The numbers are expected to be finalized this week for MusicFest XXXIV and festival presenter Main Street El Dorado has already forecast a profit from the event.
Beth Brumley, executive director of MSE, previously said the festival, which was held Oct. 7 and 8, made a successful return to the streets of downtown El Dorado.
With the theme "Taking it Back to the Streets", MSE solely hosted MusicFest and all of its components for the first time since 2016.
MSE launched MusicFest in 1988 and in 2017, the group entered into a partnership with the Murphy Arts District to celebrate the grand opening of the new arts and entertainment district and the 30th anniversary of MusicFest.
MAD booked the headliners and managed the ticketed shows in its entertainment complex, while MSE focused on the "festival" portion of the event with attractions, vendors and musical performances by local and regional acts on smaller stages that dotted the downtown square.
With the exception of the cancellation of MusicFest in 2020 due to COVID-19, the groups continued the arrangement until MAD dissolved the partnership earlier this year, in part, to focus on ongoing shows, rather than festivals.
MSE then set about booking headliners for MusicFest and announced that the festival would have a vintage feel to help pull in attendees during a transitional period.
The efforts paid off, Brumley said.
She said festival-goers took advantage of free admission until 3 p.m. on Oct. 8 (Saturday) and even though there was a minor reduction in paid attractions due to inflation, Brumley said families with children still flocked to the area and to Kids World, which is free.
She said the carnival rides cost nearly $20,000 apiece, plus payment for insurance and the vendors' staff to set up and operate the machines.
"With the cost of everything going up the last couple of years, that price has increased also," said Brumley. "We decreased it by one ride. Kids World is still free, so we had everything that we've usually had."
MusicFest ticket sales were similar for both days of the festival.
Brumley said crowds for the musical performances may have seemed thin, but, she noted, there was "a lot of" crowd turnover, particularly on the Friday night leg of the festival.
"What I saw mostly was the main stage and that crowd turned over, so it was never huge. Somebody may have come to see a particular act, but they didn't stay for the next acts," she said.
"When I walked out on stage to introduce the next act, I could tell the crowd had changed. Some stayed for the whole thing," Brumley added.
Headliners included country music band Shenandoah; American Idol winner and country music superstar Chayce Beckham; Mitch Rossell, a country music singer-songwriter who has toured with Garth Brooks; and rising country music artist Mae Estes, a Hope native.
Other featured performers were:
• Cristina Amaro, a Selena tribute artist.
• Josh Walker and the Tennehill Band, a southern rock band who performs the music of The Eagles.
• The Karla Case Band, who performs the music of Stevie Nicks.
"Everyone that we've gotten feedback from, that attended, enjoyed all of the diversity of the music, whether it was the main state or the side stages," Brumley said.
During an MSE board meeting earlier this month, Pam Griffin, president and CEO of MAD, said "more and more people from Monroe and West Monroe (both in Louisiana)" have been attending shows in MAD venues.
Brumley said MSE also received numerous inquiries about MusicFest from residents in the twin-city region.
She said MusicFest also prompted a recent trip to El Dorado from North Arkansas residents.
Brumley said the group had watched her appearance earlier this year on the Little Rock TV show "Good Morning Arkansas", which airs on KATV.
"I was talking about MusicFest and they said they didn't like crowds so they weren't coming for MusicFest but they booked a room at (The Haywood El Dorado - Hilton Tapestry Collection) because they wanted to come to El Dorado at another time," Brumley said.
Brumley told MSE board members Nov. 15 that the group's end-of-year balance is higher than it has been in recent years.
Some bills and sponsorships were still outstanding at the time but MusicFest was expected to bring in a profit, she said.
On Monday, Brumley said all of the bills have since been paid and sponsorships in and the MusicFest books should be balanced this week.
The final tally will provide MSE board members with a clearer picture of revenues and expenditures.
Brumley also said organizers are still planning the annual MusicFest wrap party to evaluate the event.
October and November have been busy months for MSE, with Airstreams on the Square, Scare on the Square and a bevy of holiday events that have prevented the group from scheduling the wrap-up and drafting a final report for MusicFest 2022.