Even though their tickets are selling like hot dogs, Quebec festival organizers are still grappling with runaway inflation that would cause operating costs to rise by as much as 50%.
“I’ve never worried so much about my finances and my budget as I did this year,” says the director of the Festif! by Baie-Saint-Paul, Clément Turgeon.
“If everything goes well, we continue to sell tickets, beer sales are good and the weather is good, we should be fine, but we’re less comfortable than other years,” he added.
He, along with other colleagues, regrets that Heritage Canada has decided to bring its subsidies back to pre-COVID-19 levels. “It’s a $35,000 to $40,000 drop,” he said.
Rising prices are nothing new. As early as 2022, during the post-pandemic recovery, festivals had to cope with significant cost increases. The phenomenon is far from calming down in 2023, everyone stated.
“To put on the same festival as before the pandemic, you have to invest 25 to 50% more money. The increase in artists’ fees this year is greater than last year’, explains the General Director of the FestiVoix de Trois-Rivières, Thomas Grégoire.
difficult decisions
They all try not to pass the bill on to festival-goers by capping ticket price hikes to stay accessible.
“People already have to pay for travel, accommodation and food. More than 80% of our customers are out-of-town and at least two hours away. We don’t want to put additional pressure on the finances,” says Julien Pinardon, who directs the Festival de la chanson de Tadoussac.
Certain events are therefore called to make decisions.
“I eliminated some small ideas to prioritize others that are more interesting to the festival experience,” says La Noce Saguenay general manager Frédéric Poulin.
“Either we have to increase ticket prices or we do fewer free shows, but when we get there it kills the experience and spontaneity. Otherwise there may be a reduction in the number of artists on the free stages. It’s pretty annoying,” says Clément Turgeon.
The volunteers return
At least the labor shortage isn’t as severe as it was in 2022, when organizers were scrambling to find workers and volunteers.
“In recent years we have had to advertise on Facebook. This year we already have 130 registered volunteers without a call for tenders and 150 are needed,” says Frédéric Poulin happily.
The same positive observation in Trois-Rivières, according to Thomas Grégoire.
“Last year the search for volunteers required a large recruitment effort. Conversely, we are working at full capacity this year.”
Almost all Quebecers attend a festival
Despite inflation, organizers can be on the safe side: festival-goers will be there.
According to a survey by Événements Attractions Québec, the results of which were released last week, more than nine in 10 Quebecers plan to attend at least one festival, event or attraction this coming summer.
This wave of enthusiasm can be felt at the various festival cash registers.
In Quebec City, home of Foo Fighters, Imagine Dragons and Green Day, all general admission tickets for the summer festival sold out in a record two hours. “It shows people’s connection to the festival,” notes new managing director Nicolas Racine.
FestiVoix is also sold out in Trois-Rivières. “In two or three weeks we’ve sold all our passes,” says Thomas Grégoire, who is expecting Sean Paul and Patrick Bruel in particular on his stages.
On the Tadoussac side, on the other hand, we note that sales are slower than in 2022, but director Julien Pinardon is not worried. “It’s not alarming. We still have 40% sales ahead of us, but it’s no different than before the pandemic. Now that we have the freedom to do what we do again, people might make last-minute decisions.