Inflation is hitting Port Moody’s annual Golden Spike Days festival.
Hard.
On Tuesday, Oct. 8, Sally Comin of the Golden Spike Days Society that organizes the annual three-day celebration at Rocky Point Park of Port Moody’s rail heritage pitched council for a $15,000 boost to the $30,000 the city provides for the headline musical attraction.
Comin said while Port Moody’s financial contribution has been in place for the past nine years, the costs for booking a headline act have gone up substantially.
She said the amount didn’t cover the full expense of featuring Trooper at this year’s festival and the society had to supplement about $7,000 from its budget.
“Trooper was a huge hit this past festival and brought a lot of people to the park,” Comin said, adding it will likely cost up to $45,000 to book a headliner act going forward.
“Our costs have increased due to inflation.”
Photos: Golden Spike Days Festival at Rocky Point Park https://t.co/1IvxxUc0Cu
— Tri-City News (@TriCityNews) July 1, 2024
Comin said organizers are also struggling to provide enough parking to accommodate visitors and volunteers. She suggested more funds could also be provided to operate a bus shuttle to more distant parking lots at the recreation centre.
Coun. Callan Morrison acknowledged inflation has taken a toll on everything and suggested the city might be able to explore co-sponsorships for the additional funding.
Coun. Kyla Knowles said it’s important a solution be found in time to allow organizers to begin their planning for the Golden Spike Days’ 50th anniversary in 2027.
A decision on the request for more money wasn’t immediately made, though, as organizers have a meeting scheduled with Mayor Meghan Lahti to discuss their needs further.
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