Dear Editor
I am disappointed by city council’s recent decision to allow Uptown Live to be the same weekend as the 12th Street Music Festival. Our festival is the fourth Sunday in July.
The two events are now using city funds to compete for the same audience, sponsorship and advertising. Our festival receives substantially less money, and now some sponsors are considering backing out because they will get less exposure if the events overlap.
There will be fewer people coming to 12th Street to see all the hard work that West End businesses have done.
The effectiveness of city festival grants is directly tied to dates, and council needs to rethink this.
Council turned this down last year after hearing both sides, and this year we were not included in the discussion.
I think Uptown Live is a great event, but it should be on a different weekend.
Liz Douglas, vice-president, West End Business Association
.jpg;w=120;h=80;mode=crop)
