Tigard will drop all four of its city-produced festivals from the 2027 budget to help close a $6 million general fund gap.

The cuts end El Tigre Fest, the Pride Parade & Festival, the Juneteenth Freedom Celebration and the Fourth of July Celebration, Tigard Life reported Sept. 11. Combined spending on the four events rose from about $29,500 in 2021 to nearly $314,000 in 2025, according to a city staff cost analysis.

"While community events are valuable and bring people together, producing events is not a core city service," City Manager Brian Rager said.

The Fourth of July Celebration saw the steepest increase.

Its costs jumped from about $23,500 in 2021 to nearly $143,000 in 2025, when the city switched from pyrotechnics to a drone show. That made it the most expensive city-produced event on record, according to Tigard Life.

El Tigre Fest costs climbed from $79,000 to more than $107,000 between 2024 and 2025.

Attendance dropped, too. The festival drew about 5,000 people in 2024 but only about 2,500 in 2025.

Nicole Hendrix, assistant to the city manager, told the Budget Committee in May that police overtime, public works overtime and city management staff time drove costs up, Tigard Life reported. Events falling on weekends and holidays pushed staffing expenses higher.

Mayor Yi-Kang Hu said he did not support the cuts willingly. "I do not like that we had to cut this funding," Hu said. He added that he respects the staff recommendation given the city's financial situation.

The city began producing the Fourth of July and Pride events in 2021 and added Juneteenth and El Tigre Fest in 2022. The Fourth of July Celebration traces its roots to 1970, when Joe Chamberlin hosted a small fireworks display beside his Walnut Street home.

The Tigard-Tualatin School District partnered with the city to launch the Pride and Juneteenth celebrations. El Tigre Fest grew out of a smaller Latino festival that had been part of the city's annual Street Fair.

For 2026, the city sought sponsorships to offset costs but determined the events were still too expensive to sustain. City Council had directed staff to find places to trim event spending ahead of the 2027 budget meetings. The Budget Committee reviewed the recommendations in a public process before forwarding the full budget to the council for adoption.

The city's budget page notes that general fund expenditures are projected to exceed revenues over the next three to five years, driven by inflation, rising personnel costs and limits on property tax growth.

Rager said the city hopes community partners will take over the festivals and that staff is ready to share planning guidance. The city is not yet naming potential promoters, according to Tigard Life.

The last city-produced event will be El Tigre Fest on Oct. 3 at Cook Family Park, running 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. with live music, children's games and more than 70 vendor booths.