Another Canadian music festival bites the dust: Goodbye, Rifflandia

There have been 15 Rifflandia festivals over the last 18 years in Victoria, BC. There will be no more. This week, organizers made the difficult decision to fold the festival. And yes, it’s all about money and rising costs.

From the press release:

“Like many independent festivals across North America, Rifflandia Festival has faced increasing challenges in a rapidly changing live entertainment landscape. Rising production costs, shifting consumer behaviour, and the realities of operating in a smaller market have made it increasingly difficult to sustain the festival at the scale and quality audiences have come to expect.

“The organization has said that ticket sales do not support the level of investment and growing financial risks required to produce the event without making significant compromises to the customer experience, artist programming, and production standards that have defined them.

“Rather than compromise the qualities that made Rifflandia Festival unique, the organization has chosen to bring this chapter to a close while creating space for future opportunities.”

Damn. Not what the Canadian music scene needs. RIP, Rifflandia. You’ve gone to join Elora Riverfest, The Sound of Music, and so many other great annual events.