The man behind the popular Victoria International Buskers Festival says he was perplexed upon learning another buskers festival has been announced that will overlap with his event.
John Vickers recently learned a collection of four local groups decided to pull their annual funding for his event. Vickers says the $40-thousand dollars in lost funding made up about 25% of his budget.
But now those four local groups -- the Downtown Victoria Business Association along with Tourism Victoria, the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority, and the Hotel Association of Greater Victoria -- have announced their own buskers festival.
Vickers wonders if his outspoken calls for revitalization in the downtown core played a factor.
"To lose your funding with such short notice and to face, apparently, another buskers festival certainly seems... suspicious."
The DVBA's new Downtown Victoria Buskers Festival runs July 11-16. Vickers' Victoria International Buskers Festival is set for July 14-23.