MONTREAL – The organizing body of one of Montreal’s major celebrations is struggling.
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Saint Patrick’s Day parade organizers said it’s getting harder to find money to put the festivities together this year.
“It’s an ongoing issue,” said Kevin Murphy from the United Irish Societies, the non-profit organization that puts the parade together.
“Every year we’re always struggling to make it to our budget to put on a good show for Montrealers.”
The reason is a mix of cutting and trimming.
Murphy said the cost of putting the parade together is over $100,000.
With donations not coming in the way they used to and without a major sponsor, they’ve had to scale back.
“We’ve had to cut back on bands from out of town,” Murphy added.
“Another one of the things we had to cut back some of the oriflammes that you see hanging from the street poles. We’ve used them too long and they’ve fallen in disrepair.”
The city is the parade’s biggest supporter with a grant of $30,000 this year and help with logistics.
Nevertheless, organizers insisted they need all the help they can get.
The United Irish Societies group has even added a donation button to its webpage to try to drum up funds.
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“Every cent goes back to the parade one way or another and we’re very appreciative of it, it helps keep it going,” said Murphy, adding they are still looking for a major sponsor to help in the coming years.
“We think we’ll make our budget for this year but the day after the parade, the account is at zero and we’re building up for the next year.”
According to Murphy, around 250,000 people attended the parade last year.