Financial assistance for festivals and tourist events Stream 1: Festivals and major tourist events
$1,000,000
Grant, Subsidy
Description:
Attract a significant proportion of the local population and a significant number of visitors, based on the program criteria.
Comments on Funding:
The financial assistance is established for a three-year period, it being understood that no indexation or increase in this assistance may be granted during this period;
The maximum financial assistance that can be granted for tourism performance cannot exceed $1 million per year.
March 31, 2026
Eligibility:
In addition to meeting the general criteria, the festival or tourist event must:
Generate significant tourist traffic based on a study of origin and traffic conducted by an independent firm using a methodology recognized by the Ministry.
See the documents for section 1 and the list of qualified firms . This study must demonstrate that the presence of tourists reaches the following minimum participation thresholds:
for festivals and events held in the tourist regions of Quebec and Montreal:
a minimum of 20,000 days of participation by tourists,
a minimum of 5% of the days of participation of the total traffic made by tourists from outside Quebec;
for festivals and events held outside the tourist regions of Quebec and Montreal:
a minimum of 20,000 days of participation by tourists.
Demonstrate economic benefits established on the basis of a study conducted by an independent firm using a methodology recognized by the Ministry. Consult the Methodological Guide for Conducting Studies on the Economic Impact of Major Festivals and Events (PDF 900 KB) .
Have eligible costs of $6 million or more (actual operating costs of the last edition as presented in the audited financial statements, excluding infrastructure).
Given the COVID-19 pandemic and exceptionally, no new provenance and traffic study will be required, the last valid study will be considered for the duration of this program. The decision to produce or not a new study is up to the promoter.
Events with a budget of at least $6 million, but whose study does not allow the thresholds of origin and traffic of section 1 to be reached, but only the thresholds of section 2, will be processed in this section and will be allocated the minimum aid rate.
Application Steps:
Components 1 and 2 of the Financial assistance for festivals and tourist events program
To apply for financial assistance, you must complete the web form available on the new Financial Assistance portal of the Ministry of Tourism.
In addition to the electronic form, the new portal offers the following advantages:
It allows a single file to be created for the applicant (customer account).
It offers an improved solution to the Ministry’s clients in terms of managing financial assistance requests.
It improves the entire processing of financial aid applications, including the management of documents to be submitted and the reporting (customer account).
It ensures data security throughout the financial aid granting process.
Ultimately, it will centralize application information for all of the Ministry’s financial assistance programs.
Documentation Needed:
No application documents were identified. Visit the web.
Other Things to Note:
The project analysis process is the responsibility of the Ministry based on a framework and management rules which are developed for this purpose.
In order for their application to be considered, the beneficiary must respect the application submission periods established by the Ministry and submit a complete file during the call for projects (sections 1 and 2). In the case of sections 3 and 4, applications for financial assistance are received continuously.
Projects eligible for support under component 3 of this programme must take place between 1 April 2023 and 31 March 2026.
Events supported under component 4 must take place after April 1, 2023, but may be carried out in subsequent years according to an established schedule.
About the author
Maurice
