A war of words has erupted between Sunshine Coast Council and a busking festival organiser, who has cancelled the main two-day event a month before it was due to be held.
Buskers By The Lake was this year set to celebrate its 10th anniversary, but founder and event director Cindy Jensen has called off the main event planned for August 19-20 along the foreshore of Lake Kawana, blaming differences with council for the decision.
“Most would jump to the conclusion in this environment that the cancellation is due to lack of ticket sales or funds, but this simply isn’t the case … this cancellation is being spurred on by integrity, principle and moral standards,” she said in a press release.
In response, a spokesperson said council refuted claims made by the promoter regarding certain conditions.
“Council is disappointed by the Buskers By The Lake promoter’s allegations, which do not accurately reflect the background to this issue,” they said.
The event started on the Gold Coast in 2014. After six successful years, Sunshine Coast Council lured the event north to fill a void in its cultural event portfolio.
Council confirmed it was keen to bring the event to the region and said it entered into a generous sponsorship deal with the event promoter.
More than 200 performers had been booked for this year’s event, including the winner of Italy’s Roma Buskers Festival, plus suppliers, crew, foodies and volunteers. Some tickets had also been pre-purchased.
In the press release, Ms Jensen said she recently met with council, which made an offer to provide financial support for the event on condition that the offer be kept confidential and that she did not make any negative comments about the council in the media or on social media platforms.
She said she considered this to be ‘hush money’ and a demonstration of council’s mentality.
“I am taking this cancellation stance and calling for a full investigation into Sunshine Coast Council, its representatives, budgets and reporting and operations of their own major events – someone needs to hold them accountable,” she said.
“From my own experiences and through discussions with other industry members and operators, the evidence indicates that Buskers By The Lake provides a competitive edge to other events held by council and, because of that, it seems that they are working against us and had intended to either take control of or eradicate the event. They only appear interested in events that they can control, directly profit from, or put their council badge on.
“I’m a vocal voice within this community, I’m highly respected amongst my peers and industry, and I have learnt an awful lot about the operations of this particular council and its representatives. Because of this, it seems that council have tried their best to eradicate me or at very least, keep me quiet.”
The council spokesperson said Mayor Mark Jamieson, Councillor Peter Cox and staff met with Ms Jensen on Friday, June 30, to identify ways by which council could provide some level of financial support to allow the event to continue.
“Division 3 Councillor Peter Cox and the mayor offered funding to support the 2023 event via their 2023-24 Discretionary Fund,” they said.
“There is nothing sinister in asking for details of event sponsorship to remain confidential nor to ask for sponsorship acknowledgement. This is common practice for events this council and other government agencies sponsor.
“Yes, it is disappointing that some events, such as those mentioned by the promoter (Ocean Street World Festival and Big Pineapple Festival), are no longer part of the event calendar.
“However, to lay blame for this purely at council’s feet is misleading. Industry-wide challenges such as increased costs have impacted all event organisers and have been a major contributor to many of these events no longer being held.
“Council has a responsibility as custodians of ratepayers’ money to ensure funds are distributed in a responsible manner and sometimes tough decisions are required.”
Ms Jensen said council fundamentally misunderstood its role within the community, and has started a petition calling for an investigation into its operations.
“They seem to act more like a commercial enterprise in direct competition with other businesses than a local government that can encourage private investment for the benefit of the community,” she said.
“I cannot and will not continue to work alongside a council while they blatantly continue to work against us – it’s hard and continues to have so many detrimental effects on myself and so many.
“I have always fought for fair, I want to be the voice for others who are and have been silenced because they have everything to lose and I don’t care the cost to my reputation, future funding or otherwise.”
The council spokesperson said any previous sponsorship deals with the promoter did not guarantee council’s continued support in perpetuity.
“As is common practice with all events that council sponsors, it was subject to annual reviews and meeting major event outcomes,” they said.
“Following the 2022 event, council conducted a de-brief with event organisers and recommended improvements for any 2023 funding application.
“Council was transparent with the organiser on the highly-competitive nature of its Major Event funding and reiterated that all events would be assessed on their merits.
“The independent Sunshine Coast Events Board considered 22 applications, including the Buskers By The Lake proposed August 2023 event.
“Based on an assessment of the projected economic impact the applicant had forecast, combined with two years of previous event data, and a high concern over the event’s financial position, the board unanimously recommended not to fund Buskers By The Lake in the proposed event model.
“Council staff provided support and advice to the event organisers to review their event model, location within the region and budget, and provided an opportunity to resubmit a revised application to the board. Event organisers declined and the board upheld its original recommendation.”
With the cancellation of the main event, Ms Jensen is reaching out to local venue owners to become part of a reimagined 10th anniversary event, Gypsyland On Tour.
“We’ve got a few hundred performers who’ve had the dates on hold for the past many months and although it’s under five weeks away, I’m going to do my very best to get each and every one of them performance slots and opportunities at venues and events around the Coast,” she said.
She said Your Mates Brewing, Drift Bar, Duporth Tavern and Nambour Beach House were also locked away and excited to be a part.
“That’s just from my first four calls and it resonates immensely, as it proves that business owners here on the Coast understand the true sense and importance of community,” Ms Jensen said.
Despite the plans for a reimagined festival, Ms Jensen said the decision to cancel the main event was devastating, especially knowing the impact it would have on so many.
She said she had already spent tens of thousands of dollars that won’t be recovered, but it was not enough motivation to see her through to the finish line at Lake Kawana.
“Ticket sales were exceeding expectations and our Gypsyland event was gearing up to be a highly successful celebration of the art of busking and community,” she said.
“My festival family and I are all so devastated and we understand that this decision considerably impacts our performers, stallholders, suppliers, ticket holders, those who have booked accommodation and travel, volunteers, community and more. We profusely apologise for the inconvenience this cancellation will cause.”
Full refunds will be issued to ticket holders for the main two-day event and full details of the updated program will be listed on the website and socials over the coming weeks.
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