No matter how much is going on in any given city, there will always be one person who says it is too much, and another who will say it is not enough.
Some who come from a smaller city, or grew up in Powell River when festival activity wasn’t as prominent, might think the number of local events happening over the next three months is overwhelming. Others who have spent time in larger cities such as Victoria or Vancouver might find Powell River’s cultural scene a little too sleepy for their tastes. As the saying goes, it’s all relative.
Between now and the end of summer, several large-scale festivals will be taking place in the Powell River region. With the addition of at least two major festivals that didn’t happen last year, and with a desperate need for accommodations and other services to handle the incoming participants and out-of-town attendees, this season will be a turning point for future event planning in Powell River.
While city representatives are starting to question how much our parks and infrastructure can handle, festival organizers are rising to the challenge and plowing ahead with elaborate plans to bring the city to life with music, arts and culture this summer.
Is every festival for everyone? Well, no. Do we have enough of a population, including the influx of tourists, to support this many festivals? That remains to be seen. Are most residents of Powell River happy to have so many choices when it comes to spending their entertainment dollars? Safe to say, yes.
The long run of summer festivals has already started, even before summer has officially begun, and won’t end until well into September. Perhaps this abundance of festivals can be thought of as a form of survival of the fittest.
The most well organized and executed festivals that have best identified with their target market, provided the highest quality of entertainment and programming, are able to retain the most volunteers, secure the most sponsorships from the community and truly reflect the originality and vibrance of the Powell River area will be the ones that ultimately stick around.
Will the next three months put a strain on resources, human and otherwise? For sure, they will. Will it be a summer to remember? Most definitely.
Festival season: bring it on.
Jason Schreurs, publisher/editor
