Buskers festival to return next year, if finances come together

Victoria’s International Buskers Festival will return with an all-star selection of performers in 2014 — if it can get stable base funding, executive director John Vickers says.

“There’s every reason to expect another event,” said Vickers, whose group issued a statement Monday touting the success of the 2013 10-day festival that ended last week.

“We are a non-profit that, unfortunately, is in need of some funding for the fall,” Vickers said.

“But I remain optimistic in the coming weeks with conversations with our various downtown partners, as well as with the provincial government, that we can find some funds to keep everything going.”

Securing $30,000 to $40,000 of the annual $190,000 budget would help pay for planning the event in the fall, which is when the performers are booked, said Vickers.

“It’s tough particularly when we really don’t make any significant amount of money during the festival itself,” he said.

“I might do $3,000 worth of merchandising, but the money the audience pays primarily goes to the international performers.”

An estimated 200,000 people watched the performances this year on stages throughout the downtown core, which the festival says was the most in its three-year history.

The buskers festival receives federal and municipal grants, but nothing from the provincial government.

That’s partly because it doesn’t qualify for provincial arts grants due to its use of international talent, Vickers said.

If the festival can sort out financing, it plans to bring back the most popular performers from previous years into an all-star format in 2014, he said.

The festival likely had a more than $4-million economic benefit for the region this year, Vickers said.