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What is ICA FolkFest?
ICA FolkFest, Victoria, BC’s inter-cultural arts festival, was founded in 1971 to showcase the skills, talents and contributions of immigrants and minority communities. It has evolved into a unique urban arts festival: amateur performers and emerging artists share the stage with award-winning musicians and dancers from around the world, and Vancouver Island’s culinary arts scene is highlighted alongside music, dance, theatre, film and circus arts. |
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When is the 2006 ICA FolkFest?
ICA FolkFest takes place June 30 – July 9, 2006. |
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Where is ICA FolkFest?
ICA FolkFest takes place in Victoria, BC on Vancouver Island. It is set in two central downtown locations: the exceptionally beautiful Inner Harbour (across from the Legislature and Empress Hotel) and historic Centennial Square (next to City Hall at Douglas and Pandora). |
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How much does it cost to attend ICA FolkFest?
FolkFest has 250 live performances on four stages over 10 days. That’s a lot of programming for as little as $20—or $2 a day! (All prices include GST.)
10-day Festival Passes
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Day Passes |
Children 5 and Under |
$20 in advance, )
June 1-29 |
$7.50 adult |
FREE |
$25 at the gate,
June 30-July 9 |
$5 (kids 6-12) |
FREE |
Advance passes available at Thrifty Foods, www.ticketweb.ca and Lyle’s Place in Victoria, BC. |
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What does ICA stand for?
ICA stands for the Inter-Cultural Association of Greater Victoria, a unique non-profit organization that combines arts and social services to address the needs of immigrants and to promote the embracing of cultural diversity in our community. ICA’s arts programs entertain, excite, involve, inform and celebrate the worth and potential of a culturally diverse community through artistic expression. ICA was founded in 1971 to mount the inaugural FolkFest. The founders were the members of multicultural organizations who wanted to share their cultures as a way to promote cultural understanding and eliminate racism. When approached by Immigration Canada over 25 years ago to aid refugees, ICA expanded its mandated and developed a wide range of valuable services that assist refugees and immigrants to make the adjustment to life in Canada. |
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What makes ICA FolkFest unique?
FolkFest is an urban arts festival with a broad definition of both cultural and artistic diversity. Our programming includes 250 performances on four stages. Artists featured at FolkFest in 2006 come from 13 countries: Australia, Austria, Belize, Brazil, Canada, Cuba, Iran, Jamaica, Rwanda, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States. Canadian artists hail from BC, Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec and Nunavut. FolkFest’s artists explore a wide range of mediums from traditional music to hip hop and indie rock, circus and puppetry, film and innovative gourmet cooking. FolkFest’s programming blurs the boundaries between traditional mediums and encourages a wide range of cultural expression that informs, inspires and entertains audiences. |
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Who attends ICA FolkFest?
Over the 10 day festival, FolkFest attracts up to 150,000 people. Although the majority of attendees are from Greater Victoria, 24% of those attending in 2005 were from out of town. 43% of those tourists were from BC (20% from Vancouver Island) but FolkFest also attracted visitors from as far away as Europe, Asia, Colombia and South Africa. Attendees are predominantly women between the ages of 25 and 59, most of whom attend with their families. In recent years, FolkFest has seen a considerable increase in the number of children and youth who are attracted to FolkFest. This is largely due to our efforts to expand programming for children and youth in their twenties, in order to ensure the festival’s viability and sustainability for the next 33 years. |
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Do you have programming for kids and families?
Over the past three years, FolkFest has invested considerable time and resources into developing kids programming and activities at the Inner Harbour and, especially, at Centennial Square. The Teatro Circo stage features family entertainers, circus and puppets as well as musicians and dancers from around the world. Centennial Square also includes a drop-in, interactive Circus Camp where kids of all ages can learn how to juggle, make a puppet or walk on stilts! At Playzone children can take a break from the entertainment on stage to play lifesize games and engage in other playful activities with new friends. Additionally, each day on the Inner Harbour MainStage, hundreds of children and youth take centre stage, entertaining audiences with traditional and contemporary music and dance from around the world. Admission for children 5 and under is free; admission for children 6 to 12 is $5 per day. |
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Can I bring my family to the Bayou Bar?
The Bayou Bar is a licensed venue; you must be over 19 years old to attend. However, if you would like to relax with a drink while visiting FolkFest with your family, you may do so at the Wine Garden at the World Feast Stage on the Inner Harbour site. The Wine Garden is licensed for all ages, although only those over 19 will be served alcohol and you may be asked to produce ID as proof of age. |
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Can I just come for the food?
FolkFest was founded in 1971 by people who wanted to celebrate and share their cultural heritage. Since then, food has been central to the FolkFest experience. However, FolkFest has grown into a dynamic inter-cultural arts festival that explores music, dance, theatre, film and circus as well as culinary arts. There is much more to explore. With your FolkFest pass, we encourage you to sample the entire FolkFest experience and explore some of the other cultural arts programming we provide. |
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What’s the difference between a festival pass and a wristband?
A 10-day festival pass or day pass gets you on to the festival grounds at both Centennial Square and the Inner Harbour. On site you can watch local, national, and international artists and chefs perform at four stages: the World Feast Stage, licensed Bayou Bar (must be 19 or older), the MainStage and Teatro Circo. Children of all ages can participate in hands-on activities at Circus Camp and Playzone. FolkFest also features Canadian and international crafts, an international food village and the FolkFest General Store and World Music Headquarters.
