Festivals in a funk

Major events still struggle to rebound from pandemic, rising costs

- FRANCINE KOPUN

Last year’s Toronto Caribbean Carnival, Pride, and Taste of the Danforth. 

Toronto is a city of festivals, but two years after pandemic restrictions were lifted, even big names in the sector are struggling to attract audiences, pay down debt and meet steeply rising costs of production.

“We just went through a global pandemic, which broke the pattern with audiences — whether it’s paid or free audiences,” said Celia Smith, CEO of Luminato, the city’s international arts festival.

“I think people got used to staying at home.”

Some festivals were operating close to the margins before the pandemic and were pushed into debt after having to shutter events, or move them online, during successive lockdowns. Inflation has affected everything from labour to the cost of food, costumes and security services. The city, aware of these challenges, is working on a strategy to support festivals, and set aside $10 million in the 2024 budget for festival security costs.

But some are calling it quits — at least for now.

The company that runs the Just for Laughs comedy festival in Montreal and Toronto recently sought creditor protection under the Bankruptcy Act in the hopes that it can restructure and return to the stage in 2025. It owes $22.5 million. 

Taste of the Danforth pulled the plug on 2024, after emerging from its 2023 festival with a deficit due mostly to the increased cost of staging the event. Attendance remained down in 2023, at about 1.2 million visitors, compared to 1.6 million pre-pandemic.