A long-running music festival in southeastern B.C. won’t be happening this summer because of rising costs, years of financial strain and debt, organizers say.

The board of directors behind the Kaslo Jazz Etc. Festival, a fixture in the Kootenays for more than three decades, says they will not hold the three-day event this year as they work to address about $250,000 in debt and “reimagine” the festival’s future.

Board member Paul Heindrichs says the festival is a registered charity and has not turned a profit since 2019 or had any staff since November 2025.

“We were all laid off and everything’s been managed by the board since then,” says Heindrich, a former executive director who was among those laid off last year. He has since been supporting the charity voluntarily. 

“It didn’t feel viable to continue to operate with debt and it’s heartbreaking.”

The festival, held at Kaslo Bay Park along Kootenay Lake typically during the B.C. Day long weekend, has built a reputation for its floating stage and natural amphitheatre setting, drawing visitors from across the province and beyond.

Festival founder Jim Holland said the event has become deeply tied to the identity of Kaslo and the surrounding region since it began more than 30 years ago.

“It would take away part of what’s become the fabric of the community,” Holland said, noting local businesses rely on the influx of visitors during the festival weekend. “I’ve seen people move here after coming to the festival and experiencing what the community is about.”

Financial strains

The cancellation is the latest in a series of suspensions for performing arts and community festivals across B.C.

Just last week, Penticton’s long-running Pentastic Jazz Festival was also cancelled as a result of rising costs and declining funding.

Heindrichs said the main problem is not one single blow, but years of accumulating pressures, including the impacts of the shutdown during the pandemic, a lack of corporate sponsorships and forest fires. 

“We can’t continue to raise ticket prices,” he added. “The struggles we’re facing are across the community and across the province and financial struggle is real for everyone.”

Heindrichs said wildfires in 2024 crushed sales through much of July, a crucial stretch before the August event.

Possible paths forward

Despite the financial troubles, organizers say they are still holding out hope and are looking at restructuring the organization and exploring smaller, more frequent events throughout the year.

“Our revenue comes for one weekend essentially and has to last all year and that just doesn’t feel sustainable anymore,” Heindrichs said. “We want to kind of spread the load of one weekend across the entire year.”

Heindrichs said the response from the community has already been encouraging, with donations coming in shortly after the announcement.

“It’s been really heartwarming to see how much this festival means to people,” he said.

Organizers say their goal is to eventually bring back the event, though what that will look like and when remains uncertain.