What’s happening with the proposed new Carmel Music & Film Festival?

COVID has hampered funding for this event, which in turn has hindered the ability of our Community Relations and Economic Development team to firm up plans for this event.

Mayor Brainard, along with Dubbie Buckler, the Executive Director of the festival, discussed the status of festival plans and for several reasons decided not to try and launch this event this year, but to instead focus on May of 2022 for the first eight-day festival. The Board of Directors voted to endorse that decision and postpone the festival until May 13-21, 2022.

As with most arts organizations, the prolonged impact of Why postpone? Here a few of the reasons expressed by the festival organizers:

• With so many 2020 events postponed, 2021 could be quite busy as we come out of this pandemic, which could create scheduling and venue availability conflicts.
• There is still a need to continue raising funds for advance booking deposits.
• The festival is waiting to hear about CSO’s National Endowment for the Arts grant – notice of which will come in late summer and must be used the music portion of 2022 Music and Film Festival.