With Bedford’s Beats and Eats Festival approaching its third year, Mayor Dan Cogan expressed an interest at Tuesday’s City Council meeting in expanding the event starting next year, in 2026.  “This is our signature event,” he stated, and suggested that “we should have the goal of growing it more.”  He added that “to do that means allocating a little bit more for entertainment that’s going to “bring in a bigger crowd.”

Responding to Cogan, Bedford’s Director of Parks and Recreation Mark Long explained that the entertainment “is a tiered system.”  He said Bedford is spending $130,000 for this year’s entertainment for Beats and Eats, which “puts us into a national act, but you may not have heard of it,” referring to the act.

By increasing the amount “a $100,000 at a time,” such as going to “the $200,000 mark,” he proposed, the Beats and Eats Festival could likely get a national act “you have heard of.”

Cogan, echoed by Council Member Joy Donovan Brandon, also suggested possibly moving the date of the event from the traditional Labor Day weekend to a cooler time of the year.  Donovan Brandon remarked that that “October, November or December” might work better than the heat of August.

Mayor Cogan commented after that meeting that these changes would be something to examine in more detail for next year around budget time, in September.

This year’s Beat & Eats and 4th Fest

In the meantime, appearing as two separate consent items on Tuesday’s agenda, City Council unanimously (7-0) approved the awarding of contracts to Promoter Line, Inc. (PLI), of Colleyville, for this year’s Beats and Eats Festival and to Fort Worth-based Pyro Shows of Texas for the 4th Fest fireworks display.

Funding for both events was already approved in September for this year’s budget.

Beats and Eats

The Beats and Eats contract for $360,000 was awarded by City Council to PLI for “production and planning services for the 2025 Bedford Beats and Eats Festival.”  That figure includes the $130,000 for entertainment, according to the Council’s agenda and will “provide professional event production and planning services.”