A provincial government grant will help to jazz up the infrastructure and lineup of performers at this year’s TD Ottawa International Jazz Festival.
The grant was awarded last month and is worth $395, 000. It’s the largest amount of money from the provincial government the festival has ever received.
“We are absolutely thrilled and delighted. It makes a huge difference for the festival,” says Suszan Zilahi, director of marketing, sponsorship and media.
The festival’s main venue is Confederation Park, with smaller venues across the city. This year’s event at Confederation Park will feature a late-night series, which will be presented on a larger, main stage.
The money the festival received has allowed for infrastructure improvement, such as a tent-covered stage, Zilahi says, as well as allow the festival to present major headlining artists.
The most appealing aspect of the festival for fans is the tent-covered stage.
Geoff Plint, a third-year Carleton University student and jazz musician says he’s happy with the improvement of the infrastructure.
He says the weather was an issue for him when he attended the event at Confederation Park last year.
“The one disappointment was actually the weather because the day I went, it was a torrential downpour,” he says.
However, he says he was happy with the performances last year and brought his youth group, Shad Valley, along with him.
Plint says he’s pleased with the grant and is excited that the money will go towards the jazz scene.
“I don’t think people get enough exposure to jazz. We have Bluesfest, but it has nothing to do with blues,” he says.
“I find this festival serves its own purpose, and the money is actually going to support jazz music.”
The grant was awarded as part of the Celebrate Ontario funding program, billed as a way to keep festivals across the province fresh and growing.
It’s also intended to drive tourism and help the province’s economy.
The program is run by the Ministry of Tourism and Culture. It gave Ottawa festivals a total of $2.1 million, while another $18 million went towards 218 various festivals across Ontario.
“(The festival) got a very, very good grant, which is awesome. It’s fantastic for them and we are very happy,” says John Brooman, president of Ottawa Festivals.
He says that the grants awarded to each festival will help boost tourism.
Other festivals that benefitted from the program include the Tim Hortons Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival, which received $75, 000 and Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest which was awarded $400, 000.
Celebrate Ontario has a main goal to encourage tourism in various cities.
The TD Ottawa International Jazz Festival has hundreds of performers and, in the past, has attracted more than 200 000 fans. It received such a large grant this year because of the success it has had the past five years, says Zilahi.
“We are improving every year upon the previous year in attendance, not only locally, but through tourism,” she says.
In 2010, there was a direct economic impact by tourists, says Catherine O’Grady, executive producer of the festival.
The attendance increased more than 11 per cent from the previous year, generating $22.8 million for the community, up from $10.6 million in 2009.
The lineup is confirmed, although it will not be made public until festival officials announce it at the National Arts Centre on April 14.