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Organizers say the African Descent Festival 2025 has been cancelled after the Vancouver Park Board refused to issue a permit, citing unresolved issues from past events.
The two-day cultural celebration, which would have marked its 11th year, was scheduled for this weekend at English Bay Beach Park. The festival typically features music, dance, food and cultural performances celebrating people of African descent and draws tens of thousands of attendees.
In a statement Friday morning, the Park Board said the African Descent Society B.C. “did not meet the required planning, safety, and financial obligations in time to support a safe and permitted event at English Bay Beach Park.”
It said the society has “outstanding financial obligations” to both the Park Board and the Vancouver Police Department (VPD) from previous events, and that while a multi-year repayment agreement was recently reached, it was too late to allow for proper planning this year.
Park Board staff said they offered to relocate the festival to Thornton Park, the site of previous editions, or postpone it to allow for preparation, but both options were declined.
Without a permit, the board said, any gathering at English Bay Beach Park would be “unpermitted and unsanctioned.”
Organizers dispute Park Board’s decision
Festival coordinator King Solomon told CBC News that crews were stopped from setting up at the beach on Friday morning.
“They did not let the tent companies and other production companies install and do the setup,” he said.
Solomon said the “unresolved” matter referenced by the park board relates to public safety and policing resources for the event.
“They asked us to arrange a settlement plan with the police. We did and we even paid a deposit, but they went ahead and now cancelled our event,” he said.
The festival typically receives about $15,000 to $20,000 in provincial funding, along with a $15,000 grant from the City of Vancouver. But organizers say the city grant wasn’t made available this year because of outstanding payments to the VPD.
CBC News reached out to VPD for clarification but was redirected to the park board.
According to the VPD’s website, policing for major events is staffed by officers working overtime, with costs covered by event organizers. The department says it handles between 1,200 and 2,200 events annually, including festivals, parades, concerts and construction-related closures.
“Our public image as organizers has been assassinated,” Solomon said, adding that in previous years the festival has taken place “without any major issues” and “zero incidents.”
Festival founder Yasin M. Kiraga says the location holds symbolic importance because it was once patrolled by Serafim Joe Fortes, Vancouver’s first lifeguard and a pioneering Black resident of the city.
On The CoastNot clear if African Descent Festival will be held this year in Vancouver
“We want the festival here for that legacy.”
He said this year’s event was expected to draw more than 40,000 people and 150 vendors, and that nearly $1 million had already been invested.
In correspondence shared with CBC News by Kiraga, the park board told organizers that any contracts or arrangements they made for the event were done at their own risk because no conditional permit had been issued, and that the city would not be responsible for any resulting financial loss.
