The nearly 50-year-old festival has seen hardships in recent years and is in danger of shutting down, organizers say
Published Mar 13, 2025 by Saltwire.com • 2 minute read
As the long-running Regina Folk Festival came to an end this week, organizers of the Newfoundland and Labrador Folk Festival say they were sitting around their board table, dealing with their own financial crisis.
The Regina festival organizers cited ongoing financial pressures from the pandemic, rising costs, reduced funding and declining tickets sales as the reasons for its cancellation.
The NL festival organizers say they could have issued the same statement of closure as Regina.
“We decided, however, that our folk festival was more than just folk music,” wrote Newfoundland and Labrador Folk Arts Society president Julie Vogt in an e-mail Thursday, March 12.
“It is our culture and traditions. And we are doing everything we can to save it.”
Attached to Vogt’s e-mail was a media release, with a heading saying the local Bannerman Park event — scheduled to happen this year July 11-13— is facing an uncertain future after nearly 50 years. “Community Support Needed to Save NL Folk Festival,” it proclaimed.
The society has launched a campaign called Save Our Festival, calling on community members for urgent help raising funds.”For nearly 50 years, this festival has been a celebration of the music, stories and traditions that define who we are as a people,” Vogt wrote.
“We know how much this festival means to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador. We are asking the community to stand with us now and ensure that folk traditions continue to thrive.”
Described by the provincial government as one of Newfoundland and Labrador’s premiere summer cultural events, the folk festival was scaled down for a couple of years, starting with the 2020 COVID-19 outbreak. That year, it went digital, presenting its content on social media, while the next year saw the return to a live but scaled-down event at First Light Centre.
A financial loss in 2023 saw organizers make changes to the alcohol rules, resulting in double the alcohol sales at last year’s event. That was combined with a sold-out performance by Grammy-winning musician Emmylou Harris.
Still, according to financials posted on the festival’s website, last year’s event ended with a loss of $104,439 after performer costs, advertising, equipment rental, security and other expenses were factored in.
In January, the society announced rising costs had forced it to temporarily lay off five staff members.
“We’re strapped, and I know we’re not alone. And that’s cold comfort,” executive director Diana Daly told CBC News at the time. “It’s a sign of the times. And we’re going to sort it out.”
The society says it has launched the Save Our Festival campaign with three goals: to raise funds, recruit volunteers, and strengthen its board of directors.
Volunteers are desperately needed for fundraising, marketing support, and festival grounds crew, the society says.
When it comes to board members, it’s particularly looking for those with financial, marketing and event-planning expertise.
More information can be found online at nlfolk.com.
Thank you so much, Tara, for sharing our story!
Please help Save Our Festival and donate today. Every little bit helps.
