By Jonathan Hunt
KSUT Public Radio will pause the Four Corners Folk Festival in 2025, Executive Director Tami Graham announced on Friday, December 20.
She cited a series of factors that have sprung up since the radio station acquired the two festivals, previously presented by FolkWest, in October 2019.
“For 28 years, the Four Corners Folk Festival has been about more than just putting on a festival,” said Graham. “It has always been driven by our passion for music discovery, supporting the businesses of Pagosa Springs, and shining the spotlight on some of the best bands and musicians in the nation, region, and local communities. We have not been driven by profit or bottom-line, and only made a profit once – at the 2021 Four Corners Folk Festival.”
Upon acquiring the festivals from previous executive directors Dan Appenzeller and Crista Munro in the fall of 2019, KSUT immediately booked a strong lineup for the following spring and put tickets on sale that December, only to see the pandemic cancel both festivals in 2020 and Pagosa Folk N’ Bluegrass in 2021.
Once festival production resumed with the 25th annual Four Corners Folk Festival in 2022, KSUT faced skyrocketing production costs that left it in a serious financial hole. These costs included unexpected increases in insurance, equipment rental, lodging, catering, and other production costs.
KSUT also saw decreased attendance yearly, from nearly 3,000 people in 2021 to less than 2,000 in 2024. This decrease can, in part, be attributed to competition from newer festivals such as Billy Strings’ Renewal and Tico Time Bluegrass, as well as established events around the state and region, including Phish’s Labor Day concerts at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in the Denver area. Attendees may also have discovered or renewed their passion for activities such as rafting, cycling, hiking, camping, and fishing during the shutdown during the pandemic.
NPR released an article this past September exploring “The Year the Music Festival Died,” revealing a similar list of factors to what KSUT has faced.
Among the national festivals to go fallow in 2024 were Desert Daze, a psychedelic rock fest in Southern California; Sierra Nevada World Music Festival, a reggae fest in Northern California; Kickoff Jam, a country music festival in Florida; Blue Ridge Rock Festival in Virginia; Sudden Little Thrills, a multi-genre festival in Pittsburgh; and Float Fest in Austin, Texas.
Regionally, Telluride Jazz, Telluride Blues & Brews, and Moab Folk Festival all saw decreased ticket sales from prior years. The Ride, a mid-summer rock festival in Telluride, has been forced to present a much smaller indoor festival since the pandemic.
Pagosa Folk N’ Bluegrass and the Tico Time Jam Festival have both shut down operations.
The NPR article cited decreasing consumer confidence in an overall willingness to spend on entertainment and activities. “Due to the cost-of-living increases and higher interest rates, many of the usual festivalgoers are tightening their belts and refusing to fork over as much money for expensive festival tickets and all the accompanying costs of attending festivals,” it wrote. “We’re also seeing similar downturns in other leisure and hospitality sectors, including theme parks, air travel, hotel chains, and Airbnb.”
Graham and her KSUT team are viewing 2025 as a short-term shutdown while the station looks to find solution opportunities to recover from the significant revenue losses as a result of producing the festivals. KSUT plans to announce ways festival attendees and other donors can contribute to the station’s general operations. Once the station’s general ledger is back in the black, fundraising activities for the Four Corners Folk Festival will commence.
KSUT plans to continue its annual Party in the Park and collaborate with the City of Durango’s 4th of July street dance and will explore a handful of small venue concerts.
For more information, contact KSUT Festival Director Jill Davis at festivaldirector@ksut.org or 970-563-5788 or Executive Director Tami Graham at tami@ksut.org or 970-563-5780.
Jonathan Hunt is KSUT Membership Manager.