Each year, Spokane’s Riverfront Park transforms into a bustling hub of live music and food booths for Pig Out in the Park, a festival that stimulates the economy and supports small businesses and entertainers.

Bill Burke, who founded Pig Out in the Park in 1979, says the festival's economic impact is felt across the Spokane region in both direct and indirect ways, from hotel stays and food supplier contracts to wages for event staff, musicians, and local rental companies.

“It’s the beginning of a cycle of economics,” Burke says. “From a person to a vendor, from a vendor to suppliers, from suppliers to their suppliers. It’s a never-ending road of people who can take advantage of the situation in a very positive way and see a return on their investment.”

Revenue returned to the city is derived through the rental of the park, taxes, and public safety fees, including for police and fire services.

According to the city of Spokane’s website, Riverfront Park's daily rental fee is $19,000. That excludes the Looff Carrousel, the Numerica Skate Ribbon, the Numerica SkyRide, and parking lots.

Pig Out in the Park costs organizers between $26,000 and $36,000 each year for public safety through the police department. Payments to the fire department are based on inspections and the number of days spent on-site, Burke says.

Burke estimates the cost to stage the five-day festival is around $550,000. The event is funded through sponsorships, vendor fees, and on-site sales commissions.

Over 100 workers help run Pig Out in the Park, receiving stipends of up to $599, Burke says.

Over the years, Burke says studies commissioned by local economic groups have estimated that Pig Out in the Park brings between $6 million and $7 million annually into Spokane’s economy. He notes, however, that the exact methodology and the names of the commissioning groups remain unclear.

Pig Out in the Park has never charged for attendance, which alone represents millions of dollars in ticket values given back to the community, Burke contends.

Burke estimates attendance based on total food sales, by using a formula that divides total revenue by the average amount spent per person. This year’s event drew 69,700 attendees — an 18% drop from the previous year, likely due to heat, shifting perceptions of downtown safety, and post-pandemic habits, Burke says.

He declines to share total vendor sales, saying it’s "proprietary information” between the vendor and the promoters.

While attendance has dipped since 2019, Burke says that festival sponsorships have accounted for more than $150,000 this year, from partners like Global Credit Union and Toyota.

This year's sponsorships covered the event expenses, he says, and a small amount of remaining funds will roll over into next year.

This year, 65 food booths and 45 market vendors were selected from a pool of over 300 applicants, he says.

Vendor fees, Burke notes, are intentionally kept stable — booth rent hasn’t increased in more than 12 years. Each single booth costs $2,850, with 10% of sales going back to the festival as commission, according to vendor application information.

Vendors must also comply with various health department permits and fire safety inspections, and obtain city business licenses.

Some vendors have been involved with Pig Out in the Park — originally called the Spokane Yum Yum Restaurant Fair — since close to the beginning. 

Karim Azar, whose Azar’s Cafe sells gyros, hummus, Greek nachos, and baklava, started participating in 1981, for example.

“I love it,” says Azar. “It’s a family gathering for us. My four kids all participated when they were kids ... all of them would work with us in the booth. Now they have kids and live all over the United States and come back for Pig Out in the Park. It’s a great memory for everybody.”

His wife, Rachel Azar, also compares the event to a family reunion.

“We have all of Karim’s kids come up and his son, Joey, has five (additional) booths next to us,” she says. “And then we also have all of the grandkids there. It really is a family reunion for us.”

The event makes a significant economic impact on the business, she says, adding that the profits earned are a large portion of the family’s annual income.

“It’s definitely something we all look forward to and we count on every year for our livelihood,” she says. 

The Bibby Booth, owned by Josh Bibby and his wife Sarah, began participating in the food festival 13 years ago with just a tent and a grill purchased off Craigslist. The business, which sells sausages, garlic fries, and frozen lemonade at Pig Out in the Park and other events throughout the year, now has over 20 employees, with 12 to 15 workers in a booth at once.

“I think it’s one of the best events,” says Bibby. “Where else can you go and buy a $15 sausage and get free music for six days?”

What began as a part-time gig has grown into a full-time business, Bibby says.

“I had no idea we were ever going to be as successful as we are,” he says.

In addition to the food, the festival has hosted over 4,000 bands over the years. In 2025, Pig Out in the Park featured 88 bands across four stages in Riverfront Park. Musician pay varies widely — from as little as $50 for a lesser-known solo act to as high as $37,000 for national performers.

Ed Clark, founder of public relations, advertising, and marketing company The Clark Co., has been an emcee at Pig Out in the Park for 12 years. He says he has watched the festival grow over four decades, noting that national talent has included Scott Stapp, from the band Creed; Tone Loc; the Chambers Brothers; Bo Diddley; and more.

“It’s joyous,” says Clark. “Everybody is having a good time. The bands are having a good time. All the people are having a good time. It's just a real fun celebration … but behind the scenes it is a fantastic working machine.”

In addition to the revenue it generates and other benefits it provides to the community, Pig Out in the Park has also donated over $250,000 to regional food banks — including organizations as far away as Moses Lake, Washington. Additionally, leftover food from the event is donated, Burke says.

Pig Out in the Park was born out of a simple, but visionary idea: to give Spokane a free music festival that’s both artistically rich and economically viable, says Burke, a longtime event organizer and marketing consultant.

“Pig Out has always been a gift to the community,” says Burke, who got the idea for the event while traveling for work. “Everywhere I went, I saw a music festival or some sort of event in every community.”

The festival is produced by Burke, through Bill Burke Marketing/Promotion, and Six Bridges Arts Association, a nonprofit organization founded for the purpose of supporting the festival.

Burke emphasizes that he doesn’t personally profit from the festival, and asserts that “this is a gift to the community,” adding that after all bills are paid, any remaining funds are carried over to support the event in the following year.

The future of Pig Out in the Park depends on a post-event evaluation by the Six Bridges Arts Association board. Burke and the group meet each October to discuss the year ahead.

“If it makes sense, we’ll do it again,” Burke says.