Skip to main content

Fees Rise for Special Events

Thu, 02/27/2025 - 11:44
Special event fees for 2025 will range from $75 for an event held by a resident on a bay beach to $200 for an event held by a nonresident at either a bay or the ocean.
Durell Godfrey

Special-events fees in East Hampton Town are going up.

“I think it’s safe to say that in the last year, the hours we’re spending on special events, the cost is not being met by the revenues that are coming in,” Councilman Tom Flight said on Feb. 18 as he teed up a discussion on raising the fees.

He put the conversation in the context of the town’s comprehensive plan. “One of the threats we see is the commercialization of public space,” he said. “This is your town, your space. While people may want to do commercial events, that shouldn’t take away from your enjoyment of the town.”

Chelsea Winslow and Ann Marie Lamprecht, legislative secretaries who work in Town Hall and are part of the special-events committee, discussed the proposed changes.

The number of permits issued each year is roughly static, between 500 and 600 annually since 2018, minus an off-year because of Covid restrictions. Last year, the town collected $118,059 in fees. Most fees haven’t been updated since 2018.

New for 2025, existing nonrefundable application fees will increase, or, where none previously existed, there will be new ones. Most other fees seeing an increase are rising anywhere from $50 to $250, depending on the size of the event. Late applications will see the fees double.

“Regardless of the head count, anytime a late application comes in, it kind of sets us back,” Ms. Winslow said.

Refundable cleanup deposits also will see steep increases. “The very simple message here is, clean up your mess,” Mr. Flight said.

“We live in a lovely place people want to celebrate,” said Councilman Ian Calder-Piedmonte, who, with other town board members, supported the increases. “Even with the raised fees, we should all acknowledge that the town is going to lose money on this process.”

The town trustees have also seen fit to introduce a fee structure for private events and mass gatherings on trustee-controlled beaches. “The trustees have determined that the size and number of private events and mass gatherings has been steadily increasing,” read their resolution, passed unanimously at their meeting on Monday. “Therefore, to better manage these events, the issuance of permits and the collection of fees is proper.”

Fees will range from $75 for an event held by a resident on a bay beach, to $200 for an event held by a nonresident at either a bay or the ocean.

Villages

Tariffs Are Sobering News for Liquor Stores

It’s not clear when, or if, President Trump’s European alcohol tariff will ever go live. Nonetheless, the threat is looming over South Fork wine and liquor retailers, who have been forced to react to the uncertainty. 

Mar 27, 2025

East Hampton Star Shines at Better Newspaper Contest

Durell Godfrey, The East Hampton Star’s longtime staff photographer and a fixture at community events from Montauk to Southampton, has once again been named one of New York State’s top photographers. At the New York Press Association’s annual conference last week in Saratoga Springs, The Star’s newsletter also repeated in winning first place in the Best Newsletter category, capping a successful awards season for the paper. 

Mar 27, 2025

A Short Parade That’s Become a Big Success

For the first Am O'Gansett Parade in 2009, the organizers jokingly promised Clydesdales, Macy's balloons, and floats. With good humor and an enthusiastic response from the community, the very short parade has been an annual event ever since.

Mar 20, 2025

 

Your support for The East Hampton Star helps us deliver the news, arts, and community information you need. Whether you are an online subscriber, get the paper in the mail, delivered to your door in Manhattan, or are just passing through, every reader counts. We value you for being part of The Star family.

Your subscription to The Star does more than get you great arts, news, sports, and outdoors stories. It makes everything we do possible.