Twenty-six Tacoma organizations will split $90,000 in city grants to put on free public events in 2027.
The City of Tacoma's Events and Recognitions Committee (CERC) announced the awards Thursday, Sept. 24. Each group will receive between $2,500 and $5,000 to cover costs such as traffic control, performers and marketing.
All 26 events are free.
The money comes from revenue generated at the Tacoma Dome and the Greater Tacoma Convention Center. Tacoma Venues & Events (TVE) sets aside a portion of that revenue each year for its Special Events Funding program, which a competitive, panel-reviewed process distributes based on merit and community impact.
"It's incredibly important to our committee to help increase access to these wonderful community events," CERC Chair Jacob Tice said in the announcement.
The funded events span neighborhoods across the city. Here are 10 of the awardees:
- Daffodil Festival Inc. — Daffodil Festival Grand Floral Parade
- Rainbow Center — Tacoma Pride™ Festival
- Tacoma Fun Parade — Tacoma Porchfest
- Asia Pacific Cultural Center — 29th Annual Asia Pacific New Year Celebration, Featuring Indonesia
- 6th Avenue Business District — Art on the Ave
- Hilltop Artists in Residence — Arts Night Out
- South End Neighborhood Council — SENCo 5th Annual Block Party, Wright Ave Edition
- Lincoln International Business Association — Lunar New Year Festival
- Building Youth Through Music (dba WayOut Kids) — Juneteenth Celebration: A Road to Economic Freedom
- Washington State Historical Society — 22nd Annual IN THE SPIRIT Arts Market & Northwest Native Festival
The remaining 16 awardees are:
- Downtown Tacoma Partnership — Downtown Tacoma Block Party
- McKinley Hill Business Association — Haunted Street Fair
- Mi Centro — Savor Fest PNW
- Tacoma Light Trail — New Year's Eve Celebration
- Tacoma On the Go — Bike Everywhere Day
- Blk Summer Run Club — Blk Summer Run Club National Fitness Day
- Chinese Reconciliation Project Foundation — Walk for Reconciliation Against Racism
- Golden 22 Foundation — Youth Symposium
- Grit City Studio — Tacoma Literature Festival 2027
- Making a Difference Foundation — Thanksgiving Community Food Giveaway
- Nineline Veteran Services — Annual Veterans Resource Fair
- Remakery — Remaker Fair
- Safe Streets Campaign — Trick or Streets
- Tacoma-Kitakyushu Sister City Committee — Tacoma Kitakyushu Children's Day 2027
- Tacoma Refugee Choir — Rally for Peace and Welcoming
- University of Washington Tacoma — 2027 Latine Celebrando Comunidad
The total funding matches the $90,000 CERC distributed in both 2025 and 2026, though the number of recipients dropped slightly from 28 groups funded for 2026.
CERC will also evaluate the funded events for non-monetary support through the City Event Services program, which provides access to services from the Tacoma Police Department, Tacoma Fire Department and the city's Public Works and Environmental Services departments. No timeline for those designations has been announced.
Individual event dates have not yet been released.
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