It has been a tradition for 18 years offering young and old a place to hang out, go on rides, listen to bands under the stars and look at local artists, organizations and crafts. That tradition is now coming to an end because the Oakville Waterfront festival has been cancelled indefinitely.
Some may say it is the latest victim during hard times but the $30,000 deficit from last year was too much to allow it to continue.
Lower attendance can be blamed by the lousy rain. We ourselves missed out on a concert because of rain and flu at home.
The festival operates mainly on sponsorships. The festival attracts around 110,000 people over the weekend but again bad weather really affected last year’s attendance.
The festival was not only the town’s largest outdoor events but it ranked Ontario’s Top 50 Festivals.
In addition to providing entertainment, it has also donated more than $1.9 million in the 18 years to the community groups that volunteer at the festival.
The festival may come back but not for 2010 and only with community-wide reaction warranting its return.
Let us know what you think in Speak Your Mind below.
Having been born and brought up in oakville, I can speak openly and honestly regarding the festival. I always felt that having to pay to gain entrance to a normally public park was ridiculous. I went to the festival one year, and was sorely disappointed. Perhaps if the price of admission had not gone up so drastically in the last few years, attendance would not have been an issue. You don’t need to charge in order to make money. Weather, unless tornadoe or other wise, really is not a great indicator of lowered attendance. I personally know at least 20 people who did not attend the last few years simply because of outrageous admission fees! Let’s look at the Burlington SOM festival. No admission fees, much more to do, wider variety of activities spaning a larger age range, lots of volunteers, AND the festival manages to rake it in year after year. The oakville and Burlington festivals are pretty much the same thing with one major difference – admission fees to A PARK OUR TAX DOLLARS PAID FOR. let’s call a spade a spade, the municipal government in oakville has always been greedy, taking more than their fair share, and it has finally caught up with them. So hats off guys!! Good work!! You managed to take away the one thing your citizens loved, all over greed. I hope your proud of yourselves. By the way, anyone who says or infers that politics have nothing to do with it is dead wrong. But no worries oakvillians, the SOM festival will welcome you with open arms, and they won’t even charge you for it!!
Oh, one more point regarding the weather issue. Several years it poured during the SOM festival and the park and downtown core remained packed. We would go wearing garbage bags and dollar store flip flops if that’s what it took. So no, weather really isn’t a good excuse for lowered attendance and a growing deficit. But I’ll give an A for effort!
We agree with Lizzy. Once the festival condensed from the 3 parks down to one it just didn’t have the same feel either. You could hop the bus for free from downtown to Bronte & enjoy music and local talent, & we even saved those badges that were your entry pass. My 2 kids under 10 didn’t even want to go anymore once they changed everything, money wasn’t their issue. You had to pay more to get in then still pay for everything inside, & there was less variety… doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure it out guys.
Sad management decisions are more to blame than the weather, maybe it’ll come back someday, and recapture the feeling of the first 15 years after looking at the lessons of the last three. Cheers.
Totally agree with the above two letters. First year great. Loved the activities downtown Lakeside park off Navy….loved the classicial music in that park by lake on Sunday….recreation of a settlement villlage, pony rides. Shuttle to coronation. Fun stuff good price. Then they amalgamated it all to coronation park and brought in the rides from the company that puts them in parking lots but you still had to pay for the stuff inside. Pay to see people want to sell you stuff? Bad food. Only the entertainmnet at night was good.