Merritt's Rockin River the latest B.C. music festival to cancel 2023 event

(Facebook/rockinrivermusicfest)

A country music festival in the B.C. Interior is the latest to announce the cancellation of its 2023 event.

Organizers of the Merritt-based Rockin River Music Festival announced Friday in a post on their website that the event would not return this year.

While the post does not provide a lot of detail about the specific reasons for the cancellation, it cites "economic obstacles" that organizers were unable to overcome.

The Vancouver Folk Music Festival and the Squamish Constellation Festival also cited economic troubles when announcing their own cancellations earlier this month.

Organizers of both of those festivals recently told The Canadian Press that their industry underwent seismic changes after the COVID-19 pandemic ground live music to a halt in 2020.

Costs rose for equipment such as fencing and stages as inflation kicked in and some suppliers went out of business during the pandemic. At the same time, vendors began demanding payments upfront, both festivals said.

In British Columbia, the music festivals also face competition from a bustling local film industry that pays top dollar for equipment such as portable toilets and showers.

When it announced its cancellation, the Vancouver Folk Music Festival Society said it intended to dissolve itself and end the event permanently. 

Since then, several interested parties have come forward with proposals to keep the folk festival alive, and the society has postponed its Annual General Meeting in order to explore its options.

In their statement, Rockin River organizers did not say whether the event would return in the future, but did leave the door open to doing so.

"We want to thank the City of Merritt, who has always welcomed us with open arms, the incredible artists, staff and most importantly – you, the fans, many of whom have been loyal since year one," the statement concludes. "We hope to see you again soon." 

With files from The Canadian Press