The Summer in the City board recently delivered their annual presentation to Steinbach's Strategic Priorities Committee (SPC), sharing both highlights from previous years and plans for the festival's future.
Steinbach Deputy Mayor Michael Zwaagstra says the report offered a look at how the event has grown and what lies ahead.
“What we've seen is that the Summer in the City has certainly grown. We're very pleased with the success of this festival, it's become a staple in Manitoba, and it's become widely known.”
As the festival continues to thrive in many ways, Zwaagstra notes that success comes with its own set of challenges, particularly the rising costs of securing headline performers.
“That has made it very hard for them to make their bottom line, and obviously they don't want to sacrifice any of the other aspects of the festival. So, what they've been wrestling with and the challenge they shared was that it's hard to have the headline acts that are very expensive, and also keep the ticket prices affordable, and have all the other events going on. We certainly had a good some good discussion about how we best move forward to make sure that the festival continues being successful in the future.”
Board Chair Audrey Harder revealed that the festival has been running a $30,000 deficit annually.
“When you're paying for the bands that we're trying to bring in, you're paying $150,000. Our budget for that area, including stage and everything, is $170,000. So, you're looking at this large chunk of money that we don't have, and this time in our lives is very, very difficult. So, sponsorships are a bit down, and the community has high expectations, and we're really struggling with being able to meet those expectations.”
To help offset some of the increasing expenses, the board is asking city council to boost their annual grant by $15,000.
“This is something that we will have to look at when we do our budget process later this year,” Zwaagstra says. “Obviously, we get requests from a number of organizations for grants and for grant increases. And so, we certainly do take the request seriously, and we will ensure that it gets a proper discussion when we do our budget deliberations later this year.”
Despite the financial strain, the Summer in the City team is committed to improving the festival and exploring new ways to increase revenue without adding to the cost burden.
Some ideas floated for next year include social events on the street, using only tribute acts, adjusting the festival's focus, or even removing one of the concerts.
“We've talked about a variety of ways, and we mentioned some of them to the city council as well, not that we have any permanent ideas in place, but we talked about do we even have a headliner, do we not, what do we do,” Harder says.
Mayor Earl Funk is optimistic about the board’s vision going forward.
“I think this will be an amazing Summer in the City, and so will the next ones. Will things change from time to time? Yes, they will. But they'll change for the better and they'll change for it to become more financially sustainable. And I think we have a great staff there, great crew, they've got a great plan, and I just support them 100%.”
In addition to the financial discussion, the meeting also marked a significant leadership transition. Several board members announced they would be stepping down from their roles, including Chair Audrey Harder, Vice-Chair Cathy Jago, Festival Operations Chair Graham Pollock, and Secretary Jo-Anne Izatt.
“We're having a big shift in board members. We have three really great board members that are there right now. So, we're just looking for people to step into those roles, and that has not been an easy task either,” Harder says.
While stepping down is bittersweet, Harder says it is time to enjoy the festival from a new perspective.
“None of us are leaving because it's not a good thing, we're leaving because we're tired. We do this every year, 12 months a year, and work really hard. We do it all for free, and we love our community, and that's why we do it, but it's somebody else's turn I think, and we need a break, and we can love and enjoy the festival from a different perspective.”
Harder says there is a simple way for the community to make this event a success.
“To sponsor, to buy tickets, to be at the festival and love the festival. Love your community, and share it with others, and invite people. Make it what it really is!”
Despite the changes and challenges, Mayor Funk encourages the board to keep pushing forward with confidence.
“The Summer in the City director committee, they’ve seen that dream and they’ve taken that vision and they want to celebrate the culture, our culture,” Funk says. “It's been so successful, they've done such a great job. And I'm just looking forward to it again.”
With files from Judy Peters and Carly Koop