As Festival Sponsorships Dwindle, Toronto's Beaches Jazz Festival Calls On Brands To Support Canadian Arts

One of Toronto's biggest summer music events, Beaches Jazz Festival, is calling on brands to support Canadian arts.

The free music festival draws 800,000 people a year, programming plenty of local and international musicians.

But as big brands increasingly drop their sponsorship of music events, Beaches Jazz Festival is issuing a direct appeal to Canadian businesses: amidst a wave of Canadian cultural nationalism, champion homegrown talent.

"This call goes beyond just Beaches Jazz," festival founder Lido Chilelli tells Billboard Canada. "It’s a larger conversation about ensuring that Canada’s cultural events remain strong and independent."

Even with government funding, festivals often rely on corporate sponsors to operate at a large scale. As the Globe and Mail reports, TD has recently pulled out of sponsoring some of the country's biggest jazz festivals, including Toronto Jazz Fest and Calgary's JazzYYC Summer Festival. In January, Vancouver International Jazz Festival, which also recently lost its title sponsor, put out a concerned call for donations.

Chilelli says that Beaches Jazz Festival typically sees strong interest from sponsors early in the year, but conversations have been slower this time around.

"We want companies to recognize that the Beaches Jazz Festival is more than just music — it’s a cultural event that brings communities together, drives tourism and significantly boosts the local economy," Chilelli explains. "It's an investment in community and culture."

Beaches Jazz Fest takes place in Toronto's east end every summer, with annual attendees setting up lawn chairs and mingling with community members as they take in the music. For the festival's 30th anniversary, then-artistic director Bill King reflected in Billboard Canada FYI: "It's a people's festival."

Chilelli points out that in a crowded digital landscape, it should be valuable to sponsor events that still provide in-person connection. Without brand sponsorship, though, festivals like Beaches Jazz aren't able to program as many artists, leading to reduced opportunity for local arts.

In its call for sponsors, the festival cites the Canadian Live Music Association's recent Hear and Now report, which emphasizes the measurable value of live music in Canada. "Canada's live music sector contributes $10.92B to GDP and 100,000+ jobs, yet rising costs and venue closures threaten its future," the release states.

"Across the board, festivals are struggling with rising costs and shifting sponsorship priorities, which makes brand involvement even more critical," Chilelli adds. "Investing in homegrown talent isn’t just about music; it’s about preserving a cultural legacy."

Beaches Jazz Festival returns July 4-27, 2025.