A groundswell of support for the Vancouver Folk Music Festival has its board of directors rethinking plans to cancel this 12 months’s event and dissolve the society.
An open letter from the board says several parties have offered possible solutions for funding and support because it announced the plan to finish the festival last week.
It says the board has paused the motion to dissolve the society and moved the annual general meeting from Feb. 1 to March 1, while it explores options to save lots of the festival.
The letter says there’s been a rare response to the choice to cancel the festival, with board members receiving quite a few messages of affection and support from attendees, dedicated volunteers, musicians and lots of others.
While the board says there have been incredible highlights within the 45-year history of the festival, its financial past has seldom reflected the identical harmony.
The board announced last week that it will need one other $500,000 to cover higher expenses this 12 months, and the letter says the community must know that the festival’s financial situation has long been “untenable.”
It adds that historically, there was strong opposition to corporate funding to support the festival.
“As views began to alter on this, it became apparent that we were far behind the curve in constructing relationships with potential corporate funders as compared to other festivals.”
While the board says it has assurances that its grants are being held they usually are in good standing with previous funders, they wish to ensure the longer term of the festival is sustainable.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 26, 2023.
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