Motion calls on council to create Vancouver festival support fund

People gather around the main float during the Vaisakhi parade in Vancouver, B.C., Saturday, April 12, 2025. Vaisakhi is a significant holiday on the Sikh calendar, commemorating the establishment of the Khalsa in 1699 and marking the beginning of the Punjabi harvest year. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ethan Cairns

A new motion will be brought to Vancouver city council Wednesday in hopes of keeping struggling festivals and public events in the city afloat.

Vancouver councillor and mayoral candidate Pete Fry is proposing the creation of a dedicated festival support fund, to provide stable, transparent and multi-year financial assistance to qualifying events.

The motion cites the economic, cultural and community-building impacts of festivals, many of which have had to scale back or be called off altogether in recent years.

Rising costs, loss of sponsors and declining government support are all being blamed for the financial challenges organizers are facing.

The Celebration of Light was cancelled indefinitely this year, after what organizers say was “months of outreach to governments and the business community.” The annual fireworks festival at English Bay has drawn more than a million spectators to the beach every summer for decades.

Earlier this year, council approved a $2 million plan to replace the tradition with a one-night fireworks display this August.

Vancouver Car Free Day events were also cancelled this year, until council approved $30,000 in funding to save them.

Fry also cites the Vancouver International Jazz Festival, Vancouver Pride and Khatsalano festival as reporting significant financial strain.

Another motion to be brought to council Wednesday asks for a one-time grant of up to $45,000 for the Vancouver Vaisakhi Parade and Festival.

The motion, submitted by Mayor Ken Sim and Coun. Mike Klassen, cites a budget shortfall, despite what they are calling strong fundraising efforts by the Khalsa Diwan Society.

The Vancouver Vaisakhi Parade is one of the largest single-day festivals in the city, attracting up to 250,000 people every year. The free community event has been held annually since 1979, with a pause during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fry’s motion for a dedicated municipal funding program aims to move away from this kind of emergency ad-hoc funding, stating that local event producers are still struggling, despite these interventions.

With files from CTV News Vancouver’s Kaija Jussinoja