The Foster Festival 2019 Annual Report

OUR
IMPACT
According to Statistics Canada, the Live Performing Arts industry in Ontario
generates over $2.5 Billion in direct annual income and leverages more than $12
Billion in additional economic impact.
In 2013, the Niagara Region commissioned an Economic Impact study and found
that the Arts & Culture sector in Niagara has an impact of $565 million.
With the addition of the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre and The Foster
Festival in downtown St. Catharines in 2016, these numbers have significantly
grown over the last four years.
More than 55% of Ontarians attend plays or musicals every year, with live
performing arts attendance – plays, concerts, dance, etc - outstripping in person
attendance at sporting events.
Since its 2016 inaugural season, The Foster Festival has increased its Economic
Impact from $550,000 to over $2 million. Foster Festival audiences have increased
from 5,000 in 2016 to 12,000 in 2019.
The Professional Association of Canadian Theatres has predicted it will take arts
organizations 3 to 5 years to get back to their pre-COVID earned revenues.
The Arts & Culture industry, however, means more to our communities than just
numbers. It's a way for us to connect to our audiences through laughter, through
storytelling, and through heartfelt shared experiences that we find ourselves
reflecting on long after the final bow. Arts & Culture deepens our connection to
one another and enriches our lives.
The Foster Festival 2019 Annual Report
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