A week and a half after thousands rocked out at Big Music Fest, the festival remains a subject of discussion.
A Kitchener resident has started a petition, calling for part of the $270,000 grant the festival received from the province to be refunded.
“I’m all for supporting the arts, and I’m a big fan of live music – but in this case, I think that the festival didn’t deliver on what was promised, so the full amount should somehow not be given,” Joe Cormier said in an interview.
When the lineup for this year’s Big Music Fest – the second one to be held at McLennan Park – was announced, there appeared to be more on tap than for the festival’s local debut.
A week-long series of events in downtown Kitchener were added to the schedule, which included a battle of the bands-style competition and two day-long concerts.
One month before the festival, organizers announced that the Sunday show – scheduled to feature Rod Stewart and Blondie, among other acts – was cancelled.
Kitchener-Conestoga MPP Michael Harris has also taken up the fight, asking Ontario’s tourism minister if changes to the festival can prompt changes in the grant money it receives.
He said Wednesday afternoon that he had yet to receive a response – and questioned whether the shorter festival brought the same benefits for local hotels and restaurants that 2014’s two-day affair did.
“Folks may have just decided to come into town that day and go home that night,” the Progressive Conservative said.
“I think it’s fair for the question to be asked.”
Not every big-budget music festival receives grant money.
In June, Hedley, Big Wreck and The Trews were among the main acts at WTFest in Brantford’s Lions Park.
Jamie Stephens, who promoted that event, says he applied for a similar grant and was turned down – and calls the idea of cancelling a full day of the show a “nightmare scenario” for anyone in the festival game.
“I feel bad for the festival promoters, but I also understand where the patrons are coming from,” he said.
Stephens said he plans to apply for grant money again in 2016.
Cormier admits he doesn’t know what effect his petition will have, but says he’s just hoping to raise the issue.
“I don’t know if anything’s going to change, but at least we’re talking about it now,” he said.
In an email addressed to Harris and provided to CTV News, Big Music Fest promoter Mark Higgins said the grant was "integral" in expanding the festival to include the events in downtown Kitchener.
"This year was a tougher year for us, but we will be back next year, bigger and better than ever," he said.
"Last year, we brought more than $7 million in economic stimulus to the Downtown Kitchener area. Next year, we hope to surpass this."
Big Music Fest will be held at McLennan Park for "a minimum of 10 years," Higgins said in the email.
