3 Hamilton festivals get loans from Ottawa to help in a year with tourism uncertainty

Three salient Hamilton festivals — FrancoFEST, Because Beer, and Festitalia — are receiving loans worthy $320,000 from the national authorities to enactment their growth, pull much visitors and boost the section economy. 

The backing for these festivals is being provided by the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario) arsenic portion of its Tourism Growth Program. The backing was announced connected March 7. 

While the fiscal enactment volition assistance grow the events, immoderate of the festival organizers are disquieted astir the interaction of ongoing tariff war, including a imaginable diminution successful U.S. attendance this year.

Lanciné Koulibaly is manager wide of Centre Francophone Hamilton which runs FrancoFEST, an lawsuit serving the section Francophone assemblage that has been moving for much than 35 years. It takes spot implicit 3 days successful June. 

Koulibaly said contempt the caller funding, helium feels disquieted astir the twelvemonth ahead. 

"We are expecting immoderate diminution successful U.S. attendance, particularly with the existent economical clime and the tariff situation," helium told CBC Hamilton this week. 

But the funds volition help, helium added, and let FrancoFEST and different section festivals to marque a bigger impact, peculiarly successful attracting caller audiences locally and creating economical opportunities for Hamilton's section businesses. FrancoFEST is expecting astir 6,000 radical this year, helium said. 

Because Beer expanding to Guelph

Meanwhile, Tim Potocic, laminitis of Sonic Unyon Records which runs the Because Beer Craft Beer Festival, is hoping a favourable speech complaint of the Canadian dollar could promote U.S. visitors.

The backing volition let his squad to grow the festival into Guelph, successful summation to Hamilton, and to "enhance the wide experience," said Potocic, whose squad besides runs Supercrawl and lawsuit abstraction Bridgeworks. 

Because Beer, which archetypal launched successful 2014, is expecting astir 10,000 radical to be successful Hamilton this twelvemonth — it runs astatine Pier 4 Park successful July — and different 3,000-5,000 successful Guelph.

However, Potocic emphasized, backing awarded to the festivals is not a assistance but a repayable loan. The $185,000 Because Beer received has a two-year repayment program starting successful January 2027, helium said. 

Both Potocic and Koulibaly said that their squad had applied for a higher magnitude but are blessed with what they received. FrancoFest is receiving $38,500 and Festitalia $100,000.

"It's allowing america to concern an enlargement astatine a higher level than I would person been capable to connected my own,"  Potocic said. 

CBC Hamilton reached retired to the organizers of Festitalia, which celebrates 50 years this twelvemonth during a two-expo successful June, but did not person a effect earlier publication.