There is some irony in an event with the word “Illuminated” in its name ending before dark, with no illumination required, but that seems to be the stumbling block for Newburgh’s annual celebration.

Organizers of Newburgh Illuminated hit the pause button last week, after negotiations with the city sputtered. The city asked organizers to reduce the footprint of the festival along the Broadway-Liberty Street corridor, in part because of construction taking place downtown. The city also wanted the June 3 festivities to end at 7 p.m., rather than 10 p.m., citing the need for “reasonable public safety measures” and the difficulties in a cleanup that lasted past midnight. They suggested 8:30 p.m. as a compromise.

The organizers announced a postponement last week after threatening to move the event to the Town of Newburgh. A statement issued by City Hall last week, blasting the Newburgh Illuminated Corporation, referred to it as a “cancellation.” Hopefully it hasn’t come to a sad ending.

Newburgh Illuminated has grown dramatically since that first year in Downing Park, when attendance and vendors were sparse. The original organizers were unable to attract food vendors, so volunteer Keith Nieto was dispatched in mid afternoon to find a food truck. He succeeded, and a line gathered before the food truck could be set up for business.

The festival took off when it was moved downtown and a marketing budget was added. A local Indian restaurant sponsored a color festival to add a touch of international flavor, and multiple stages bought music from noon til past nightfall.

Newburgh Illuminated was conceived as a celebration of the city’s past. Its name and logo remind us that Newburgh was one of the first cities in the northeast to be wired for electricity by Thomas Edison himself. The event, as organizers remind us, does shine a figurative light on the city in a positive way.

That energy cannot be replicated elsewhere. Move it away from downtown Newburgh and it dies a slow death, much like the former International Waterfront Festival, which used to draw thousands of visitors to the city every Labor Day weekend. Now a stripped-down version draws meager crowds to Delano Hitch Park. Move it to Algonquin or Cronomer Park and it is no longer Newburgh Illuminated. It becomes the Town of Newburgh Community Day, Part 2.

Make no mistake, the festival does expend city resources and tax dollars, but it also bring visitors and much-needed positive energy. Hopefully a compromise can be worked out.