Redlands Orange Drop Costs Up 40% to $70K—New Year’s Eve Event Still Free

The cost of hosting large community events keeps rising nationwide, and the Redlands Chamber of Commerce says its New Year’s Eve Orange Drop is feeling that pressure, too.

“This event cost us $70,000 this year,” said Evan Sanford, executive director of the Redlands Chamber of Commerce. He said the event’s budget has climbed from $40,000 in its first year to $50,000 last year.

Despite the price increase, Sanford said the Orange Drop remains free to attend because it is funded through sponsorships — not ticket sales.

“There’s no tickets for this event. It is free,” Sanford said. “We have to get sponsorships to pay for this. That is my job.”

The Orange Drop is scheduled for Wednesday, Dec. 31, from 6 to 9 PM, a time slot Sanford said the chamber chose intentionally to keep the event family-friendly and to avoid competing with late-night restaurant celebrations.

“We created this new concept,” Sanford said, describing a three-hour format built around performances, a kids zone and food vendors. He said earlier versions of the celebration drew people downtown only minutes before midnight.

Sanford said the chamber “completely reinvented everything,” including a redesigned orange that is “eight and a half feet” in diameter, lifted by crane “120ft in the air,” along with “confetti cannon towers down the side of the street.”

This year’s schedule includes four 20-minute performance sets: the Japanese Cultural center at 6:30 PM, Incentive AGT at 7 PM, Fred Astaire Dance Studio at 7:30 PM, and the Redlands YMCA Circus at 8 PM, Sanford said. Music and a DJ will play between acts, he added.

Sanford said the YMCA Circus set is expected to feature members of the troupe that performs its annual show.

“About 8:45 PM is when we do the countdown ceremony,” Sanford said.

He said the chamber’s early-evening schedule is designed to give families a celebration they can enjoy before heading home or continuing their night elsewhere.

Attendance has climbed since the chamber shifted the format, Sanford said, citing cell phone data used to estimate crowd size. He said about 3,000 people attended in 2023 and more than 5,000 attended last year, with the chamber expecting “six to seven” thousand this year.

To accommodate larger crowds, Sanford said organizers secured permission to use the downtown Wells Fargo parking lot — private property — allowing the chamber to move some of the setup off Citrus Avenue and open more room for attendees.

Food and vendor offerings have expanded alongside the footprint, Sanford said. He said the event is aiming for about 15 food vendors and was at 13 at the time of the interview. He listed vendors including Two Girls Coffee Co., Sugar Lips, Soda Ember, Wood Fired Pizza, Tacos El Encanto, Swiss Chard Farms, The Tamale Fiesta, Shake Shack and Dogs for Dogs, which he described as a mobile hot dog cart that donates part of its proceeds to an animal shelter.

Sanford said the buildout on Dec. 31 is an all-day effort. The street closes at 9 AM, he said, giving organizers “nine hours to get everything ready.” When the event ends at 9 PM, Sanford said crews immediately begin breaking down the setup.

Among the work: setting up “hundreds of chairs” along Citrus Avenue, assembling the food court and VIP section, installing stage equipment and power, and adding more lighting for safety. Sanford said the chamber invested in additional light towers because “there’s very little street lights in that area.”

He said the chamber relies on sponsors to cover most of the cost. He identified Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation, the City of Redlands and Burgeson’s as the top-level sponsors.

Even with sponsorships, Sanford said the chamber has still lost money each year, but by a manageable amount. “We’ve lost money every year on this,” he said.

Sanford said the chamber views the Orange Drop as a community investment and an economic boost for downtown businesses.

“We’re committed to offering this free event for the community every single year,” he said.

For updates and event information, Sanford directed the public to the Orange Drop’s Instagram account: @redlandsnyeorangedrop.