The Edmonton company behind the Great Outdoors Comedy Festival has filed for bankruptcy, and its founder is apologizing.
“I recognize that this news will have real consequences for our employees, suppliers, artists, partners and fans who have supported Trixstar over the years,” Trixstar Productions founder and president Mike Anderson said in a statement on the company’s website. “I am deeply sorry for the uncertainty and hardship this creates.”
Anderson said the company “faced significant financial challenges” and was “unable to establish a financially sustainable path forward.”
The festival brought big-name comedy to outdoor stages across Canada, with past headliners including Jerry Seinfeld, Bill Burr and John Mulaney. Now anyone waiting on a refund, or holding tickets for 2027, has to deal with a bankruptcy trustee instead of the festival.
MNP Ltd. has been appointed trustee. No refunds have been announced.
The filing
MNP’s records list the filing date as Nov. 12, 2026. Trixstar’s statement says the bankruptcy took effect Nov. 13. MNP’s appointment still has to be confirmed by creditors at their first meeting.
Trixstar has been putting on events across Canada and the U.S. for more than 20 years. The Great Outdoors Comedy Festival, launched in 2021, became its biggest event.
A summer that went wrong
Trixstar hasn’t spelled out exactly what pushed it under. But the trouble was visible for months.
July 18, Edmonton. Chelsey LaMarsh and a group of friends drove two hours from Olds to see Matt Rife headline at Kinsmen Park. They never saw him. A storm rolled in, the crowd was told to take shelter, and the site was evacuated. The show was cancelled.
The festival sent ticket holders a message saying it was working to complete refunds as quickly as possible and aimed to do it within 90 days. LaMarsh told CBC News she never got her money back, and her two calls to the company went unanswered.
“We were all completely choked about it,” she said.
August, Halifax. The festival packed Citadel Hill from Aug. 6 to 9. Weeks later, food truck operators said they hadn’t been paid, and some called for a boycott of next year’s event.
Michelle Kerfoot Bernava, who runs the Moncton food truck Mama K’s, said she submitted an invoice for more than $20,000 and still hasn’t seen a cent.
“We didn’t lose our business, but if this happened two years ago, we would have lost our business,” she told CBC News. She usually takes the winter off. This year, she says, she has to keep working to make up the loss.
September, Mississauga. On Sept. 8, the festival announced it was postponing its Mississauga debut, a John Mulaney-headlined weekend set for Sept. 11 to 13 at Erindale Park. That came three days before the gates were due to open. The festival said it was exploring new dates. None were announced, and a month later fans said they were still waiting for refunds.
October. The 90-day refund window for the Edmonton show passed. Fans told CTV News they still hadn’t been paid.
Nov. 13. Trixstar announced its bankruptcy.
LaMarsh said she wasn’t surprised. “It’s a bummer, but at least now we have some information,” she said.
Why a storm can sink an outdoor festival
Outdoor shows carry a risk that indoor shows don’t: one bad storm can wipe out a sold-out night, and the money goes with it.
The festival’s refund policy says shows go ahead rain or shine. But they can be paused, evacuated or cancelled for severe thunderstorms, nearby lightning, high winds, hail, flooding or orders from emergency officials.
Tickets are normally final sale. Weather is the exception. If a show is cancelled and not rescheduled, the policy says the base ticket price and taxes are refunded automatically to the original card, with a target of 90 days from the cancellation notice. That only covers tickets bought through Tixr or TicketsWest.
Multi-day passes get less protection. If 75 per cent or more of the shows are cancelled, you get a partial refund. If fewer are cancelled, you get nothing.
For Edmonton ticket holders, that 90-day promise ran out in October. Then the company went bankrupt.
Who’s affected
Trixstar is directing three groups to the trustee:
People with tickets to the July 18, 2026, Edmonton show
People with tickets to the postponed Mississauga festival
Anyone who bought tickets for the 2027 festivals
That last group matters for Alberta. The festival had already advertised 2027 shows in Edmonton and Calgary, along with Vancouver, Winnipeg, Halifax and Spokane, Wash., and tickets were on sale.
Vendors like the Halifax food trucks, along with employees and other suppliers, are also creditors.
Will anyone get their money back?
Nobody knows yet, and it’s worth being realistic.
In a Canadian bankruptcy, people owed money for tickets are generally unsecured creditors. They’re paid, if at all, only after the trustee’s costs and any secured lenders. How much is left depends on what Trixstar owns and what it owes, and neither has been made public.
Contacting the trustee gets you in line. It doesn’t guarantee a payout.
What ticket holders should do now
1. Email the trustee. Write to MNP at trixstar@mnp.ca with:
The event and date
Your order number
When you bought the tickets and how much you paid
The email address you used to buy them
Ask how your purchase will be handled, and whether you need to file a formal proof of claim.
2. Save everything. Keep tickets, receipts, order confirmations, cancellation emails and any message promising a refund. Download copies now in case your ticketing account stops working.
3. File a proof of claim if asked. It’s the official form for claiming money owed in a bankruptcy. A regular email may not count.
4. Watch MNP’s Trixstar page. MNP says it will post public documents there and contact all known creditors within five business days. That’s when you’ll hear from them, not when you’ll be paid.
Paid by credit card? Call your bank too
This may be your best chance of getting money back.
You can ask your card issuer to dispute the charge, often called a chargeback. Mastercard’s Canadian guidance says customers who bought from a business that went bankrupt can dispute the transaction with the bank that issued their card.
A chargeback is separate from the bankruptcy claim. It isn’t automatic, your bank will investigate, and there are time limits, so don’t wait.
When you call:
Say whether your show was cancelled (Edmonton), postponed and never rescheduled (Mississauga) or still in the future (2027).
Ask which deadline applies to you.
Have your receipts and cancellation notices ready.
If you bought from a resale site, contact it too. Many offer their own guarantee when an event doesn’t happen.
Is the festival over?
Not officially.
Anderson said “no determination has been made regarding future Great Outdoors Comedy Festival events,” and that he hopes the festival can “find a new home and continue in some form.”
Until the trustee or a new operator says otherwise, don’t plan on any 2027 show going ahead.
If you’re owed money, email MNP, keep your records and call your credit card company. Do all three now.
Sources
Trixstar Productions Ltd.: Statement from founder and president Mike Anderson, Nov. 13, 2026
MNP Ltd.: Trixstar Productions Ltd. bankruptcy page
Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy Canada: Information for creditors
Mastercard Canada: Disputing a transaction
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