How much is the world’s largest rubber duck costing Tacoma?
Funding for the duck is private, a spokesman for the event said, though there may be associated costs for other city resources.
The giant yellow duck is here for the Festival of Sail Tacoma, a four-day event that started Thursday in the Foss Waterway. A one-day pass to see that and more than 20 sailing ships is $9. Organizers expect more than 200,000 people to attend the celebration, which will stretch 1 mile from the Museum of Glass to Thea’s Park.
As far as funding in Tacoma, private sponsors – including Draw Events, Tacoma Sail Events, and Alaska Airlines – and city-run agency Foss Waterway Development Authority are paying for the event with a budget of a little more than $1 million.
KIRO 7 News reached out to Foss Waterway Development Authority, but they transferred us to a Draw Events spokesman who told us that all the funding for the duck and ships is “100% private.”
But the city of Tacoma will provide about $100,000 in police and fire services, according to The Tacoma News Tribune.
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KIRO 7 News called city officials, asking about public funds being used for the festival overall. We’ still waiting to hear back on an answer.
Councilman Robert Thoms told the Tribune that those costs will be paid back if the festival turns a profit.
When the Festival of Sail last came through Tacoma in 2008. It left one of the organizers, Tacoma Tall Ships, with a $500,000 debt.
Organizers of that event said they were able to resolve the debt by negotiating partial payments to vendors and getting donations from the public — including a $100,000 anonymous gift. The city also reduced the billing for police services.
Nearly 40,000 people shared their enthusiasm for “Mama Duck” on Thursday when KIRO 7 News posted a video of the duck floating into the waterway.
But it’s not all bubble baths for the rubber duck (it’s actually vinyl) and her fleet of ships. She’s ruffling feathers in Ontario for a $90,000 grant going toward her arrival.
"It's an absurd waste of taxpayers' dollars," Canadian politician Rick Nicholls said in Parliament. "It is an absolute cluster duck."
The current planning committee in Tacoma and city officials say they are optimistic the local festival won’t hit rough waters financially because they have more experience in organizing tall ships festivals, and Draw Events has a history of turning a profit.
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