Just days after The Jacksonville Landing saw its last July 4th celebration, another finale was announced for downtown that will have a significant financial impact here.
Welcome to Rockville organizers announced Saturday that they're moving the multi-day festival to the newly renovated Daytona International Speedway citing downtown construction as a chief concern. Billed as the largest rock 'n' roll festival in the country, Jacksonville businesses need to brace for a loss of tens of thousands of people speeding more than $10 million during the event at Metropolitan Park.
The University of North Florida Public Opinion Research Laboratory conducted a study of the festival a few years ago detailing exactly what Jacksonville may lose as Welcome to Rockville leaves the Bold City after a 9-year run.
By the Numbers | What the loss of Welcome to Rockville means for Jacksonville, according to UNF study.
40,000 | The number of people who visit Metropolitan Park during Welcome to Rockville weekend, according to the 2014 study. In 2016, concert promoters said attendance was 50,000.
$10.3 million | The economic impact the festival has on the city, according to the study conducted at the behest of Visit Jacksonville, Duval County’s tourism bureau. Promoters say the impact increased to $15 million in 2016.
10,000 | Commercial rooms purchased during festival weekend.
2.26 | The average night hotel stay during Welcome to Rockville.
$6.4 million | The direct expenditure on hotel rooms
78 | The percentage of people from outside of Duval County who stay at local hotels. 21 percent of attendance stay at local homes, the study states.
Welcome to Rockville will commence it's 10th year in Daytona on May 8-9. Performers will be announced in the fall. Last year's acts included Evanescence, Korn, Judas Priest, Rob Zombie, Incubus and Tool. Nearly 40 bands played during the festival.