Weather Woes Lead to More Festival Cancellations in Ontario

Marley Barrell and Brett Simenac were among the many people leaving Harris Park in London, Ont., Thursday after the annual Rock the Park music festival was called off.

“I was a bit disappointed but, you know, it’s been really smoky from the fires so I’m not surprised,” Simenac said. 

The festival’s first two days joined several other events in Ontario that were cancelled last week due to concerns over air quality from drifting wildfire smoke coming from the north.

This adds to an even longer list of events that have been cancelled across the region this summer due to unexpected weather issues, including extreme heat and storm alerts.

Brett Simenac and Marley Barrell explore downtown London after finding out Rock the Park organizers cancelled the second day of the festival due to wildfire smoke. (Kendra Seguin/)

“It’s becoming more common for live events to face challenges related to weather and its unpredictability,” said Cory Crossman, director of the London Music Office.

The office’s weekly City of Music concert series had two cancellations this season: once because of tornado warnings and most recently due to wildfire smoke.

“I wouldn’t say it’s an easy decision. A lot goes into it,” Crossman explained. “We often consider how it might affect artists or crew members working or just attendees trying to get there, so it’s vital to step back and assess everything.”

In Toronto, FIFA Fan Festival along with other World Cup watch parties were also called off over the weekend because of air quality worries. Hamilton Fringe Fest had several events cancelled on Friday night. Niagara Parks has paused its nightly fireworks show “until air quality conditions improve.”

The London Music Office has cancelled two of its weekly City of Music concerts at Market Lane due to extreme weather events. (Kendra Seguin/)

Earlier this month, East London Canada Day celebrations were scrapped due to severe heat.

“Making that call is tough because we don’t want to let anyone down,” said La Vonne Haynes, president of Optimist Club of East London. The club co-organizes Canada Day with Argyle Business Improvement Association.

“We were making decisions for about 7,000 people expected throughout the day … not counting vendors and others like bands,” she added. “That’s not an easy choice; it’s very emotional.” 

Cancellations hurt vendors, charities

Haynes mentioned that most funds for Canada Day celebrations will roll over into next year. Sponsorships will be applied toward next year’s event while any merchandise bought will be saved for future use. Vendors could choose between getting their booth deposit back or pre-booking their spot for 2027.

This isn’t true for all events though.

Argyle Business Improvement Association event coordinator Leah Thomas and Optimist Club of East London president La Vonne Haynes cancelled East London Canada Day in 2026. (Kendra Seguin/)

This past weekend marked ten years since the Colombian Gastronomy Festival took place in downtown London. However, organizer Pablo Tovar shared that he put a hold on festivities when he decided to cancel Friday’s activities because of smoke concerns.

“It was more than six months planning this event, so cancelling was pretty stressful [for me]. I even cried on Thursday because I’d invested so much effort into it,” said Tovar, who runs entertainment company Stereo Caliente.

While they managed to continue as planned during its last two days, Tovar noted that over 40 food vendors felt economic strain from losing sales on Friday.

“Most vendors did fine but some still had leftover food since they prepared for Friday along with Saturday and Sunday,” he explained.

LISTEN | How cancelling Rock the Park impacted this London-area charity:

London Morning6:06The ripple effect of cancelling Rock The Park

Part of Rock The Park was cancelled last week due to poor air quality.

One organization in town relies on money generated from festivals like these. Lisa Mc Intosh, the executive director for Big Brothers Big Sisters of London and Area, told London Morninghow funding works.

Rock The Park supports several local charities through drink ticket sales including Big Brothers Big Sistersof Londonand Area(BBBSLA).

The charity’s interim executive director Lisa Mc Intoshsaid while she backed Rockthe Park’sdecisionto canceltheevent, sheexpecteditwouldaffect BBBSLA’ overall fundingthis year.

“What will it all play outto be? We don’tknow yet. But it’s certainlysomethingwe’rethinkingaboutasorganizationandwe’relookingfordifferentwaystomakeupwhat Ianticipatebe a loss,”Mc Intoshsaid.

Rockthe Parkorganizersdidnot respondto CBC’srequestforan interviewbeforedeadline.

The directorof London Music Office Cory Crossmansaysoutdooreventsaresufferingmorecancellationsduetounexpectedweatherconditionswhichaffectsorganizersperformersandvendors.(Kendra Seguin/)<PIn some cases, eventcancellationscanimpactbeyondjustfinances.

Even though London Music Officepayartistswhenevenaconcertiscancelled, Crossmansaidchangesstilltakeatollonmusicians.

“Wehave thinkofthelossthatdoeshappenwhenartiststake time awayfromadayjobortheroutingfortouringartists,”hesaid<h2Howareorganizersplanningahead? </h3<P< crossmanaddedthatmostcasesmusicofficebookslocalartistssoitiseasytorescheduleashowratherthanentirelycancel.<p Withanincreaseinunexpectedweatherevents, someorganizersarechangingtheirplansforfuturefestivals.

Tovarsaidheisstartingto consideralternativesforhisupcomingeventsincluding London Beer Festand London Seafood Festival, suchasrentingalargetentormovingindoors.

“It’sreallychallengingforalltheoutdoor eventsbecauseifit’snotrainit’ssmoke. It’hittingusrealfastthisyear,”Tovarcommented.”Butwe’restillhere, we’rethankfulandwekeepworkinghard. Wearen’tgoingtostopand we’llalwaysfindsolutions.”

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