Mon, February 6, 2023
Vancouver-based band Five Alarm Funk headlined the 2022 edition of the Vancouver Folk Festival, performing on Sunday, July 17. (Josh Grant/CBC - image credit)
Leaders at the society behind the struggling Vancouver Folk Festival have paused their plan to vote on whether the society should be dissolved.
A statement from the Vancouver Folk Music Festival Society on Monday said the board voted to withdraw its motion to dissolve the society, which was put forward last month as the festival faced mounting financial difficulties.
The society's president said the board did an about-face after hearing from the public, partners and other festivals.
"The Vancouver Folk Music Festival has long been, and is currently, in a financially dire condition. Our main goal as the board has always been to see a strong, sustainable festival," said board president Mark Zuberbuhler.
"Because of the strong support that has come from the community and our partners we now see the possibility of building that festival."
The statement did not say whether the society has solidified financial plans, but said it was launching a fundraising and volunteer drive as a result of the public's support.
"We were absolutely heartened and touched by the outpouring of love and passion that came from the community," the festival board's vice president Philip Hemming told Gloria Macarenko, the host of CBC's On the Coast.
"We saw that there may well be a way forward. And we took the motion off the table."
In January, organizers said the festival would not return to the city this summer because production costs have risen and the event landscape has changed after years of pandemic shutdowns.
According to Hemming, costs for the 2022 event ballooned by 40 per cent when compared to the last edition, in 2019. Looking ahead to 2023, the society estimated it would have to go $500,000 in debt to make the festival happen.
Hemming says the festival is still low on cash and facing a difficult situation, but organizers are confident the offers of help that have come in since they announced plans to shut it down will translate into financial support.
"We need partnerships. We need sponsorships, and we need donations to save the festival."
The society — a not-for-profit, charitable organization — hosts year-round concerts and events in addition to the flagship, volunteer-run festival.
The three-day event has been a fixture in the city's arts and culture scene for nearly 45 years.
Vancouver Folk Music Festival/Facebook
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