Dad's Garage Theatre Announces Postponement of THE BIG STUPID PARKING LOT CARNIVAL

Dad's Garage Theatre has announced the postponement of their annual fundraiser.

See statement below:

Dad's Garage Theatre announces the postponement of our annual fundraiser, the Big Stupid Parking Lot Carnival. Unfortunately, between the rainy weather and coronavirus concerns, ticket sales were not where they needed to be to raise funds for the organization. The event was scheduled for Saturday, March 28 in and around our theatre at 569 Ezzard Street in the Old Fourth Ward. This event was expected to be a 1,500-guest outdoor festival where attendees can interact one-on-one with our performers in a variety of fun and off-beat games and booths. Dad's Garage is a nonprofit institution that relies on fundraising, and the decision to cancel our fundraiser was deemed the most responsible financial choice for the organization.

"Due to a variety of concerns related to ticket sales and safety, we have decided to postpone our fundraiser," says Dad's Garage Managing Director Lara Smith. "We have seen a major stall in ticket sales due to uncertainty over coronavirus, as well as this season's unusually wet weather. The choice to postpone the event creates an opportunity to reclaim this fundraising revenue in the future, rather than face a significant loss."

According to Smith, she and the board ran several financial forecasts for the fundraiser given the slow ticket sales. In every possible outcome, there was no likely profit-earning scenario for this year's festival, which usually nets the theatre $25,000. The choice was made to reschedule the festival early while set costs were relatively low, contracts with vendors could be shifted to a future date, and before incurring more major costs. With another significant event on the horizon, the Dad's Garage 25th Anniversary Party, the choice was obvious.

Everyone who already purchased a ticket for the Big Stupid Parking Lot Carnival will be personally contacted and given options on how they want to proceed, including refunds, ticket conversions or gift cards to the theatre. All of our event sponsors have been notified and given the option to transfer their sponsorship to a future event.

Dad's Garage is currently making plans for programming and fundraising efforts for March 28, and will be releasing more information next week.

The current plan is to roll the remaining fundraising efforts into the Dad's Garage 25th Anniversary Party, which has already been scheduled for August 8, 2020. Elements of the Big Stupid Parking Lot Carnival, such as rides, a beer garden, and special improviser-led games will be incorporated into the August 8 event. More details on the Dad's Garage 25th Anniversary Party will be announced in May.

Dad's Garage plans to continue its regularly-scheduled improv comedy shows at the theatre. To protect our patrons, performers, and staff, we have implemented frequent cleanings with products designed to sanitize and kill viruses and other pathogens. This new cleaning protocol includes persistent wiping down of commonly-touched surfaces and spraying down all seating areas and bathrooms with sanitizing spray. Antibacterial hand soap and sanitizing hand gel will be available throughout our facility. Following CDC guidelines, Dad's Garage is using products with at least 60% isopropyl alcohol to ensure proper sanitation.

Dad's Garage will monitor announcements from the Fulton County Board of Health and update our procedures or schedule as needed. Up-to-date information on possible coronavirus effects on our regularly-scheduled programming will be available on our website and social media.

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