This year’s Summer Salute Festival, which brought two days of music and activities to downtown Hopkinsville, reportedly drew 29,000 attendees during its fourth year.
That’s according to the Hopkinsville Parks and Recreation Department, who say in a news release that 29,000 is the largest two-day crowd since its inception, not counting the three day festival in 2017 for the total solar eclipse. The eclipse festival brought 35,000 attendees.
Summer Salute featured 90 vendor spots and six free concerts Friday and Saturday, and welcomed visitors from around the region and commonwealth. Since rebranding and restructuring from the event formerly known as Little River Days, Summer Salute has brought in a total of 104,000 attendees in four years. The dates for next five years have already been announced, with 2020’s festival set to take place August 28 and 29.
Superintendent Tab Brockman says, “Our visitors had some specific requests and desires following Summer Salute in 2018. And not only did we listen closely to that feedback, but we made sure to also act by providing unique opportunities for kids and offering a robust variety of food and beverage options. The reason we work so hard to prepare and execute this event is to provide a memorable experience for our local citizens and regional visitors.”
To make suggestions or critiques about the Summer Salute, contact Parks and Recreation by calling 270-887-4290.