Whether it's waning sponsorship dollars, an avalanche of red tape or just a reflection of the worldwide economy, a trio of Tri-Cities festivals has been cancelled this year.

Port Moody's Wearable Art Awards are a no go, while Coquitlam's Blue Mountain Music Festival and the Water's Edge Festival have been shelved this year as well.

In the case of the Wearable Art Awards, a steep drop in international entries was the reason behind the show's first cancellation in a decade.

"It's really sad - a hugely difficult decision to make in many ways," said Jane Matthews, executive director of the Port Moody Arts Centre Society.

Matthews noted that about 30 Canadian artists had submitted entries prior to submission deadline in early December of last year. In years past, those numbers hovered around 60 or 70, with about half of all entries coming from the U.S and abroad.

Only one international entry was received this year, and Matthews attributes that drop to high shipping costs and the lingering effects of the worldwide recession.

The trickle-down effect of a scaled-back event proved too difficult to overcome, and the society pulled the plug on the event in mid-December.

"Without entries we don't get the revenue from artist entry fees and we also feel that the sponsors probably wouldn't come on board to the same extent," Matthews said. "And the actual performance wouldn't be as long, so we may or may not sell enough tickets. The value of tickets would be lessened as well - there was a multitude of things that kind of dominoed into one another."

Matthews is optimistic this year's cancellation is just a temporary blip on the radar, and next year's event - which will coincide with the City of the Arts' centennial - will take place as planned.

"Wearable Arts is one of the signature events of the city and we have been working towards plans for it to be even bigger than it typically is," she said, adding that entries received last December will automatically be entered into next year's festival.

As for the Blue Mountain Music Festival, a combination of factors forced the cancellation of a summertime tradition that dates back more than 20 years. A lack of sponsorship money, problems around getting a liquor licence and other permit processes proved too much.

"We're really sad to see it go," said Festival Coquitlam board chair Malcolm Kennedy. "It was a really tough move from our point of view, because we've had a lot of fun doing it. Everybody's worked hard at it, and you hate to see something that you've been doing for years all of a sudden be gone. But you have to use your head sometimes. You can't always go with your heart."

A non-profit run entirely by volunteers, Festival Coquitlam also helps organize a handful of other city events: the Lafarge Lake Annual Free Fishing Day, Coquitlam Grande Parade, Teddy Bear Picnic and Como Lake Fishing Derby.

About 70 per cent of Festival Coquitlam's funds come from the City of Coquitlam by way of grant money.

"The Blue Mountain Music Festival was a drain on the other events," Kennedy said. "From a business point of view, it just didn't make any logical sense to keep on doing it. We have nothing against the [City of Coquitlam]. We can't say it was the regulations that broke our back. We understand why they're all there."

Kennedy said the festival may return in two to three years, but in a different format. He suggested moving the festival to another part of town, or having another group organize it.

Meanwhile, having run for three straight years in Coquitlam, the Water's Edge Festival has also been pulled.

Artistic director Diana Clark noted that the previous three festivals, which ran from 2009 to 2011, were all made possible by provincial grant money tied to the Olympics.

Now that the big show has left town, so have those dollars.

"We had always agreed all the way along that we would do the Water's Edge Festival as long as there was funding for it," Clark said. "Now that the Olympics are over and all the Cultural Olympiad and Spirit Festival funding isn't available, we thought this is an opportunity now to reshape the festival so that it fits what we want to do and what we think would fit our community at a different time of year when it's not so rainy or cold."

Though the festival is taking a respite this year, Clark is hopeful that a new event will be staged next summer.

"Nobody's griping about no funding. It's not that at all. We're just thinking about how we can do it on our own terms now," she said.

Even those festivals that are left standing are feeling the pinch, despite having had a community presence for close to 25 years.

Festival du Bois organizer and artistic director Johanne Dumas told The NOW Tuesday that the March 3 and 4 event is still a go, but every year is filled with obstacles.

"We're moving forward, but we have challenges every year - there's no doubt about that," she said. "It's really hard to get funding and sponsorship. We just have to work twice as hard."

jkurucz@thenownews.com