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From l'avenir

http://www.lavenir.net/ar....2_00577065 (French)

l'avenir wrote:

Verviers FiestaCity 2015 in peril?

No FiestaCity in 2015? It is possible. Targnion Muriel, organizer, is given until February to decide. Involved? Planned subsidies.

Muriel Targnion , you are the president of the association that organizes Verviers Music Festival FiestaCity. A new massive blow just fell on you with the announcement of a loss of € 10,000 for financial assistance from the City of Verviers. It's a catastrophe for the organization of the festival?

This is a disaster. Already in 2012, we lost € 20,000, reduced to € 30,000. And today, we lose another € 10,000 ... We have already had to make choices, restrictions, including the development of a scene in less programming and reduction. Already with € 30,000 from the city of Verviers, it was the minimum that could be reached because all positions have already been reduced. Clearly, now I do not know what we will do ...

You feel that this decision would fall?

I heard the news by reading the municipal budget. Francis Geron (note: programmer FiestaCity) and I met with the mayor in October and no one knew what was going to be received or not ... We suspected that we would lose money but then to find out how ... The real problem this year, the cumulative loss of subsidies. We lose € 10,000 from the City of Verviers and we will lose the € 30,000 we usually get from the City Mall. Banimmo, which has taken over activities for Verviers City Mall shopping centre, has clearly said they want to focus on the commercial business. I'll go and see the leaders but I doubt we get anything. Cumulatively, we lose € 40,000 subsidies!

Will there be a 2015 edition of FiestaCity?

Quite honestly, I do not know. With so much money lost, it will be very difficult to get anything. We already had a headlining ready to come but we had to tell them we could not yet confirm anything. We are given until February to decide what we will do. Until then, I'll go and knock on doors to find sponsors, subsidies for example ... I will ask the Province of Liège to give us more. Now they give us € 30,000 but before it was € 50,000. I'll try to scrounge there. Then I will make contact with private companies in the area to see if they would be willing to support us. But as I say, it will be very difficult.

These subsidies and less, it will block you for what?

If we want to give the festival the same quality as usual, we can not reduce it. The last two years, we have already done enough. All we could restrict we did. With this reduced money its the programming that will suffer. Initially, it cost € 120,000, the last two years, it was between € 80,000 and € 90,000. So imagine with € 40,000 less. This amount will not be enough to concoct a complete quality event.

So it is a real blow?

Yes, really. FiestaCity is the biggest and most beautiful Verviers event. We do not understand the decision of the majority. We are told that it is for budgetary reasons, perhaps, but it is above all a political choice.. The majority chooses to support its projects, it makes sense too. But for us, it's very hard, yes.

But the availability of personnel is maintained.

Thank goodness ...