Vancouver International Children’s Festival (VICF) fundraising in the past few months has been sufficient to ensure the 35-year-old festival’s survival.
Festival executive director Katharine Carol had feared the annual extravaganza would die, despite cost-saving moves such as moving to smaller facilities on Granville Island.
A fundraising drive following its May 30 through June 5 festival generated about $40,000 – good enough to balance the festival’s $1.4 million budget in 2010-11 and chip between $25,000 and $30,000 off the festival’s $145,000 debt.
The festival drew about 30,000 attendees this year in a smaller venue behind the Granville Island Kids Market and in Sutcliffe Park. Previous festivals were held in Vanier Park and drew a high of about 40,000 people.
“I don’t think the festival will ever be as big as it was in Vanier Park because we don’t have the capacity,” Carol told Business in Vancouver October 6.
“We’ve managed the budget very carefully and the move to Granville Island has allowed some leeway.”
Glen Korstrom
@GlenKorstrom