October was a busy month for Discovery Park, with a series of high-profile events that brought thousands of visitors and generated significant economic benefits to the local economy. Since 2012, Discovery Park has been home to the Aftershock Music Festival. What started as a one-day music festival has grown into a four-day festival, and its success inspired event producers to launch a country music counterpart, Golden Sky Music Festival, which debuted in 2022.
This year, Discovery Park hosted Aftershock from Oct. 10 – 13, Golden Sky from Oct. 18-20, and welcomed runners for part of the Ironman California Triathlon (with participants swimming through the American River just south of the park) on Oct. 27.
The economic impact of these three events alone is estimated to be roughly $64.7 million, according to Visit Sacramento – which was more than $9 million more than in 2023:
- Aftershock: $35.1 Million
- Golden Sky: $14.1 Million
- Ironman California: $15.5 Million
In addition to the incredible economic boost to the region, the music festivals at Discovery Park also brought benefits to Regional Parks:
- Roughly 200,000 people visited Discovery Park, most of which came from outside the region, providing the opportunity to bring awareness of the American River Parkway to a larger audience.
- The event producer, Danny Wimmer Presents, sponsored Low-Income Annual Passes, providing local residents in need with free access to enjoy the park.