City plans to create alternative event for non-businesses
The Red Poppy Festival each spring brings live music, food and vendor booths to downtown Georgetown. It especially brings people — tens of thousands — from across Georgetown and the Austin area.
In 2026, booths will be assigned only to businesses and those selling goods. Nonprofit organizations looking to distribute information or solicit donations will not be eligible to apply, according to updated city guidelines, in an effort to create more space for artists and vendors.
Christina Wolf — president of Georgetown-based education nonprofit Lifelong Learners GTX — said this change reduces nonprofits’ ability to serve the community.
“The Red Poppy Festival is a signature gathering that brings together residents and visitors,” she said. “[Not allowing nonprofits] erodes part of what makes Georgetown special: the seamless presence of local nonprofits alongside artisans, families, small businesses and neighbors.”
Georgetown’s Downtown and Tourism Director Kim McAuliffe said nonprofit organizations never made up a large amount of booth applications the city received. The nonprofits allowed under the old guidelines were either grandfathered into the event or had been recipients of the city’s Strategic Partnership Grants.
However, Georgetown City Council ended its decade-long Strategic Partnership Grants program earlier this year. This created a need to update booth guidelines, Ms. McAuliffe said.
“When we didn’t have [the grant program] to point to anymore, we were like, what’s everybody else doing?” she said.
For guidance, her office reached out to the Downtown Georgetown Association, which organizes Market Days and the Christmas Stroll with the city. The DGA’s rules focus on allowing businesses to have booths, something that was more strictly enforced this past year.
DGA President Tammey Stokley said that, as a (c)(6) nonprofit, the DGA’s purpose is to “promote and protect” the interests of Georgetown’s business community and encourage downtown commerce.
“Our storefront-focused events such as Market Days and the Christmas Stroll are intentionally designed to support members, commercial businesses and vendors,” Ms. Stokely said. “For this reason, we do not offer nonprofit booth space at these vendor-focused events.”
“We value the work of nonprofits, but our event and membership structure is intentionally designed to support retail, restaurants, and professional services— the backbone of our historic business district.”
Nonprofits looking for exposure
Doris Penny, who is president of the Georgetown branch of the American Association of University Women, said the organization was not allowed to get a booth at Market Days this year. The organization focuses on equity for women through education, research, advocacy and philanthropy.
Previously, the community events were a primary way her organization sold tickets to its annual Duck Race fundraiser. Booths also helped build community awareness about the organization and raise money for scholarships, she said.
“I think limiting community awareness and involvement is probably how [the rules] impact us the most, and then obviously, losing potentially donations,” Ms. Penny said.
When a nonprofit does reach out about Market Days booths, Ms. Stokely said the DGA encourages partnerships, awareness opportunities or events like Amplify Wilco instead of a booth at the Christmas Stroll or Market Days.
For the Red Poppy Festival, Ms. McAuliffe said nonprofits that are selling items that fit the theme of Red Poppy Festival, like the Georgetown Garden Club, can still apply to have a booth at the event.
“They’ve always applied as a nonprofit, but since we don’t have that application anymore, we now have them going through the same process as the other vendors,” she said. “But they fit within the garden [sales] aspect. There’s some [nonprofit organizations] that just don’t fit within what the overall theme of the event is, and what our other guidelines were.”
Sherry Bordell, the president of PFLAG Georgetown, said she was “disappointed” to learn about the updated guidelines about nonprofit booths at the Red Poppy Festival. PFLAG had also had booths at past Market Days before this year to promote its mission of supporting LGBTQ+ people and their families.
However, she said PFLAG members are working to fit in the new framework to continue to be present and to engage in community outreach during large events.
“For all nonprofits, no matter what your mission is, one of your struggles is to make sure people know that you are here and available, and that there are resources out there for people,” Ms. Bordell said. “To have nonprofits hamstringed in this way, when we already are limited in the funds that we have available for outreach and marketing, to take away those outlets for us, is going to be detrimental.”
Alternative city event in the works
Ms. McAuliffe said the city is working on a new, nonprofit-specific event where interested residents can learn about organizations and groups around town to find ones that align with their interests.
She said city staff are brainstorming what this program would look like. However, the goal is for it to be an outlet to promote an organization’s cause.
Ms. Penny from AAUW said an event where “nonprofits could have an active role” would be “wonderful.” She added having the event in the downtown area would see a lot of residents from the greater Georgetown area, which is “where we would want to have presence.”
Any avenue to give out resources and get information out there, Ms. Bordell said PFLAG is going to take. She said she would “never” turn away that opportunity.
However, Ms. Wolf said coexistence of the vendors and nonprofits at these events is something that makes Georgetown unique.
“Our nonprofits are essential to the wellbeing, culture and compassion of this city. We belong alongside vendors, not separated from them,” she said.
Ms. McAuliffe said she’s sorry people have been upset or disappointed by the removal of nonprofits from the Red Poppy Festival, but she’s hoping this new event is another way the city can work with them and have something specific to nonprofits without taking focus off the vendors in the marketplace.
“We’re not trying to discourage the nonprofits,” she said. “It’s, I think, giving us an opportunity to highlight them more with this other new event, and I hope that they’ll want to get involved in that.”