Vancouver Folk Music Festival could go ahead in 2023 with B.C. government cash

Embattled live events like the Vancouver Folk Music Festival have received a lifeline from the B.C. government.

On Thursday, the province announced the creation of a $30-million fund, which will provide one-time grants of up to $250,000 to fairs, festivals, and other qualifying events.

This new development means we could now see the Vancouver Folk Music Festival go ahead this year after all, after the society responsible for running it had initially planned to hold a vote to dissolve itself.

#Breaking Vancouver Folk Fest Society President Mark Zuberbuhler says a new government fund to create $30-million event support fund could make a 2023 folk festival possible. More to come @CityNewsVAN #bcpoli pic.twitter.com/Oswef0hf8K

— Martin MacMahon (@martinmacmahon) February 16, 2023

But that doesn’t mean the weeks ahead will be easy.

“What needs to happen for the festival to go ahead is for us to determine a location for it to occur at,” said Mark Zuberbuhler, VFMFS president, at news conference at the Pacific Coliseum. “There are challenges in Jericho Beach, not that it’s not a beautiful spot, but infrastructure problems. But in the sense of having the opportunity to get acts together, we don’t have a long period of time to book acts, so obviously it’s a very short runway.

“We don’t have any staff right now, so we have to hire staff right away. There’s a lot of things that have to happen over the next number of weeks. But we’re talking about it and we think we can do it. But, we’ll try our best.”

The province has created the fund in an effort to support the weakened tourism and live events sector, which was among the worst-hit parts of the economy following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The past three years have been incredibly difficult for people in the tourism industry, including live events, and we know not every business has fully recovered,” said Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport Lana Popham. “Our government is proud to provide funding to support fairs, festivals, and events throughout B.C. as they re-establish themselves. We know that these types of gatherings fill British Columbians’ hearts with joy. We also know that in many cases they support a greater economy right across the province.”

Related article:

• Vancouver Folk Festival board restores society

• 2023 Vancouver Folk Music Festival cancelled, possibly permanently

• Vancouver Folk Festival’s ‘groundswell’ of support has board reviewing funding options

Events that take place between April of this year through to the end of 2024 are eligible to apply for funding, with sporting events, arts and culture events, community celebrations, agricultural fairs, and rodeos able to apply for the support.

“The province has recognized the challenges and realities of our sector,” said Shelley Frost, chief executive of the Pacific National Exhibition (PNE). “For communities across the province, fairs, festivals and events are a part of the social fabric. It’s a place people and families come together to celebrate and make memories. This assistance will help ensure the PNE fair and other events thrive as we adjust to a new way of doing business.”

While each event can receive up to $250,000, organizations that are responsible for organizing multiple events can apply for funding up to $500,000.