'Save our Festival': Folk Arts Society works toward $140k fundraising goal

Abby Cole · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 20, 2025 11:30 AM EDT | Last Updated: 2 minutes ago

The Newfoundland and Labrador Folk Arts Society is feeling much optimistic astir its aboriginal aft receiving an outpouring of enactment from the community. 

On April 19, the festival held a payment performance to "Save Our Festival," astatine Quidi Vidi brewery. The brewery was packed afloat of guests and featured philharmonic acts each time long. 

Board President Julie Vogt, who stepped retired of status to unpaid for the society, was thrilled to spot the assemblage travel unneurotic to enactment the festival. 

"It's not conscionable astir the wealth today," said Vogt. "It's besides astir community. Bringing the assemblage unneurotic to enactment thing that can't beryllium mislaid successful this province."

Vogt is simply a erstwhile enforcement manager of the Society. When she saw the fiscal problems the nine was experiencing, Vogt said she felt it was important that she instrumentality and effort to assistance it proceed arsenic overmuch arsenic she could.

Knowing however important the N.L. Folk Festival is to the province, Vogt said earlier shutting the doors they should fto the assemblage determine if the festival should unrecorded on. 

"Look astatine this. It's packed. There's not a spot available," said Vogt. "People are present to enactment us, perceive to this large euphony and person a enactment and say, 'yeah, you're gonna beryllium around.'"

Justin Fong, co-owner of Quidi Vidi Brewery, said helium jumped astatine the accidental to big the fundraising event. When helium heard astir its fiscal issues, helium wanted to enactment the people festival.

"I couldn't truly representation a Newfoundland summertime without having a folk festival weekend," said Fong. 

$140k needed

In January, the nine announced they were having fiscal difficulties and arsenic a effect laid disconnected 5 staffers. 

Since then, Vogt said they were capable to rehire their logistics coordinator, nevertheless the committee members are still all volunteers. 

"We each felt that the remainder needed to beryllium volunteers until we tin beryllium assured that we are financially dependable and delivering the products that we request to beryllium delivering," said Vogt. 

She said she was besides "gobsmacked" to spot donations rotation successful from each implicit the world, including Switzerland and the United States. 

In a travel up email, Vogt said their extremity was to raise $7,000 astatine the payment concert. While they don't cognize the numbers yet, she expects they succeeded that extremity owed to the monolithic attendance. 

Their eventual fundraising extremity is $140,000, which they'll scope successful 2 phases. Phase 1 involves fundraising $40,000 themselves, and signifier 2 involves raising $100,000 from firm and instauration sponsors. 

Vogt said the payment performance puts them astatine astir $30,000, and now, they person 10 days to rise the last $10,000 from backstage donors earlier moving connected to signifier two. 

Festival plans underway

As for the festival, a day has been acceptable for July 11-13, with passes going connected merchantability April 30. 

Despite the fiscal setbacks, Vogt said the lawsuit will be happening arsenic performer deposits person already been sent. 

While the afloat festival lineup volition beryllium retired April 23, Vogt said up and coming people radical Salt Beef Junkies volition beryllium opening up the festival. 

They will besides beryllium keeping the intoxicant depletion rules the aforesaid arsenic past year, with a licence to portion intoxicant successful the full main signifier area. 

Fong besides said helium is excited for Quidi Vidi Brewery to have a brew structure astatine the festival for the 5th twelvemonth successful a row. 

"If ever you were going to bargain a summons to the people festival, delight fto it beryllium this year," said Vogt.

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