The former Vice President and treasurer of the NL Folk Arts Society believes moving the Folk Festival from its original August dates to July was the beginning of the end for the decades-old summer mainstay.

President of the Folk Arts Society, Julie Vogt indicates that this year’s folk fest is likely the last, saying that the Folk Fest cannot compete with other music festivals in the capital city.

Anthony MacDonald says while competition with other larger music festivals is a factor, he thinks the overall impact is not that great among core festival goers.

“I’m not sure that the average person who’s going to see Pit Bull in Churchill Park is the audience member that we see at the folk festival.”

He believes that moving the folk festival from its traditional August dates to mid-July, they could not have foreseen that major events like Iceberg Alley would pop up around the same time. “There’s certainly going to be pressure from those larger events, no doubt, but I think that your core Folk Fest audience is not attending those in large numbers.”

Vogt says the audience simply isn’t there, and provincial core funding has dried up. That’s why, says MacDonald, the Folk Arts Society always ensured that it set money aside for slow years.

“You’ve got to carry money through years to year to get you through these hard years. That’s why in 2012, when I was still on the board, the rainy day fund was founded.” He says “from their own report I believe they say that last year that fund was emptied without even board approval.”