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Why it’s happening: Festivals have faced a brutal one-two punch of a slow post-pandemic attendance rebound and increased competition for a dwindling pool of government money.

• The base budgets for the federal programs administrating cultural loans have stayed stagnant at a combined $50.2 million for over 15 years.
• Meanwhile, an initiative that injected an extra $15 million per year into the programs in 2019 is ending in 2026.

Why it matters: The struggles facing festivals are the same ones facing other culture and event industries like the theatre, film, and restaurant sectors — all of which give us fun things to do and can help drive tourism. However, their pleas for more support could fall flat as both federal and provincial governments aim to seriously slash spending.

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