Stones’ Canadian Aftermath

The next time the city of Moncton, New Brunswick, hosts a party, city officials will probably remember to budget for a few unexpected guests.

Call September’s massive Rolling Stones concert a lesson learned. The Canadian city underbudgeted to the tune of about $670,000 for everything from police, medical services and parking to food and cleanup.

The Magnetic Hill concert drew up to 85,000 concertgoers and is believed to be the largest concert in Atlantic Canadian history. Moncton budgeted for about 60,000 fans.

All told, the gig cost the city some $1.2 million, almost double what it planned for.

“Not only did the increased crowds cause us additional expenses, they also related to less revenue in some areas,” Ian Fowler, Moncton’s director of community services, told the Canadian Broadcast Corp. “So, we got hit on both sides. But we did learn, and we now have a site that I think we can strike better deals with.”

One of the biggest sticking points for the city was parking. In order to create some 20,000 parking spaces for the concert and keep roadways cleared for emergency vehicles, Magnetic Hill neighbors were asked not to use their cars or have guests over the weekend of the concert, which angered residents. In the end, only 7,000 paying drivers used the parking spaces.

Despite the budget shortfall, the city still managed to find a silver lining: Moncton now owns $600,000 worth of equipment and infrastructure for future concerts and special events at Magnetic Hill, according to the CBC.

And Moncton economic development specialist Ben Campoux told the network in December that out-of-town concertgoers spent $1.53 million during the Labor Day weekend show.