3 Hamilton festivals get loans from Ottawa to help in a year with tourism uncertainty

Three prominent Hamilton festivals — FrancoFEST, Because Beer, and Festitalia — are receiving loans worth $320,000 from the federal government to support their growth, attract more visitors and boost the local economy. 

The funding for these festivals is being provided by the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario) as part of its Tourism Growth Program. The funding was announced on March 7. 

While the financial support will help expand the events, some of the festival organizers are worried about the impact of the ongoing tariff war, including a possible decline in U.S. attendance this year.

Lanciné Koulibaly is director general of Centre Francophone Hamilton which runs FrancoFEST, an event serving the local Francophone community that has been running for more than 35 years. It takes place over three days in June. 

Koulibaly said despite the new funding, he feels worried about the year ahead. 

"We are expecting some decline in U.S. attendance, especially with the current economic climate and the tariff situation," he told CBC Hamilton this week. 

But the funds will help, he added, and allow FrancoFEST and other local festivals to make a bigger impact, particularly in attracting new audiences locally and creating economic opportunities for Hamilton's local businesses. FrancoFEST is expecting about 6,000 people this year, he said. 

Because Beer expanding to Guelph

Meanwhile, Tim Potocic, founder of Sonic Unyon Records which runs the Because Beer Craft Beer Festival, is hoping a favourable exchange rate of the Canadian dollar could encourage U.S. visitors.

The funding will allow his team to expand the festival into Guelph, in addition to Hamilton, and to "enhance the overall experience," said Potocic, whose team also runs Supercrawl and event space Bridgeworks. 

Because Beer, which first launched in 2014, is expecting about 10,000 people to attend in Hamilton this year — it runs at Pier 4 Park in July — and another 3,000-5,000 in Guelph.

However, Potocic emphasized, funding awarded to the festivals is not a grant but a repayable loan. The $185,000 Because Beer received has a two-year repayment plan starting in January 2027, he said. 

Both Potocic and Koulibaly said that their team had applied for a higher amount but are happy with what they received. FrancoFest is receiving $38,500 and Festitalia $100,000.

"It's allowing us to finance an expansion at a higher level than I would have been able to on my own," Potocic said. 

CBC Hamilton reached out to the organizers of Festitalia, which celebrates 50 years this year during a two-day expo in June, but did not receive a response before publication.