Organizer pulls plug on Merritt festival
Event cancelled for second time in three years
For the second time in three years, the organizer of the Merritt Mountain Music Festival has cancelled the summer country music extravaganza due to declining ticket sales.
Organizer Claude Lelievre rebooted the 18- year- old festival last year and planned on holding the 2012 edition July 19 to 22. A statement posted on the festival website said ticket sales got off to a promising start last October, but slowed to the point organizers had to “re- think” going ahead with the event.
The four- day festival that bills itself as Canada’s premier country music showcase and takes place in a community that calls itself the nation’s country music capital was also cancelled in 2010 due to low ticket sales. The online statement asks anyone who has purchased tickets to seek a refund through their credit card company.
“We all kind of knew something was going on because the big names weren’t there,” said Linda Corscadden, vice- president of the British Columbia Country Music Association. “But it was still kind of a shock.”
Corscadden said over the years the festival brought in country superstars including Reba Mcentire and Alan Jackson, but it also helped support local B. C. talent.
Last summer, Lelievre said he had his family’s best interests at heart when he decided to shut down the four- day country music event in 2010 after a 17- year run.
“We aren’t broke. We just don’t want to lose the rest of the goddamned land we own,” he told The Sun in an interview in 2009.
Lelievre confirmed the festival lost money in 2008 and 2009 even after attracting top acts such as Kenny Chesney, Steve Miller Band and The Judds. The festival needed 18,000 paying customers to make a profit, yet managed an attendance in 2009 of just 12,000. A daily total of 7,000 people showed up for the four- day festival in 2008, down from a daily peak of 32,000 in 2005 thanks to headliner Tim Mcgraw.