The annual Sacramento Music Festival is ending after more than 40 years.
The festival used to be called The Old Sacramento Dixieland Jazz Jubilee when it began in the mid 1970s. A few years ago, the name was changed and the roster of performers was expanded to include bands that played rock, blues, zydeco and country.
In a statement released today, organizers cited diminishing audiences, increased costs and heavy competition for the decision to end the event.
"You hate to see something that's been part of the city for so long go away," said Mike Testa with Visit Sacramento, the city's tourism bureau.
Testa said it'll be a big economic loss for the city.
"Memorial Day Weekend is a holiday weekend, and typically for most cities that's a time where you want to bring visitors in and people from outside to spend money into the economy," he said. "So certainly it's a bad thing for Sacramento."
The festival was a fundraiser for the non-profit Sacramento Traditional Jazz Society's music education program for kids called Jazz Camps.
At one time the event drew more than 100,000 people from around the world and was considered the second largest music festival in the U.S.
You can hear more about the decision to end the festival on Insight with Beth Ruyak, Tuesday at 9 a.m.
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