Victoria could be juggling two buskers festivals in the same month next summer.
John Vickers, executive director of the Victoria International Buskers’ Festival Society, said he was blindsided Tuesday by news that the Downtown Victoria Business Association and its partners plan to launch a new festival that will overlap with the society’s event.
The DVBA announced in a statement that a new Downtown Victoria Buskers Festival will run from July 11 to 16.
The International Buskers’ Festival is slated for July 14-23.
“It’s just puzzling to say the least,” Vickers said.
The surprise announcement followed a recent decision by Tourism Victoria to end its financial support for the international festival, he said.
Kerri Milton, executive director of the DVBA, said the new buskers festival will be “completely different” from the current one.
“A buskers festival, if you do research, actually comes in a whole lot of different forms,” she said. “The one that we have currently — the international one — is not the only way the buskers festivals around the world are run.”
She said the festival will have the financial support of the association’s partners, including Tourism Victoria, the Hotel Association of Greater Victoria and the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority.
“We would never have launched this without all of the partners’ support,” she said.
But Paul Nursey, president of Tourism Victoria, said his organization has yet to commit to financial support of the new festival.
“We’re in that phase right now,” he said. “We may choose to do in-kind sponsorships around hotel rooms; we may choose to do sponsorships. But we’re not there yet.”
He confirmed, however, that Tourism Victoria has decided to end its financial relationship with the existing festival, which it has supported since 2012. He said the cash and in-kind contributions ranged from about $30,000 to $50,000 annually.
“”We just found as sponsors that the business model provided by this operator was not sustainable,” he said, describing the new festival as the “right size” and affordable.
“It’s governed by boards of industry, so it doesn’t rely on any individual or character,” he said. “We have broad governance. So that’s why the change in the business model.”
The DVBA said the new festival is in keeping with its partners’ new approach to major events.
The four organizations announced in early October that they had developed a strategy to “improve accountability and better ensure the long-term sustainability of major events.”
The DVBA was to focus on free events that draw customers to the city centre; Tourism Victoria and the hotel association would concentrate on attracting conferences that boost room nights; and the harbour authority would support events that highlight the working harbour.
Vickers said he will press ahead with the international festival with or without Tourism Victoria’s support.
“While recognizing this funding shortfall is challenging, I certainly intend to address it and move forward with the festival,” he said. “I’ve had a number of challenges in life over the seven years of the event.”
Vickers said he started the festival with a few thousand dollars and built it into a major event that now receives support from the City of Victoria, the Capital Regional District, provincial and federal governments.
“It just seems that downtown partners seem to be a bit out of sync with the community,” he said.
