Mayor Olivia Chow announces $2 million in funding to support Toronto’s festivals

On Saturday, July 20, Mayor Olivia Chow announced the City of Toronto’s new Special Events Stabilization Initiative (SESI), a one-time pilot grant program providing a total of up to $2 million in financial relief to local special event organizers affected by rising operating costs, especially those related to health, safety and security of the general public and event attendees.  SESI will be launched in August and run as a one-year pilot program. It is expected to support approximately 40 special event organizers by helping to defray the significant financial pressures facing not-for-profit special event organizers from the increased costs in recent years related to public safety measures, such as security, crowd management, insurance and health and safety.  See the full announcement.Ottawa Festival Network (OFN) applauds the City of Toronto’s new initiative and the recognition that artistic and cultural festivals are a critical driver of a city’s socioeconomic growth and vitality.Ottawa-based festivals, particularly not-for-profit organizations, are facing the same financial pressures as its counterparts in Toronto. The rising cost of operations, due to inflation, supply chain disruption, and extreme weather events, make it harder and harder to produce events at price points that are palatable to the general public.Ottawa saw a 17.5 per cent increase in the average cost of living between 2017 and 2022, so understandably, with less disposable income it sometimes becomes a choice between attending events or making ends meet. Concurrently, the sector has also been navigating an increasingly unpredictable and more competitive public funding landscape in Ottawa, which at the start of 2024 left many notable festivals resorting to emergency measures, staff layoffs and reductions in programming to get by.The festival sector has shown unwavering resilience and creativity to overcome these ongoing challenges. We are also seeing exciting new developments and collaborations that are supported by the City of Ottawa and key industry stakeholders, such as the appointment of Nightlife Commissioner, the recently launched Downtown Ottawa Action Agenda, the merger between Arts Network Ottawa and Ottawa Arts Council, and ongoing investments to make Ottawa into a Music City, to name a few. Ottawa Festival Network continues to hold active and engaged conversations with industry stakeholders and city officials to identify the root causes behind the issues facing our industry and develop actionable solutions that capitalize on natural synergies across sectors. Through its ongoing advocacy and suite of support services, OFN works to ensure the events we all know and love can continue for years to come and that those with the vision and passion to bring new festivals into the mix are encouraged and supported in doing so. Stay up to date with OFN: #OttFestBiz Industry Newsletter