More concerts may be on tap at Jacksonville’s Britt Music & Arts Festival this year after city leaders approved the organization’s plan to add four dates to the shoulder season from mid-September to mid-October.

“It does give us the opportunity to book some acts that are outside of the regular season but would fit in the shoulder season,” Britt President and Chief Executive Officer Abby McKee said.

Offers have been made to groups for the time period, but no acceptances have been received yet, she said.

In a letter seeking approval, McKee wrote that one of the acts was a longtime fixture in the blues and rock-‘n’-roll scene that would attract a broad audience. The shoulder season events would also be an opportunity to increase revenue.

Britt has traditionally requested using the shoulder season dates, but that hasn’t always occurred. None of the four dates were used during 2023. Some were used in 2021 when the season started later due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

With wildfire smoke a factor in leading to cancelations, the extended season also gives the opportunity to fill in some missed dates. This past season, four concerts were canceled due to smoke, but arrangements could not be made to bring in acts at later dates.

Britt is frequently the lowest-paying booking venue on the concert circuit for groups, McKee said. It completes with many venues that can accommodate 5,000 to 8,000 guests, while Britt attendance is capped at 2,200.

More than 100 offers are made to musicians to get 30 shows in the regular season, which begins in June. The Britt Orchestra offers additional classical shows.

Britt operates under a conditional use permit granted by the city in 2006. The festival grounds are owned by Jackson County, which gave approval for the shoulder season extension providing the city agrees.

Jocie Wall, a former city councilor, said she was against approving the shoulder season extension, saying the regular Britt season time frame was set to not conflict with student schedules in regards to parking and noise issues once the school year begins.

Councilors were unanimous in their support to allow the extended season this year. But they balked at having the approval become an administrative function rather than a council procedure. In a report on the request, city staff had suggested such a change would begin for the 2025 season, but that was not included in the approval motion.

“I find it helpful each year for (Britt) to come to us and we have this conversation,” Councilor Andrea Thompson said. “The fact is, it is being somewhat discourteous to the residents to not allow public comment. It is short-circuiting the process.”

Jacksonville resident Carol Knapp said she supported approval of the shoulder season extension, but noted that parking signage for the neighborhood would need to be changed for October events. She also called attention to the failure to provide landscaping for parking improvements that were installed in 2015.

Landscaping that was required for increased Britt parking along South 1st St. has never been completed, said Knapp, who’s South Oregon Street property borders the parking lots. The landscaping was to include fir trees, large native shrubs and other shrubs to be placed on a lot for people with disabilities, and on a parking lot for music group buses. Only a couple of trees have been installed.

McKee said she has heard anecdotally that the county and Britt started to install irrigation and landscaping in early 2020, but the project wasn’t completed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. McKee has just completed her second season with the festival.

Britt has retained the services of Laurie Sager and Associates Landscape Architects to accomplish the work, and the firm will work with Knapp in selecting plants and creating an updated plan, McKee reported. The goal is to have the work complete before the start of the summer festival season.

Both the council and festival called for review of the current conditional use permit.

“The last CUP update was in 2006. I understand the council and the neighbors’ requests that we review some of these old-time policies,” McKee said. Some items in the CUP don’t seem to make sense in 2024, she said.

Mayor Donna Bowen told the council she intends to begin consideration of the permit this year. McKee asked that a permit review be done after the festival concludes its season.

“Those things are so involved, it takes a while to work through them with the legal pieces,” Bowen said. “We are constantly evolving and improving and educating ourselves on what to do to make these projects better in every way.”

Britt will make its first concert announcement Jan. 22, when members can book tickets. Two other announcements will come later.