Countryfest struggles to recover from COVID

Dauphin’s Countryfest is pushing to get ticket sales back to pre-COVID levels because the future of the event is at stake, its vice-president said.

Countryfest vice-president Bob Gilroy told the Sun in March that the non-profit is encouraging support for the festival. Organizers are calling on locals to consider the festival this year as ticket sales pose a threat to the festival as a result of the COVID pandemic.

“We need to get back to the days prior to COVID,” said Gilroy. “Each year, the ticket sales have gone up but they are still not at a point for long-term viability of the festival.”

Southern Manitoba, such as areas like Brandon and Winnipeg, are some areas that have not been coming out as much in recent years, Gilroy said.

Ticket sales are the main source of income for the non-profit. As people changed their habits following lockdowns in 2019, many local events have faced existential threats in lower turnouts.

“Edmonton and Regina are two examples of places that lost festivals recently,” said Gilroy in a phone call with the Sun. “Ticket sales (for many things) have not been there since COVID.”

He mentioned that other events have likely been impacted similarly to Countryfest, such as ticket sales for live sports teams and fairs. The ripple effects have led to many concerns for entertainment events.

To combat this struggle locally, the City of Dauphin recently signed an agreement with Countryfest. The city signed a five-year sponsorship that totals $100,000, as a way to support the festival as it recovers its numbers.

Dauphin Mayor David Bosiak told the Sun it is an upfront payment for five years of sponsorship.

“The city is aware that Countryfest has struggled financially since COVID, and their cumulative debt has grown, so much so that it was impacting their ability to put on the festival this year,” said Bosiak. “If they failed, partner organizations like Selo Ukraina (home of the festival) and the Ukrainian Festival could also be negatively impacted.”

The Dauphin mayor said the city wants to keep the event going for several reasons.

Bosiak told the Sun that the event is a large support for the area. Along with the Ukrainian Festival, the two festivals contributed over $5 million in stimulus to the local economy, the city found in a study last year. And, Countryfest made other contributions to Dauphin such as a skateboard park and a theatre.

“The city didn’t want to wait for someone else to help … during their good financial times they contributed much to the city.”

Gilroy said the festival is looking for support from locals now more than ever. He encouraged residents to spend their summer here at home in Manitoba and include Countryfest in their plans.

The non-profit organization that runs the festival needs a good year to bring the event back to a healthy standing for the future, he said.

“Success and/or lack of success will always play a large part in the risk factor of any festival. Our success is largely dependant on ticket sales from year to year. Our goal for this year is to get back to pre-COVID sales numbers.”

Dauphin’s Countryfest runs from June 26 to 29 this year.

»cmcdowell@brandonsun.com