Public funding cuts to the 26th annual Vancouver International Jazz Festival, which starts tonight and runs until July 3, will mean a smaller festival than in past years.
“We don’t have as many concerts as we normally would,” Coastal Jazz and Blues Society executive director Fatima Amarshi told Business in Vancouver.
“The festival is the same number of days as last year. It’s 10 days and we will have a fabulous range of concerts happening throughout Vancouver.”
Some highlights this year will be Madeleine Peyroux, Colin James and Steve Earle.
In past years, the Orpheum was used by the festival on many nights. This year it will only be in use during concerts from Wynton Marsalis and from Paco de Lucia and Band.
The festival’s budget has been shrinking in recent years.
This year’s budget is $3.4 million – 30% less than the $4.8 million budget the festival had in 2009, when its 10-day extravaganza showcased 1,800 musicians at 40 venues attracting more than 500,000 spectators.
“The collective impact of the loss of gaming funds due to the change in eligibility requirements, the cuts to the British Columbia Arts Council, the end of [Ottawa’s] Marquee Tourism program and the discontinuation of support after the Olympics has meant a cut of approximately $1 million in our budget this year,” Amarshi told BIV.
She estimated that, in 2010, the festival generated more than $35 million in economic activity, 153 full-time jobs and about $4.3 million in taxes.
Last year, Amarshi oversaw 12 full-time employees, 95 seasonal workers and 1,000 volunteers. (See “Fatima Amarshi profile” – issue 1074; May 25-31.)
Glen Korstrom
Twitter: GlenKorstrom