportunities.
“It’s opened the door to some new sponsors and activations,” Thornton said.
The deal also makes financial sense, especially as Events.com is poised to go public this spring.
“All of our investors have equity in Events.com,” Thornton said. “Everyone felt it was a bigger opportunity for an exit strategy in the long run.”
In the meantime, Wonderfront guests will enjoy the spoils of the new acquisition, which include an increased budget for DJs in the Electric Lounge and a more convenient point of departure for their 500-person yacht parties, now only steps away at the Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina thanks to a deal struck with the hotel last year.
Festival Blues
That kind of proximity is what’s special about hosting a festival in downtown San Diego, Thornton says.
“You’re not out in the desert or the country. It’s easy to get to your hotel room and take a nap, or walk to Little Italy, and pop back into the festival,” he says.
Like with any big event, it’s a winding road to day one every year.
Thornton and team have to duke it out with major promoters like LiveNation for certain artists. There’s also a host of other festivals in Southern California, including Coachella, that prevent artists in their lineup from performing for competitors.
One thing that helps is that “a couple top agencies have us as their tastemaker festivals in the country,” Thornton said. “They wanna get as many artists as they can in our event.”
This year’s lineup announcement came a little later than expected, with fans on Wonderfront’s Instagram profile begging for the list in the comments earlier this month. At least part of that, Thornton says, can be attributed to artist ego.
“We had the lineup basically done for a long time. We had so many artists that when we had to get our poster approved, everyone thought they should be listed in front of the band in front of them,” he explained. “You might have a band or two drop off. Well, we’re not gonna risk losing them for you. That should tell you, right there, who we think is bigger.”
Tickets for Wonderfront Festival start at $165 for a one-day pass and $375 for all three days. Payment plans are available.
