10-05-2025
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
Burlington gets $125K provincial grant for ‘the largest free music festival in Canada'
Burlington's Sound of Music Festival will receive $125,000 from Ontario's Ministry of Tourism Culture and Gaming.
The financial injection doesn't end there, as City of Burlington staff recommend a loan of up to $225,000 for this year's event,
set to go June 12 to 15
.
The loan would be in addition to an already planned $150,00 city grant to the festival.
Sound of Music board chair Dave Shepherd said the provincial grant from the Experience Ontario 2025 program helps 'keep the festival moving forward as the largest free music festival in Canada.'
Shepherd said grant funding is typically used for general festival operations — including permits, down payments for artists, and insurance.
'There are so many fixed costs that are not often thought of, that we need to pay for before the festival happens,' he said.
Shepherd said the anticipated provincial grant was included in the Sound of Music's draft budget for this year.
He said the festival also recently applied for Heritage Canada grant funding, for next year's event.
An official announcement of the $125,000 provincial tourism grant from Burlington MPP Natalie Pierre's office states $20 million is being invested in festivals and events across Ontario to help organizers 'draw visitors to stay longer in local accommodations, eat in restaurants, shop at local retailers and support main street businesses.'
Pierre stated in a press release that supporting the Sound of Music Festival means investing in national, provincial and local talent, boosting tourism and strengthening community pride.
In a report to the May 12 committee of the whole meeting, staff state the city provided $415,000 in aid to the Sound of Music last year, including a $125,000 loan.
'Despite efforts to stay financially sustainable, challenges persist in maintaining a large-scale free event,' the report states.
Late last year,
a private donor provided $200,000 to the city
, which was applied to the festival's debt owed to the city — reducing it to $20,000.
'Due to the need to cover entertainment and supplier contract expenses in advance of the event, the (festival board) is requesting a loan of $225,000 from the city,' the staff report states. '(The festival) has agreed to repay the loan following the festival, including the small remaining balance of $20,000 from prior 2024 debt.'
The recommended $225,000 loan is in addition to a previously planned $150,000 grant from the city for this year's event.
Earlier this year, the festival and city signed an agreement stating debt remaining after this year's festival must be paid back by Sept. 1, 2025 and festival organizers must submit a business plan for the 2026 festival by June 1 this year.
For more information and entertainment schedules visit
the Sound of Music website
.
