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1 <br /> MEMORANDUM J' <br /> To: Board of County Commissioners From: Katie Murray, DirectorCCO) <br /> Date: October 23, 2025 <br /> RE: Uproar Festival of Public Art 2025 ORANGE COUNTY <br /> p ARTS ALLIANCE <br /> The 2nd Uproar Festival of Public Art was held August 1-23, 2025, across downtown Hillsborough, Carrboro, and Chapel <br /> Hill.As the only festival of its kind in North Carolina, Uproar was designed to: <br /> • Boost small businesses during a slow season through increased visitor spending <br /> • Spotlight Orange County with a vibrant arts experience <br /> • Offer a free, accessible event for all visitors <br /> Based on 2023 feedback,the 2025 festival improved artist support and logistics, resulting in strong success. While total <br /> participation is hard to measure—due to open access, lack of registration, and the multi-week, multi-town format—key <br /> metrics show clear growth. <br /> VISITORS <br /> • 7,604 votes cast through the Uproar voting app: 373%increase over 2023 (NOTE: many participants do not vote <br /> for a variety of reasons.The number of votes cast does not represent all participants.) <br /> • 1,252 visitors to the Uproar Welcome Centers: 52%increase over 2023 <br /> • 1,765 Saturday trolley riders in Chapel Hill/Carrboro: 121%increase over 2023 <br /> • 4,098 listeners of the Soundcloud audio descriptions offered alongside each artwork <br /> OUTREACH <br /> • 30 editorial stories in local/state media outlets, including the News& Observer,WRAL, and an interview with <br /> Katie Murray on "Due South" on WUNC <br /> • 65,543 visitors to uproarfestnc.com from mid-July through August <br /> • 39,014 views of the 2025 Uproar Google Map; 5,000 printed maps <br /> • 3,295,348 impressions of social media ads with 22,382 total clicks.The highest number of respondents were <br /> females between the ages of 35-44. <br /> • 560,946 impressions of internet ads. Largest audiences (outside of Orange County): Raleigh, Greensboro, <br /> Winston-Salem, Durham, Burlington. <br /> IMPACT <br /> • 53%of Uproar expenses($97,934) paid Orange County businesses and individuals <br /> • 71% of Uproar expenses($131,212) paid local creative industry workers <br /> • 92% of Uproar artists would recommend participating in Uproar to their fellow artists (up from 83%in 2023) <br /> • 69.2%of business respondents experienced "somewhat to significant" increase in foot traffic (up from 57%in <br /> 2023) <br /> • 61.5%of business respondents experienced "somewhat to significant" increase in sales (up from 50%in 2023) <br /> • 53.8%of business respondents said Uproar brought new customers (up from 23%in 2023) <br /> • 100%of business respondents feel Uproar is a positive addition to our community(up from 86%in 2023) <br />