The Folk Arts Society and its festival are in 'severe danger' of shutting down due to shaky finances

Maddie Ryan · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 13, 2025 3:49 PM EDT | Last Updated: 12 minutes ago

A pillar of Newfoundland and Labrador's philharmonic scenery is astatine hazard of collapsing. 

The Newfoundland and Labrador Folk Arts Society launched a "Save our Festival" run Thursday, appealing to corporations and the nationalist for donations to assistance support it and its annual people festival running.

"We are successful danger, successful terrible information of closing not conscionable the people festival, but the Folk Art Society arsenic a whole. And cipher wants that," erstwhile enforcement manager and existent committee president Julie Vogt told CBC News on Thursday.

The festival, which has been moving for astir 50 years, mislaid the enactment astir $104,000 past year.

Now, the nine is moving connected empty.

Vogt, who near her post in August, is backmost arsenic a volunteer during her status to get the enactment retired of its sticky fiscal situation. She's drawing from her extended acquisition arsenic an accountant.

A deficiency of fiscal cognition is communal successful arts organizations and different non-profits, she said, and the Folk Arts Society was nary exception.

"They recruited, I believe, 5 times and could not get a qualified treasurer to spell connected the board," Vogt said. "So, the weeks [after the festival] turned into months and they had nary bully fiscal statements."

It isn't the archetypal clip the enactment recovered itself successful a pugnacious spot financially. According to Vogt, it was "at the bottommost of the well" successful 2019, erstwhile the group lost implicit $80,000.

But erstwhile the 2024 festival play rolled around, Vogt said the Folk Arts Society had $45,000 of reserve funds. That reserve has since dried up, and the Folk Arts Society is pleading for help.

Will determination beryllium another festival?

The 2025 festival is already connected the docket for July 11, conscionable 4 months away.

Vogt is optimistic that it volition inactive spell ahead.

"We are going to crook this astir with firm donations," she said.

The Folk Arts Society is unfastened to sponsorship offers, and is seeking donations from people lovers each implicit the country. The committee is besides seeking to enlistee much volunteers and imaginable committee members.

Despite the fiscal troubles, Vogt says the enactment tin beryllium trusted with those donations.

"The finances are present good successful manus erstwhile again," she said.

"I'm back. I told the board, 'fine, I americium not leaving.'"

In the meantime, the program is to tally the festival with volunteers and a tiny paid staf. That is if the committee tin cod capable donations. 

Vogt is refusing to fto the Newfoundland and Labrador Folk Festival conscionable the aforesaid destiny arsenic the precocious shuttered Vancouver and Regina festivals.

"We're moving our mode east," Vogt said. "Who's next? Don't fto it beryllium us."

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