From the cover
Two Step Inn returns
The big picture
A Georgetown official said tourism trends drive hotel tax increases, and factors behind spikes can be challenging to identify. March and summer 2024 hotel tax spikes can be attributed to spring break travel, conferences, events and family vacations, the official said. During the first year of Two Step Inn, the city of Georgetown experienced a dip in sales tax in April. A city spokesperson said the 2023 dip was unrelated to Two Step Inn and due to a performance decline from a local company in the building supplies and retail sector. Additionally, the city official said the festival’s vendor sales taxes were initially incorrectly reported in 2023 and did not show until December. There is a two-month delay for reported sales tax activity, an official with the Texas Comptroller said.
Leading up to the festival, San Gabriel Park is transformed into an outdoor music venue with stages, concessions and merchandise booths. “When we dreamt up Two Step Inn, we knew that it had to be in Central Texas but outside of Austin,” Bartkus said. “When San Gabriel Park was put in front of us as a potential candidate, we immediately fell in love.” The Sheraton Austin Georgetown Hotel & Conference Center is about 1 mile from San Gabriel Park, General Manager Rita Healy said. The hotel can book 222 rooms, but the night of April 5 has a demand for 700, she said. While Two Step Inn attracted thousands of visitors in April 2024, data shows the hotel occupancy tax activity in March was higher. According to the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, hotel occupancy taxes—a state charge of 6% per hotel room—has a one month delay in reported hotel tax activity.
Georgetown hotel occupancy tax revenue breakdown, 2024
$1.5M $2M $2.5M $3M $3.5M $0
June sales tax allocations, 2020-24
$4.3M
$4M
$3.7M
$3.5M
$2.4M
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
SOURCE: TEXAS COMPTROLLER OF PUBLIC ACCOUNTS/COMMUNITY IMPACT
The lineup
Big River Stage
Pony Up Stage
Showdeo Stage
Saturday • 12:30 p.m.: T-Byrd’s Country Gold • 1:45 p.m.: Kaitlin Butts • 3 p.m.: Ernest • 4:30 p.m.: Flatland Cavalry • 6:30 p.m.: Miranda Lambert • 8:30 p.m.: Alan Jackson Sunday • 12:15 p.m.: Maggie Antone • 1:30 p.m.: Tanner Ursey • 3 p.m.: Treaty Oak Revival • 4:30 p.m.: Nelly • 6:30 p.m.: Ryan Bingham and The Texas Gentlemen • 8:30 p.m.: Sturgill Simpson/ Johnny Blue Skies
Saturday • Noon: Walker Montgomery • 1 p.m.: Noeline Hofmann • 2:15 p.m.: William Beckmann • 3:30 p.m.: Eli Young Band • 5:30 p.m.: Priscilla Block • 7:30 p.m.: Diplo presents Thomas Wesley Sunday • Noon: The Droptines • 1 p.m.: Vincent Mason • 2:15 p.m.: The Panhandlers • 4 p.m.: Stephen Wilson Jr. • 5:30 p.m.: Braxton Keith • 7:30 p.m.: Ole 60
Saturday • 12:15 p.m.: Lanie Gardner • 1:30 p.m.: Hudson Westbrook • 2:45 p.m.: Diamond Rio • 4 p.m.: Tracy Byrd • 5:30 p.m.: Randall King • 7:30 p.m.: Gavin Adcock Sunday • 12:15 p.m.: Waylon Wyatt • 1:40 p.m.: Willow Avalon • 2:45 p.m.: Aaron Tippin • 4 p.m.: Sammy Kershaw • 5:30 p.m.: Shane Smith & The Saints • 7:30 p.m.: Lynyrd Skynyrd
San Gabriel Park
N
PHOTO COURTESY TWO STEP INN 2024, CHARLES REAGAN
PHOTO COURTESY TWO STEP INN 2024, TAYLOR REGULSKI
PHOTO COURTESY TWO STEP INN 2024, TAYLOR REGULSKI
SOURCE: C3 PRESENTS/COMMUNITY IMPACT
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