Jan. 8, 2025
The Ann Arbor Summer Festival (A2SF) is a cherished annual tradition that brings free and ticketed performances to Ann Arbor, Michigan every June. Beyond its well-loved events at Top of the Park and venues like Hill Auditorium, A2SF continually strives to understand and serve its audience better. In 2024, this effort was bolstered by a partnership with the Ginsberg Center’s Community Technical Assistance Collaborative (CTAC).
Surveying the A2SF Audience
Between January and April 2024, CTAC’s student team collaborated with A2SF to design a visitor survey and dissemination strategy for the Summer 2024 festival. Data collection occurred in person during the festival (June 14–30), supplemented by a postseason email survey in August.
The result? A robust dataset combining 183 in-person responses and 187 valid postseason responses. Key findings included:
Demographics: Older attendees preferred online surveys, while younger audiences were overrepresented in person. Respondents tended to have higher household incomes compared to local medians, and audience demographics reflected A2SF’s core attendees but underrepresented some Washtenaw County groups.
Visitor Insights: Most attendees come from Washtenaw County and highlighted the event’s unique vibe, tradition, and music at the Rackham stage as their favorite elements. Visitors typically attended 2–5 days of the festival.
Satisfaction and Opportunities
CTAC’s analysis revealed encouraging trends about audience satisfaction and areas for growth:
Future Attendance & Recommendations: Respondents were highly likely to attend future events (8.96/10) and recommend A2SF to friends (9.01/10).
Music & Family Offerings: Satisfaction with music programming scored 8.19, though some noted room for improvement. Family activities received a slightly lower average score of 7.58, signaling potential for enhancement.
Support for A2SF: While patrons are satisfied with the festival’s direction (8.06/10), their likelihood to donate (6.43/10) indicates an area for strategic engagement.
Building on Success
The 2024 collaboration with CTAC provided valuable insights to help A2SF enhance its programming and reach. Targeted outreach to underrepresented groups and refinement of family offerings could make future festivals even more inclusive and engaging.
This partnership highlights the power of community-based collaboration in shaping beloved local traditions like the Ann Arbor Summer Festival, ensuring it continues to thrive for years to come.