People in communities around the province are looking forward to welcoming even more visitors to their local events and festivals in the year ahead, with marketing support from the Province of B.C. The funding will help promote two dozen events - from Vancouver's Just for Laughs and Prince George's Coldsnap music festival to ski, snowboarding, lacrosse and taekwondo championships around B.C.
"British Columbians have created events and festivals which deliver world-class entertainment for visitors and locals alike," said Lisa Beare, Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture. "Our government is supporting communities and local tourism by providing important funding that will help make these events even more successful. This funding will help attract even more people to enjoy the great experiences our province offers."
This year, the Province has awarded more than $1.98 million to 35 events and festivals in communities throughout B.C. This includes funding for the 24 new events and festivals announced on Sept. 9, 2018. The funding is provided through the provincial government's Tourism Events Program. This program provides marketing support in order to draw visitors from outside of the province to B.C.'s tourism experiences. The World Accordion and Tango Festival & the 68th World Accordion Championships, taking place from Nov. 10-18 in Victoria, was awarded $10,000.
Applications for Tourism Events Program funding are accepted twice yearly. The application window is currently open through Oct. 31, 2018, for events taking place between May 1, 2019, and April 30, 2020. Interested parties can view the application criteria and submit applications online to the Tourism Events Program.