The partnership between Philadelphia Parks & Recreation, Fairmount Park Conservancy and FCM Hospitality, operated for 14 weeks from June until October.
Philadelphia – Philadelphia Parks and Recreation (PPR), in partnership with Fairmount Park Conservancy and FCM Hospitality, announce the success of “Parks on Tap,” a program that brought a mobile beer garden from park to park across Philadelphia this summer. More than 30,000 people visited Parks on Tap during its 14 weeks of operation; the first weekend at Schuylkill Banks alone saw more than 5,000 attendees.
“Love for our city parks and the neighborhoods that steward them was the reason the inaugural season of Parks on Tap came to exist,” PPR Commissioner Kathryn Ott Lovell said. “This initiative provided an amenity for enjoyable, family-friendly gatherings in our beautiful parks, and it was a successful venture thanks to the hard work of all our partners, especially FCM. Fairmount Park was recently recognized as one of America’s Great Public Spaces, and what better way for people to enjoy this public space than over fantastic food and drinks.”
The beer garden spent several days in one park location, highlighting and enhancing the offerings that Philadelphia city parks provide, before moving to the next location. It also featured two concession trucks – one with regional craft beers, cocktails, wine and a selection of non-alcoholic beverages, and another with a menu of silders, salads and grab-n-go items.
In addition to providing amenities to the neighborhoods it visited, Parks on Tap generated more than $75,000 for the City of Philadelphia in concession fees. In addition, FCM donated more than $15,000 which will be divided among each of the host parks.
PPR and the Conservancy chose FCM Hospitality to lead and facilitate all operations for the Parks on Tap program because of owner Avram Hornik’s portfolio of seasonal establishments, such as Morgan’s Pier, Winterfest and the 2013 PHS Pop Up Garden, and in light of his goals for creating a commonality of culture among the city’s public spaces.
“We are delighted by the overwhelmingly positive response from the community to Parks on Tap,” Hornik said. “Each stop provided a unique experience and created a growing following of park-exploring attendees. We look forward to expanding the program next season with more opportunities for discovery.”
Due to the success of the 2016 season, the City of Philadelphia is pursuing a long-term partnership with FCM in order to expand the program next year by increasing the number of locations as well as the duration at each stop. The partners also plan to launch the season earlier next year and do multiple, simultaneous locations. With average daily attendance at more than 500, there is high demand to bring back this fun and inclusive amenity.
“We are always looking for creative, innovative strategies to activate our parks and partner with Philadelphia Parks and Recreation,” said Rick Madger, Executive Director of the Fairmount Park Conservancy. “Parks on Tap was a great tool to do just that, providing new opportunities for residents and visitors to experience Philadelphia’s parks in a new way.”
For more information regarding upcoming details about Parks on Tap, please visit http://www.parksontap.com/. Follow Parks on Tap on social media: on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat @parksontap.
FOR HIGH-RESOLUTION PHOTOS, download here: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/aumsv97blie3jox/AACeAi0IXitZ5_c4UVbXMOJMa?dl=0 Photo credit: Albert Yee.
Media Contacts:
Cari Feiler Bender
Relief Communications, LLC
For Fairmount Park Conservancy
Mobile: 610-416-1216
cari@reliefcomm.com
Meredith Setzman
FCM Hospitality
Mobile: 610-283-5447
meredith@fcm215.com
Jen Crandall
Philadelphia Parks & Recreation
jennifer.crandall@phila.gov
Mobile: 267-438-7131