The City of Cranbrook says growing pressures and financial risks to taxpayers were the main reasons why a popular Canadiana rock festival was cancelled.
According to the city, Rock the Kootenays requires a commitment of nearly $700,000 in taxpayer funds toward upfront costs. That investment must be recovered through ticket sales, vendor fees, and sponsorships before any profit can be made.
With declining ticket sales and lower attendance trending across major music festivals, the risk of using taxpayer dollars to cover those upfront costs has become too high, says the city.
“The challenges were very clear during the lead-up to the 2025 festival. One month before the event, we were looking at a potential $200,000 loss of City funds due to slow ticket sales,” said Trevor Thors, Director of Recreation and Culture. “While the final loss was thankfully limited to just over $14,000, the gap clearly showed us how unpredictable the market has become. Artist fees and production costs continue to rise faster than ticket prices can reasonably keep up.”
Rock the Kootenays earned a profit of $77,535 in 2023 and $133,843 in 2024, before falling to a $14,011 loss in 2025.
With economic uncertainty expected to continue, city council says it could not justify the financial risk of proceeding with a 2026 event.
In spite of the event’s cancellation, the city says it will continue to explore future concert and event opportunities.
Earlier this fall, council mulled shortening the festival to two days instead of the three-day format it has used since its inception. However, there was some pushback from some councillors who were concerned that shortening the festival would lessen the economic benefits to local businesses.
The festival has been hosted at the Western Financial Place parking lot for the entirety of its three-year run. Over the last three editions, the festival lineups have included Canadian rock icons such as Colin James, 54-40, April Wine, Kim Mitchell, Tom Cochrane, Honeymoon Suite, Streetheart, and more.