The White Rock International Music Festival has been shelved – for now.
Organizer Janice Savage, of Beyond Scarlett Arts and Entertainment Group, said Monday the inaugural festival, planned for the weekend of July 21-22, has had to be put on hold, “due to the current economic climate and time limitations.”
Savage said she and her team will begin the fundraising and approval process now so that the concept – a free festival which would bring a wide variety of music ranging from rock, pop and jazz to symphonic to a stage adjacent to the white rock – can become a reality by next summer.
“It was a really hard decision – it came down to that we could do a mediocre (event) now or do a really good festival next year,” Savage said, adding she didn’t want to make the event smaller or move it out of the city.
“It will be even bigger… because we have everything in place, we have a great base. This gives us a chance to get better-funded, and use some more creative fundraising ideas.”
Savage had sought to emphasize acts from outside of the Peninsula, rather than well-known local groups that are already likely to be featured in events before and after the festival, such as Canada Day celebrations and the Spirit of the Sea Festival.
“We had such a great response this year from Australia, the U.S. and across Canada. Everyone seems fine with doing it next year instead – and we’re already receiving applications for 2013.”
While are no plans to feature children’s entertainers, the concept – planned in co-ordination with the White Rock BIA – is aimed at being family-friendly, with food vendors near the stage area, and a strong representation from local restaurants.