29 6.1 Festivals and Events
When travellers enter Canada, there is a good chance they will be asked at the border, “What is the nature of your trip?” Whether the answer is for business, leisure, or visiting friends and relatives, there’s a possibility that travellers will participate in some of the following activities (as listed in the Statistics Canada International Travel Survey):
- Attend a festival or fair, or other cultural events
- Visit a zoo, aquarium, botanical garden, historic site, national park, museum, or art gallery
- Watch sports or participate in gaming
These activities fall under the realm of entertainment as it relates to tourism. Documenting every activity that could be on a tourist’s to-do list would be nearly impossible, for what one traveler would find entertaining, another may not. This chapter focuses on the major components of arts, entertainment, and attractions, including motion pictures, video exhibitions, and wineries; all activities listed under the North American Industry Classification System we learned about in Chapter 1.
Festival and Major Events Canada (FAME) released a report in 2019 detailing the economic impacts of the 17 largest festivals and events in Quebec, which amounted to a whopping $378 million in tourist spending. Let’s take a closer look at this segment of the sector and its impact across Canada.
Festivals
The International Dictionary of Event Management defines a festival as a “public celebration that conveys, through a kaleidoscope of activities, certain meanings to participants and spectators” (Goldblatt, 2001, p. 78). Other definitions, including those used by the Ontario Trillium Foundation and the European Union, highlight accessibility to the general public and short duration as key elements that define a festival.
Search “festivals in Canada” online and over 900 million results will appear. To define these activities in the context of tourism, we need to consider two fundamental questions, “Who are these activities aimed at?” and “Why are they being celebrated?”
The broad nature of festivals has lead to the development of classification types. For instance, funding for the federal government’s Building Communities through Arts and Heritage Program is available under three categories, depending on the type of festival:
- Local festivals funding is provided to local groups for recurring festivals that present the work of local artists, artisans, or historical performers.
- Community anniversaries funding is provided to local groups for non-recurring local events and capital projects that commemorate an anniversary of 100 years (or greater, in increments of 25 years).
- Legacy funding is provided to community-initiated capital projects that restore or transform event spaces and places. Eligible projects are those that commemorate a 100th anniversary (or greater, in increments of 25 years) of a significant local historical event or local historical personality.
Funds awarded in BC ranges from $2000 for the Nelson History Theatre Society’s Arts and Heritage Festival in 2012 (Government of Canada, 2014a) to $100,200 for the Vancouver International Film Festival in 2017 (Government of Canada, 2017). In 2017-2018, federal funding from the Canada Arts Presentation Fund, Canada Cultural Spaces Fund, and Canada Cultural Investment Fund resulted in $183 million in infrastructure and program development funds to support organizations that professionally present arts festivals or performing arts series (Government of Canada, 2019).
Spotlight On: International Festivals and Events Association
Founded in 1956 as the Festival Manager’s Association, the International Festivals and Events Association (IFEA) supports professionals who produce and support celebrations for the benefit of their communities. Membership is required to access many of their resources. For more information, visit the International Festivals and Events Association website.
Festivals and events in BC celebrate theatre, dance, film, crafts, visual arts, and more. Just a few examples are Bard on the Beach, Vancouver International Improv Festival, Cornucopia, and the Cowichan Wine and Culinary Festival.
Spotlight On: Cornucopia, Whistler’s Celebration of Wine and Food
For the “epicurious, cornucopia is food + drink unleashed.” Dubbed “so wild you can taste it” this 11-day event showcases tasting events, drink seminars, chef lunches and demos, avant-garde parties and more. For additional information, visit Cornucopia.
Spotlight On: Adäka Cultural Festival
The Adäka Cultural Festival aims to attract those who share a part of the history of one or more of Yukon’s 14 First Nations and seeks to educate people about Yukon First Nation cultural heritage. The festival focuses on shining a light on the creative spirit of Yukon First Nations people while encouraging revitalization and pride in their heritage that will be felt by their youth. It also works to educate others about the different Yukon First Nations traditions and ways of living. Many Yukon residents still live a subsistence lifestyle today, which means they survive by living off what nature provides to them and is done in a way that considers the needs of future generations.
Canada has a deep historical scar form past governments’ treatment of Indigenous Peoples, with many past laws such as the Indian Act making almost every aspect of Indigenous life illegal or severely restricted, such as the Potlatch Law, which made practicing many traditional ceremonies a criminal offense. Many festivals in the Yukon are used to celebrate Indigenous culture and take back what they had been denied in the past.
Events
An event is a happening at a given place and time, usually of some importance, celebrating or commemorating a special occasion. To help broaden this simple definition, categories have been developed based on the scale of events. These categories, presented in Table 6.1, overlap and are not hard and fast, but help cover a range of events.
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| Event Type | Characteristics | Examples |
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| Mega-event: those that yield high levels of tourism, media coverage, prestige, or economic impact for the host community or destination. |
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| Special event: outside the normal activities of the sponsoring or organizing body. |
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| Hallmark event: possesses such significance in terms of tradition, attractiveness, quality or publicity, that it provides the host venue, community, or destination with a competitive advantage. |
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| Festival: (as defined above) public celebration that conveys, through a kaleidoscope of activities, certain meanings to participants and spectators. |
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| Local community event: generated by and for locals; can be of interest to visitors, but tourists are not the main intended audience. |
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| Data source: Getz, 2005. | ||
Events can be extremely complex projects, which is why, over time, the role of event planners has taken on greater importance. The development of education, training programs, and professional designations such as CMPs (Certified Meeting Planners), CSEP (Certified Special Events Professional), and CMM (Certificate in Meeting Management) has led to increased credibility in this business and demonstrates the importance of the sector to the economy. Furthermore, there are a variety of event management certifications and diplomas offered in BC that enable future event and festival planners to gain specific skills and knowledge within the sector.
Various tasks involved in event planning include:
- Conceptualizing/theming
- Logistics and planning
- Human resource management
- Security
- Marketing and public relations
- Budgeting and financial management
- Sponsorship procurement
- Management and evaluation
But events aren’t just for leisure visitors. In fact, the tourism industry has a long history of creating, hosting, and promoting events that draw business travelers. The next section explores meetings, conventions, and incentive travel, also known as MCIT.
(As it relates to tourism) includes attending festivals, events, fairs, spectator sports, zoos, botanical gardens, historic sites, cultural venues, attractions, museums, and galleries.
Public event that features multiple activities in celebration of a culture, an anniversary or historical date, art form, or product (food, timber, etc.).
Organization that supports professionals who produce and support celebrations for the benefit of their respective communities.
A happening at a given place and time, usually of some importance, celebrating or commemorating a special occasion; can include mega-events, special events, hallmark events, festivals, and local community events.
All special events with programming aimed at a business audience.
