Council marks $1.5 million for festivals

After lengthy discussion, council approved, January 12, the city’s financial contributions for 17 events that will take place in Gatineau in 2016, as recommended by the celebrations and festivals committee.

The total festivals budget for 2016 is over $1.5 million, $882,000 in services and $687,000 to help carry out the events. Of the total, $306,000 will support events in and around Aylmer, such the Auto-Show, Outaouais en Fête, the Santa Claus Parade, plus the Christmas market. Of Gatineau’s 17 funded events, four are in Aylmer.

In terms of services, the funds help event organizers get a locale, pay for city services -- police, firefighters and public works --  and insurance. Services also include promotional endorsement, support to the board of directors by committee observers, equipment-lending, and more.

The Aylmer event promised the biggest contribution is Outaouais en Fête, which gets $85,000 and a $75,000 contribution in services. Because it’s the festival’s 40th anniversary, the city allocated organizers an additional $10,000 compared to last year. The four-day bash is also Gatineau’s oldest event.

Gatineau’s Auto-Show will also see its municipal contribution rise -- by $4,000. In 2016, it will receive $22,000 and $12,000 in services. Unlike the Auto-Show, Aylmer’s Yesteryear Fest’s funding remains fixed, with a $10,000 contribution and $5,000 in services.

 
The Grand Prix cycliste de Gatineau, which is not in Aylmer proper but remains easily accessible for Aylmerites, is receiving $70,000 in total.  The festival getting the largest contribution is the Hot Air Balloon Festival, with a financial contribution of $200,000 and $320,000 in services.

To obtain city funding an event must meet various criteria on the committee’s evaluation chart. They include clientele potential, economic spinoffs, and whether the event will raise the city's public profile