A new fund will provide up to $2 million over two years to festivals in the city.
Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe announced the two-year pilot of the Major Festivals Fund on Wednesday at City Hall during the Ottawa Festival Summit. The fund will provide $1 million per year to festivals with the largest economic impact for Ottawa.
“Ottawa is a city of festivals. It’s amazing to see that we have more festivals per capita than any other city in Canada. Our festivals contribute so much to our community. They improve quality of life for our residents. They help attract tourists and employees to our city. They drive economic activity, and they create great memories,” Sutcliffe said in a press release.
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“This new support will ensure our marquee festivals continue to grow and succeed. I’m grateful to the Ottawa Festival Network for their terrific work, and to all our festival organizers for their creativity and ingenuity.”
The $2 million over two years will be funded through a proposed one per cent increase to the municipal accommodation tax, which is levied on overnight stays and administered by Ottawa’s hotels and other accommodation properties.
Ottawa Tourism will administer the fund and will develop criteria to ensure the monies are used to grow the tourism economy.
“Ottawa Tourism proudly supports the continued success and growth of our tourism-generating festivals that create time-bound reasons for people to travel to Ottawa, adding to our city’s economic prosperity and quality of life for residents and visitors,” Michael Crockatt, president and CEO of Ottawa Tourism, said in the release.
“(The fund) is a powerful recognition of the impact our festivals have on Ottawa’s cultural and economic life,” said Tara Shannon, executive director of the Ottawa Festival Network, in the release. “It’s an exciting step forward for our sector, and we’re grateful for this commitment to helping our festivals thrive and continue to shine.”
