The cancellation of the Kaslo Jazz Etc. Festival is expected to hit the local business community the hardest as the village braces for the loss of one of its biggest tourism drivers.
While the decision is disappointing, Mayor Suzan Hewat said she understands why organizers made the call.
“It’s really unfortunate that it’s come to that place, but I totally understand from what I’ve been hearing. It was the wise decision for them to make at this time,” said Hewat.
The long-running festival – known for drawing thousands of visitors to the village each summer – has been cancelled in its traditional format for 2026 as organizers face financial challenges.
Hewat said the biggest impact won’t necessarily be on the municipality itself but on local businesses that rely on the influx of visitors.
“The increase in the number of people that would come through our community over that weekend has been a boost for many years,” said Hewat.
“And, you know, some would say it doesn’t benefit them, but it did benefit many businesses.”
She said restaurant and tourism-based businesses typically see a surge in customers during the festival weekend as visitors explore outside the venue.
“Festival goers would come out into the community and just to explore what we have to offer. The local tourist shops benefit because people from out of town would want to come and see what kind of things that Kaslo has to offer them,” said Hewat.
“And many of the people, who visited as Jazz Fest patrons have turned around and become regular visitors. Some of them have even moved to our community because of what they’ve experienced from the people of Kaslo.”
The village itself is limited in how much support it can offer as the festival works to restructure.
“We don’t have the financial resources to get them the assistance they need. The village has always supported them with in-kind work to support putting on the festival. But as a small community of around 1,000 people, we can’t justify putting a lot of money into a festival.”
The festival had been a recipient of the B.C. Fairs, Festivals and Events Fund, which would provide up to about 20 per cent of an event’s total budget, to a maximum of $250,000 per event.
The funding stream was launched in 2021 to help events recover coming out of the pandemic. However, it has not been renewed since 2024.
Hewat said support from senior levels of government will be important if festivals like this are to survive.
“If they [the province] want to continue to see our arts community across the province thrive, there needs to be funding. We’re seeing it with other events and festivals across the province that they rely on that,” said Hewat, noting how rising costs and limits on ticket pricing make it difficult for events to remain sustainable.
Despite the cancellation, she remains hopeful the festival can return in a new form.
“I hope that they can get the financial support that they need to reinvent themselves and become viable again in future years,” Hewat said. “I do believe it’s good for the community.”
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