New Brunswick Tourism Festival Fund

Insider Tip

The funding formula rewards destination appeal — work to attract visitors from 75+ km away and collect every postal code. Promote the festival in regional media (Moncton, Fredericton, Saint John, PEI, NS) to build out-of-area attendance. Collect postal codes at entry, via ticket purchase, or via QR code survey — a 15% threshold from 75+ km is the eligibility floor for established festivals but higher ratios unlock larger funding tiers. New festivals should open with realistic budgets since the 25%-of-expenses cap means a $40,000 projected budget yields the maximum $10,000.

Rejection Pitfalls 7

• Festival is a single-day event (minimum two consecutive days required)
• Festival is not open to the public (private, members-only, or ticketed without general public access)
• Existing festival cannot provide minimum 100 prior-year postal codes

Success Profile

An established 2+ day outdoor festival in New Brunswick (music, food, heritage, or cultural) with proven regional draw — e.g., 800+ attendees with 20%+ from outside the local community. Has historical postal code data from prior year and a system for collecting postal codes from every attendee. Demonstrably tourism-generating rather than purely local community event.

Evaluation Criteria

For established festivals: funding is formula-calculated based on (1) number of 6-digit postal codes submitted from the prior year and (2) the percentage of attendees from 75+ km away. A tiered funding table (not publicly posted) assigns dollar amounts based on these two metrics. For new festivals: funding is capacity-based, capped at $10,000 and 25% of projected expenses, with consideration given to expected attendance and tourism potential. Evaluation is largely mechanical rather than scored.

Application Steps

Required Documents 7

Eligible Expenses 6

• Festival programming and entertainment fees
• Event marketing and promotion (print, digital, outdoor advertising targeting out-of-area visitors)
• Festival infrastructure (stage rental, tent rental, fencing, portable facilities)
• Site preparation and event logistics
• Staffing directly related to festival delivery
• Postal code data collection systems (technology, personnel)

Ineligible Expenses 4

• Capital expenditures for permanent infrastructure
• Costs incurred before the application date or after March 31
• Administrative overhead not directly tied to festival delivery
• Costs for events that are not open to the public

Intake Periods

Two intakes per year: spring festivals (held before August 31) must apply by approximately May 11; fall/winter festivals apply by approximately August 15. Program operates on the provincial fiscal year.

Deadline Notes

Two intakes per year. Spring festivals (held before August 31) must apply by approximately May 11 of the festival year. Fall/winter festivals apply by approximately August 15. All eligible project costs must be incurred between the application date and March 31 of the program year. Deadlines shift slightly year to year — verify current dates at tourismnewbrunswick.info.

Ineligible Organizations

• Organizations with outstanding financial obligations to the Government of New Brunswick
• Events that are not open to the general public
• Single-day events

Compatible Programs

Clawback Risk

Medium Risk

If the festival fails to meet minimum postal code collection requirements (250 codes) or the 15% out-of-area threshold in the current year, the grant may be reduced or recovered. If final report is not submitted, full clawback applies.