Vancouver Folk Music Festival will return in 2023 after all, organizers say
Not quite two months after organizers announced it would be cancelled, possibly forever, the Vancouver Folk Music Festival is back on for 2023.
Organizers announced on their website Tuesday that the 2023 Vancouver Folk Music Festival will be held from July 14 to 16 at Jericho Beach Park and will use the 2022 event as a template for this year's.
"We are working with contractors, artistic advisors, and vendors to make that happen," the announcement reads.
The festival's return is the culmination of efforts to save it that began almost as soon as the cancellation was announced.
On Jan. 17, the Vancouver Folk Music Festival Society issued a statement saying it had been impossible to finance this year's event due to the soaring cost of hosting live events in the post-COVID era.
The folk festival wasn't the only major outdoor concert facing a cost crunch, and other B.C. music festivals soon announced similar cancellations.
Before January was over, however, hope for saving the folk festival had emerged. The society's board postponed its annual general meeting – at which it was scheduled to vote to dissolve itself – amid several proposals from interested parties who hoped to keep the festival going.
Roughly 300 people attended a virtual town hall on the festival's future in early February, after which the board decided to rescind its motion to dissolve the society.
Later that month, the provincial government announced $30 million in funding to support fairs and festivals scheduled to happen in B.C. between April 1 of this year and Dec. 31, 2024.
Vancouver Folk Music Festival organizers were encouraged by the announcement, but still uncertain about whether the event would be able to return this year.
Tuesday's announcement removed that doubt.
Organizers said new funders had come forward with "substantial offers" to ensure the event happens this year. They also cited "an outpouring of volunteer support" and assistance from other festivals with booking performers.
"With hard work, the financial picture is more secure and, with other individuals stepping up to support the festival now, we will make it happen," the statement reads.
"We know that our members and audience are the heartbeat of the festival. Your outpouring of support over the last few months has given us the courage and strength to move ahead."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
World seeing near breakdown of international law amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Amnesty says
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
U.S. Senate passes bill forcing TikTok's parent company to sell or face ban, sends to Biden for signature
The Senate passed legislation Tuesday that would force TikTok's China-based parent company to sell the social media platform under the threat of a ban, a contentious move by U.S. lawmakers that's expected to face legal challenges.
Wildfire southwest of Peace River spurs evacuation order
People living near a wildfire burning about 15 kilometres southwest of Peace River are being told to evacuate their homes.
U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passes aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan with big bipartisan vote
The U.S. Senate has passed US$95 billion in war aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden after months of delays and contentious debate over how involved the United States should be in foreign wars.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.