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The City of Cranbrook has cancelled the city-sponsored Rock the Kootenays music festival, which was scheduled for August 2026.
“With economic uncertainty looming in the year ahead, and the loss of just over $14,000 from Rock the Kootenays 2025, Council decided it is not willing to further risk taxpayer dollars for a 2026 event,” the city wrote in a statement.
City council blamed last year’s loss on “declining ticket sales and lower attendance at large music festivals across the industry overall.”
Festival lineups have included Canadian rock stalwarts such as Tom Cochrane, Honeymoon Suite, Colin James, 54-40, Men Without Hats and April Wine.
News of the cancellation generated over 200 responses on a Cranbrook community Facebook page within hours, prompting surprise and suggestions to improve the event.
The three-day music festival was launched in 2023, in the wake of the pandemic. It made more than $200,000 in direct profit in its first two years, the city said, before incurring a loss this year.
Cranbrook’s economic development office reported some 10,000 people attended the 2024 festival, with 70 per cent of the crowd travelling to the Western Financial Place grounds from outside communities.
Festivals across B.C. face pressure
Julie Fowler, executive director of the B.C. Music Festival Collective (BCMFC), says events like Rock the Kootenays face a rocky future.
“Well, unfortunately it’s not totally surprising because we are seeing festivals across the province cancel,” Fowler said.
“The margins were always very narrow. And now just with the rising cost of everything and funding being less … it’s a challenging environment out there for festivals.”
In 2021, the province established the B.C. Fairs, Festivals and Events Fund to help events restart after pandemic restrictions. It distributed $80 million to more than 3,000 events in 184 communities. It has not been renewed since its last application process closed in 2024.
The Ministry of Tourism currently provides $5 million in annual funding to the entire event industry in B.C.
Fowler argues event funding, from any level of government, pays off in the end.
“We know that with every dollar that’s invested in arts and culture … the return is something like $2.39 back into the economy,” she said.
The BCMFC’s survey of 51 of its 115 members suggests music festivals in B.C. generate $550 million in economic activity annually.
The City of Cranbrook, meanwhile, hasn’t formally ruled out any revival or replacement, stating council “looks forward to other potential opportunities for concerts and events like this in the future.”
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.cbc.ca ’
