BP is putting up $50,000 to sponsor Mobile’s annual BayFest music festival, according to a local television station’s report, as the oil company looks to smooth over relations with a Gulf Coast tourism and hospitality industry battered by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
The spill, which began in April 2010 after an explosion on BP’s Deepwater Horizon drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico, sent millions of barrels of oil into Gulf waters over several months. Coastal Alabama businesses reported steep drops in tourism and event attendance for much of the summer as visitors stayed away from beaches and waterfront festivals amid spill fears, even in areas like Mobile Bay that saw comparatively little direct oiling.
A Bid to Restore Goodwill
BP’s sponsorship of BayFest, one of the region’s largest annual music festivals, comes as the company has faced pressure to fund Gulf Coast recovery efforts following the spill. The company set up a multibillion-dollar claims fund for affected businesses and individuals, and local sponsorships like the BayFest donation were part of a broader effort to demonstrate support for the region’s economy heading into the fall event season.
BayFest draws tens of thousands of visitors to downtown Mobile each year for a multi-day, multi-stage music lineup, making it a significant driver of local hotel, restaurant and retail business during what organizers hoped would be a rebound weekend after a difficult summer for the coast.