Organizers at Canada’s summer music festivals say even as pandemic restrictions lift and live concerts return to some semblance of normalcy, it's anything but normal behind the scenes.
While concertgoers descend on outdoor events, the people leading the country's largest music gatherings are facing a long list of anxieties — from travel delays to COVID-19 illnesses — that have made putting together a festival even more tumultuous, costly and unpredictable.
In recent weeks, festival leaders have convened through texts and phone conversations to share the hurdles of running a successful event in 2022. They've talked about rising costs tied to inflation, supply issues for stage equipment and a shortage of experienced workers. "Flights were cancelled altogether or postponed to another day, which really doesn't work if you're playing that evening," she said.The emergency backup plan worked. Only one of the acts didn't make it on time, she said. And yet, that hasn't necessarily assured other music festivals on the calendar.
Other events haven’t been so lucky with COVID. The Regina Folk Festival announced earlier this month that Buffy Sainte-Marie was cancelling her Aug. 6 headlining gig after contracting the virus. "I'm hearing it across North America, that's the reality right now. The unemployment rate is super low, and it's harder to get and keep people engaged."
"We're talking fences, stages, gear, backline , porta-potties. You know, all the things that you need to have a safe event," she said of organizing the mid-July festival.
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