Admission to venues with a maximum capacity is on a first come, first served basis. This year, we are also introducing the MainStage wristband system. In order to attend an evening show on the MainStage, attendees can guarantee their access by picking up a free wristband early in the day on the FolkFest Inner Harbour site. MainStage wristbands will be released six hours before the evening performance in question. Only those with wristbands will be guaranteed access to the MainStage amphitheatre for evening shows. (Wristbands will not be necessary on Canada Day.)
This system was modeled on other successful festivals in order to ensure optimal safety and comfort for their attendees. |
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If I want to see an evening performer on the Mainstage, do I need to come early?
MainStage wristbands will be released on a first-come, first-served basis six hours before the concert in question. (No wristbands necessary on Canada Day.) Once you have obtained a wristband you are guaranteed admission to that evening’s performance. You may leave the festival site and re-enter later. The box office staff or volunteers will advise you on when and how to line up for entry into the amphitheatre. |
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Why do you want people to pick up wristbands to see an evening show on the MainStage?
We try to learn from our mistakes. Last year we brought in two acts that drew crowds that exceeded our expectations and our capacity. This year we have adjusted the site to provide more space in front of the MainStage and we are introducing controlled entry to that area through the MainStage wristband system.
The MainStage wristbands guarantee admission to the MainStage amphitheatre for the show you wish to see. The wristbands are available for free; audience members will not incur additional costs. This system will allow us to provide a safer and more enjoyable experience—and it gives dedicated fans a guarantee to see a show. Although the festival wristband system is new to FolkFest and Victoria, it has been used successfully at other festivals throughout North America. |
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How is ICA FolkFest funded?
All festivals, events and performances – large and small alike - balance on a four-legged financial stool: government support, corporate sponsorship ,box office revenues, and on-site sales (like food and beverage sales, raffles, etc.) Where there is significant government support there’s less pressure on the other areas, where there is very strong sponsor support there is less pressure in the other areas, where audiences are willing to pay the full price there is less pressure on the other areas.
ICA FolkFest’s financial stool is fairly well balanced, with the exception of the government support. Support from all three levels of government combined accounts for only 8% of our budget. ICA has tried to build sustainability for the event without leaning too heavily on government.
Respectively, many arts & music festivals commonly receive a greater percentage of their budget through government funding. However, as a non-profit agency that presents arts festivals as well as providing social services some arts funders believe ICA FolkFest falls outside their funding criteria.
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Is FolkFest a fundraiser for ICA?
ICA is committed to presenting arts programs like FolkFest due to the festival’s ability to promote cultural diversity and celebrate a culturally diverse community through artistic expression. FolkFest is not a fundraiser for the ICA. In fact, ICA takes the financial risk should the festival lose money; any profits are re-invested into the long-term sustainability of the festival . |
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How much does it cost to produce ICA FolkFest?
The overall budget for ICA FolkFest is close to $1.2 million. In addition to the costs associated with presenting the artists, ICA FolkFest must be prepared to accommodate the needs of 150,000 visitors over the course of 10 days. This is akin to building and servicing a town of 15,000 people each day. FolkFest must provide all the same services you’d expect to find in a small city, including water, electricity, waste and garbage removal, public facilities, administrative and technical staff, financial services, security and first aid.
Furthermore, the Festival prides itself on employing the services of dozens of trained professionals, local businesses and qualified suppliers. ICA FolkFest is an important contributor to the long term health of arts & culture industries throughout the region.
Our projected box office revenues cover only 40% of the festival’s overall expenses. |
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Why isn’t ICA FolkFest free anymore?
As an organization, ICA wants to compensate staff, pay for services provided by local contractors and suppliers and support our 1,100 volunteers fairly. We also want to enhance the safety, security and comfort of the site in order to provide people with the best possible experience. Perhaps most importantly, we believe that artists, who dedicate themselves to honing their art, deserve to be fairly compensated for their performances.
At the same time, our costs have climbed over the years for everything from insurance to electricity and garbage removal, staging and transportation. Some things that used to be donated are no longer provided free of charge.
Although admission to FolkFest was free or by-donation-only for several years, this is no longer feasible—not if we wish to produce a safe, high-calibre celebration of arts and culture that appeals to a broad audience. Interestingly, it is commonly believed that FolkFest was always free to the public until recent years. This isn’t true: it cost 75 cents to attend the inaugural FolkFest in 1971. |
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How does ICA FolkFest support its community?
Throughout the world. festivals have a proven track record of generating economic activity and developing their communities through cultural initiatives. ICA FolkFest is no exception. In fact, it is highly regarded by other festivals throughout the world for its success in sustaining itself for 33 years and, in the process, contributing to the cultural and economic vitality of the community.
Each year, the festival provides skill development and on-the-job training to people establishing new careers, generates jobs, hires contractors, and pays for products and services. FolkFest also play a strong role in attracting tourists to Victoria and, in some cases, encouraging them to extend their stay. All of this creates economic activity on the Island.
Over 1,000 volunteers are provided with job training and work experience through FolkFest each summer. Every effort is made to recruit individuals who may find it difficult to find volunteer placements due to barriers, including those with physical and development disabilities and people who do not speak English fluently. In addition, volunteers receive free admission to the festival in exchange for four volunteer shifts.
Through daytime performances on the MainStage, local cultural arts groups and schools promote their programs and are given an opportunity to perform before an audience at a major festival.
The International Food Village features kiosks run by local ethno-cultural groups, providing them with an opportunity to raise funds to support the work of their associations.
At the World Feast Stage, local farms, artisan food producers and chefs are featured in well-attended cooking demonstrations, drawing attention to Vancouver Island’s rich agricultural and culinary industries.
As an arts festival, FolkFest plays a significant role in supporting and encouraging emerging artists—and introducing them to wider audiences. Many of the artists who got their first start at FolkFest have gone on to launch successful professional careers. |
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