Buskers bailout amount kept secret
Ratepayers have bailed out the World Buskers Festival after it lost money again this year.
The Christchurch City Council will not reveal how much it gave the event.
Councillors considered and approved the bailout at a private meeting in February, a month after the January festival.
The money was included in $200,000 in additional funding for major events added to the latest annual plan, but the exact figure has not been revealed.
Council recreation, sports and events director John Filsell said the bailout amount was being kept secret because of ‘‘commercially sensitivity’’.
‘‘The extent of council’s support to the World Buskers Festival Trust will be released after the financial statements are received by, and reported to, council,’’ he said.
‘‘This will be later in the year.’’ World Buskers Festival trust chairwoman Helena McIntyre declined to comment on the bailout.
When asked how much money they were given by council, McIntyre ended the call.
Festival director Melissa Haberfield did not return calls for comment.
The festival made a $115,000 loss in 2016, which was covered by the trust’s $121,000 reserves. That meant the trust only had about $6000 left in reserves so could not cover the 2017 loss.
Following the 2016 loss, former festival director Glen Pickering resigned in May last year.
Festival trustee Craig McCoy, trustee Beth Dunn and former trust chairman Geoff Cranko left between February and June last year.
Pickering was appointed in September 2014 to replace Jodi Wright, who founded the festival 23 years ago.
The 2016 loss was caused by heavy rain and winds disrupting five of the festival’s 10 days and cutting visitor numbers to 150,000, which is half the usual number.
Visitor figures recovered this year with about 295,000 attendances to evening and daytime shows, comprised of 47,000 evening show visits and 248,000 visits for daytime shows.
The daytime show crowds were counted with a clicker, while the evenings were ticketed.
The 2017 visitor figures were comparable to the 300,000 attendances every year from 2012 to 2014 and the 245,000 in 2015.
The festival has operated with a small surplus for most years since 2011. It made a surplus of $50,000 in 2015 and a surplus of $85,000 in 2012. It posted a deficit of $34,000 in 2014.
The festival receives about $200,000 a year in council funding.