Founder Notes #5 - The Biggest Challenge of Running a Festival

Most people think the hardest part of organizing an event is funding or securing a venue.

But over the past few years, I’ve come to realize something:

The biggest challenge isn’t putting the event together—

it’s finding people who genuinely want to walk this journey with you.

Behind every festival, there are many people involved.

Some show up once, some stay for a while,

and some realize along the way that this isn’t for them.

That’s completely normal.

Because building a festival has never been easy.

Of course, there have been setbacks.

There are moments when you start to question yourself—

whether you’ve been too idealistic,

whether this is something that’s actually possible to do well.

But now, reaching the fifth year feels like a meaningful milestone.

Because at this point, I understand something much more clearly:

The true value of a festival isn’t what happens in any single year.

It’s whether it can keep growing,

and keep being reimagined over time.

Many people will be part of a festival’s story.

But what really carries it into its fifth year—and beyond—

are those who are still willing to keep pushing it forward.

Looking back, my biggest takeaway isn’t how many events I’ve created.

It’s gaining clarity on one thing:

Who are the people truly meant to stay and build this together.

And this story…

is still being written.

——Eric Yang

Founder of Canada Bubble Tea Festival