In a press release released Tuesday, the organization that presents the famous New Year’s Eve show for free in the Old Port of Montreal announced that it was taking “a break” this year.
Winter festivities in Old Montreal will not take place this month, nor will the annual New Year’s Eve show. rethink its business model, due to a lack of cash.
“What was shaping up to be a 10e historic edition under the sign of gatherings is proving to be an insoluble headache for the organizers of the festivities surrounding December 31,” wrote the organizers of Montréal en fêtes, which evokes “galloping inflation, the shortage of labor work and public underfunding”.
“Free admission has always been central to our mission and today we must completely review our model and our funding if we want the event to be free to survive… I hope that we will be able to convince our partners of the importance of financial support updated to today’s reality,” declared Dimitri Soudas, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Montréal en fêtes.