SPARKcon will be back this fall as scheduled, thanks to its supporters

“Save SPARKcon” has become “Saved SPARKcon.”

Two weeks ago, word went out that $22,500 was needed to rescue the 13th edition of the free arts festival, Sept. 13-16. And after a crowd-funding campaign, more than enough has come in.

“Between the GoFundMe and contributions outside of that, we were able to hit the goal,” said Brandon Cordrey, executive director of Visual Art Exchange, the organization that produces SPARKcon.

This year’s model will again feature live music, dance, design, film, street art and more at venues across downtown.

“It was kind of heart-warming that so many people found it important enough to open up their wallets,” Cordrey said. “We had contributions ranging from $5 to $2,000, which was amazing.”

In all, 111 people and organizations had chipped in more than $9,400 to the crowd-funding campaign by mid-day Thursday. The additional money came in from sponsorships. The campaign is still open, with excess funds earmarked for next year’s festival.

Thanks to the cash influx, SPARKcon should be comparable in size to last year, which drew a reported 84,000 people at a total budget of $84,000.

SPARKcon was one of the first September festivals to start up in downtown Raleigh. That month’s lineup has grown to include Hopscotch, World of Bluegrass and this year’s debut of rapper J. Cole’s Dreamville at Dix Park. Dreamville is set for Sept. 15, the Saturday of SPARKcon.

With all these festivals in such close proximity, it’s possible that SPARKcon might someday move to a different month.

“Everything is on the table,” Cordrey said. “Does it need to be in September? I don’t know. Downtown? I don’t know. People have resoundingly said they want it to continue, so now it’s figuring out why and what’s important.”

This story was originally published August 23, 2018 at 2:08 PM with the headline "SPARKcon will be back this fall as scheduled, thanks to its supporters."