Festival at Sandpoint releases 2025 Annual Report
Coeur d'Alene Press | UPDATED 3 months AGO
Harold's IGA and Justin Landis perform at the Festival at Sandpoint's 2025 Community Night. The Festival recently released its 2025 Annual Report.
Photo by RACHEAL BAKER
At the end of each fiscal year, the Festival at Sandpoint publishes its Annual Report, highlighting updates to the nonprofit organization and its programs.
“With our 2025 Summer Series, we continued to strengthen our community and keep our programming accessible to all,” Director of Operations Veronica Knowlton said in a Dec. 9 news release. "We were proud to introduce Community Night, featuring four North Idaho artists and a ticket price under $20.”
The Festival further expanded its ticket giving programs, distributing a total of 1,186 free tickets to community members.
“We partner with local schools and organizations to ensure free grand finale tickets reach those who need them most, including individuals with special needs, seniors and veterans,” development and community engagement coordinator Darra Collison said. “This year, we gave away 198 tickets to the grand finale, helping low-income and underserved families enjoy this cherished community tradition.”
In collaboration with artist teams, the Festival also provided 944 free tickets to teachers, nurses, EMTs, police, firefighters, veterans and active-duty service members for four performances: Neon Trees, Community Night and DISPATCH.
During the 2025 Summer Series, the Festival partnered with the local nonprofit Pend Oreille Pedalers to improve and operate its bike check area while also spreading the word about POP’s mission.
Outside of the Summer Series, the Festival assists other organizations with production services, including lighting, sound and equipment rentals for their events.
These included Bonner General Health’s Heart Ball, Lost in the '50s, KRFY Radio’s Little Live Radio Hour, Community Cancer Services Rock Out Cancer and more. Over $8,000 in production services were donated in-kind to local nonprofits to support their fundraising efforts.
Over the past year, the Festival also expanded its year-round music education programs.
The instrument library grew by over 20%, with more than 60% of the 70 instruments being checked out.
“For the first time, we have a waitlist,” production and education manager Paul Gunter said. “We’re continuously investing in new instruments to meet demand, and donations are always greatly appreciated.”
The Festival’s Pre-K Outreach program, offering a series of in-class lessons that engage students in music, is now operating in four local pre-schools: Huckleberry Montessori, Kaniksu Community Health Kids Club, Sandpoint Play and Learn and Selkirk School.
The Festival at Sandpoint continues to grow its programming and positively impact the community.
Visit festivalatsandpoint.com/annual-reports to view the Annual Report.