WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — West Palm Beach’s newest music festival got a similar deal to hold a music festival as the city’s previous music festival, according to contracts WPTV received from a public records request.
The contract shows the Palm Tree Music Festival will have to pay for all emergency and security expenses, as well as pay a $30,000 licensing fee and provide around 100 complimentary passes to the city. Records, WPTV requested from a public records request, show that those expenses are similar to the costs the city required Sunfest to pay to host a music festival downtown.
Notably, the new contract with organizers Palm Tree Crew Events has a renewal option for 2027 and 2028, pending an agreement not less than three months prior to the proposed event date. Organizers said they have sold out of tickets for some tiers of the festivals, which advertisements said now start at $299 for general admission and $549 for VIP.
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Unlike Sunset’s contact, the Palm Tree Music Festival doesn’t include an agreement to lease or sublease submerged lands along the Lake Worth Lagoon to accommodate floating docks. WPTV’s Ethan Stein also didn’t see any clause to close city docks in their contract, but it does mention a site plan could include floating docks.
The site plan for the Palm Tree Music Festival includes the downtown Waterfront areas of the Great Lawn, Centennial Square, North and South Trellis, the Landing and Post Park. The contract said the event will start at 2 p.m. and end at 10 p.m. on Valentine's Day 2026.
According to the contract, the city will be reimbursed by the music festival for all emergency services, police and fire services and staffing identified in a security plan worked on between the license and the city’s police department. The festival will also pay for off-duty police officers as well as on-call community events division employees. WPTV found similar clauses in its contract with Sunfest.
Dan Goode, who used to organize Sunfest Music Festival, said it cost their organization about $90,000 for police services and he said EMS/Fire services cost about $50,000. But, he said he expected this festival’s expenses to be less because it’s only one day compared to a week or three days like Sunfest.
The city will also get complimentary passes, according to the contract. This includes four all-day passes for the Mayor, each city commissioner, the city administrator and each city administrator. Those passes will give those people access to sponsor hospitality areas for the event. The city will also get 16 All-Day passes, 75 one-day admission passes for distribution as appropriate and six All-Day passes allowing access to all the event areas with the same level of access as licensee staff and board.
The city will also close South Flagler Drive from Banyan Boulevard to Datura Street, North Flagler Drive from Banyan Boulevard to South Clematis and North Clematis Street between Lantana and Flagler Drive starting the Sunday preceding the event. The city, per the contract, will close South Clematis Street between Narcissus Avenue and Flagler Drive.
Similar to Sunset’s Contract, the festival acknowledges that the city’s parking garage will be available for parking and the city will set rates for the festival. The festival will also have to pay fees for metered bags as a result of the event. Organizers, according to the contract, will also get the right to install event banners on light stanchions along Flagler Drive in downtown West Palm Beach, starting 14 days before the event. According to the contract, organizers will pay to install those banners.
The festival will also have to pay for grass/sod that dies as a result of the event, as well as pressure clean the areas deemed necessary by the city. WPTV reached out to Palm Tree Music Festival, who agreed to speak with WPTV on Tuesday but asked to wait a day after we sent them a list of topics, including the group’s relationship with related and security expenses.
Related Ross, who is also a partner, to the event, didn’t respond to our request for an interview today. Rather, a spokesperson said in a written statement that the organization played a key role in getting the festival to West Palm Beach, including using local connections, hotel partners, restaurants and engagement opportunities.
