Free outdoor concerts in Ottawa are but a memory...however we have a great free festival in Perth Ontario every summer.

The reason it's free is quite accidental--the festival is held in Stewart Park, a lovely and large waterfront spot which was donated to the town some fifty years ago by a civic-minded leading citizen. One of the stipulations of the donation was that NO commercial transactions were to be carried out on the property. No sales of goods, and no admission charges. And it's stayed that way. They get lots of local businesses large and small to sponsor parts of the festival--for a properly community-minded venture I think you have to invite all levels of support, not just let the big corps have it their way. Also, most of the fest acts are between noon and early evening. The main stage shuts down about 8:30 p.m. and the action moves to the "after-hours" shows in various pubs, restaurants and small halls around town. There is a single button patrons purchase for $10 or $15 that gets them into all these shows. This adds to the coffers and spreads the business and the music around town.

Hmm, if your concert series is an early event, maybe the organizers could get a different pub or live music venue to sponsor it each week, with an encouragement for those so inclined to go to the sponsor's event next...

W-O