With a little less than two months to go, D.C.’s inaugural Funk Parade is turning to crowd-funding to help cover some of the costs.
According to a release, the Funk Parade officially launched an IndieGoGo campaign today to raise $20,000 over the next 31 days to help pay for parts of the the day-long celebration of D.C., U Street, and the spirit of funk music.
“This money will help cover the costs of the police and permits the city requires, and go to the musicians and performers who will make the day amazing,” organizers explained in the release. To wit: The special event user fee for one police officer per hour is $60.58, with a minimum of four hours required, per D.C. regulations.
Though the parade organizers have already received support and sponsorship from over 100 local businesses, community groups, nonprofits, and several civic leaders, parade organizer Justin Rood tells DCist that a crowd-funding campaign was always part of their fundraising plan. “[The IndieGoGo campaign] is a crucial target to make the even happen as we’d like to see it,” he says.
The proposed schedule of the Funk Parade, which is going down around the U Street NW area on May 3, looks like this, according to its IndieGoGo page:
Here’s the proposed lineup for the day of Funk Parade:
Day Fair (12-5 PM): Before the parade, the neighborhood will host a day fair, full of music, dance, art and spontaneous acts of soul, innovation and creativity. It’s a chance to gather and celebrate and prepare for the mighty parade!
The Main Event – Funk Parade (5-7 PM): See dancers, your friends and neighbors, a marching band behind them, and a drum corps. See costumes and getups and shiny things. Hear beat-boxers and junkyard drummers, see pot-bangers and clappers and kids on their parents’ shoulders. Horn players wander in and out of the crowd. A thunderous syncopated procession of groove, winding its way through the neighborhood, calling the city to the funk.
Music Festival (7-10 PM): After the parade, U Street’s finest venues open their doors for the city to hear some of the best music D.C. has to offer. One night, one city, one groove: the subatomic particle of love.
The campaign launched just a few hours ago and has already raised more than $3,000 at the time of writing.
