I am writing today to talk about the Sound of Summer Music Festival and how city council voted it out of the downtown area. I think the mentality that these sort of festivals bring vandalism and riots is the wrong mentality. As I am working for a small business downtown this summer I see the difference from tourism, as many others do, and voting out an event such as this is sending tourism dollars elsewhere.
After so many people worked hard to create something new and exciting in our town it hurts me to see that the RCMP pressured city council to vote it out rather than working with the organizers to meet at a common ground. Now that the event will still be happening but outside of the downtown area I think it will bring less money into the downtown area and caused unnecessary stress for organizers and participants alike.
I would like to extend a huge thank you to the organizers for not letting this setback affect the show and I look forward to seeing all of the big-name artists that are sure to bring a great deal of tourists to our beautiful city. Hopefully there will be no more people opposing the influx of tourism dollars that keeps this city thriving year after year and I’m sure the Penticton cab company will be very happy that the event has moved outside of the downtown area.
Brandon Chapman
Penticton