KNYSNA NEWS - Knysna will be without a Celtic Festival this year for the first time since 2012 as organisers were unable to secure a main sponsorship for what would have been the ninth edition of the festival.
The Knysna Celtic Festival was held for the first time in 2012, and became a regular fixture on the calendar of Knysna residents as it tugged on the heart strings of those who yearn for all things Celtic.
The Knysna & Districts Pipe Band has been the cornerstone of the festival in each year since its founding, with the line-up bolstered year-on-year by the inclusion of international acts in an effort to promote Celtic and bluegrass music in Knysna.
Over the course of the eight editions (2012-2019) of the festival, ticket sales typically averaged out at about 1 000 tickets according to organiser Steve Collins. "Our sales also peaked at about 1 500, but last year (2019) we took a real knock," Collins said, explaining how sales dropped to only 650 tickets sold. "The sponsorship we were granted was also made smaller, so we received a lot of reduced support last year."
For this year's event, a smaller sponsorship was at the back of their minds as they struggled to find any form of main sponsorship at all.
This left organisers in a precarious position. "We could always break even if we sold plus-minus 800 tickets, but based on last year's ticket sales it was too much of a risk," Collins said. If they were to do this and take the chance of simply breaking even, it would leave them in a position that meant they wouldn't be able to do one thing that was a core part of the festival – donate to charity.
"We as the festival have always been big benefactors of charities in Knysna, and if we can't pour back into the community we don't want to do it [the festival]," Collins said. Despite the gloomy cloud that hangs over them at the moment, Collins and his fellow organisers are staying positive. "To keep growing the event we need sponsorships, and we remain optimistic over what lies ahead."
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