New Promoter For Pemberton?

Officials in the village of Pemberton, British Columbia, want to amend language in an existing agreement that could signal a new promoter for future editions of the Pemberton Festival.

The multi-day fest, which took place in 2008, was promoted by Live Nation and reportedly drew more than 40,000 concertgoers to see acts including Nine Inch Nails, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Jay-Z, Coldplay, The Flaming Lips and Vampire Weekend.

The event has failed to make a repeat performance the past two years, with officials citing everything from traffic mitigation issues to liquor licensing and policing costs as reasons for the hiatus.

But Pemberton Mayor Jordan Sturdy hopes that a change in some wording in the event contract could help resurrect the fest.
The town reportedly has a memorandum of understanding with a local agricultural authority and the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District that has committed the parties to preserving the integrity of the land and developing a plan to restore it.

The MOU also reportedly names Live Nation as the sole promoter of the festival – something Sturdy is hoping to amend.

During a recent town meeting, he told councilors he approached the Agricultural Land Commission to request the change, according to the local Pique Newsmagazine, explaining it would “provide us with some latitude in terms of who the concert promoter might be.”
However, Sturdy reportedly kept tight lipped when asked during the meeting whether the festival would be back in 2011 with a different promoter, adding that the amended agreement would merely give more flexibility during future negotiations.

“There’s ongoing discussions,” he said. “We are in communication with Live Nation.”

LN said in a statement earlier this year that it continues to work with local officials to address issues to make the festival financially feasible, and hopes to bring the event back.