Multiple arts festivals in the Comox Valley will be getting an extra boost from the province for 2023 and 2024.
The province announced the $30 million in support of the events in February and recipients have been named as of Tuesday, with 11 Comox Valley festivals and events getting cheques.
The largest funding allocation will go to Vancouver Island MusicFest at $134,000, with the next being the Filberg Festival with $37,900 in funding.
A breakdown of the funding is as follows:
- Vancouver Island MusicFest – $134,000
- Filberg Festival 2023 – $37,900
- BC Seafood Festival – $36,300
- Comox Nautical Days Festival – $13,800
- Comox Valley Snow to Surf Relay – $9,400
- 2023 Courtenay Canada Day Celebrations – $8,400
- Comox Valley International Film Festival – $2,600
- Comox Dragon Boat Festival – $2,500
- Downtown Comox Summer Fest – $2,000
- Shoreline Orthodontics Tri-K Triathlon – $2,000
- Courtenay BCCF Chorfest 2023 – $2,000
According to the B.C. government’s February announcement, grant amounts can be up to 20 per cent of the total event budget with a maximum of $250,000 and organizations hosting multiple events are capped at $500,000.
Minister of tourism, arts, culture and sport Lana Popham says the past three years have been very difficult for many festivals in the province and the funding will help bring joy to British Columbians and support the economy.
