The Scottish Government has confirmed a further £300,000 of funding to the Edinburgh festivals to help them celebrate their 70th year.
The various festivals were founded in 1947 and it will be appropriate to mark the Edinburgh International Festival, the Festival Fringe and the Edinburgh International Film Festival this year.
The funding announced today means that the government will give £2.3 million financial support to the festivals during the next year. They have already announced £90,000 for Edinburgh Hogmanay’s Midnight Moment in 2017.
Cabinet secretary for Culture, Tourism and External Affairs, Fiona Hyslop said: “Edinburgh’s Festivals provide an excellent platform to promote Scotland’s rich culture, heritage and distinct identity on the world stage. Every year they generate tremendous cultural energy and activity, attracting around 4.5 million attendances, providing jobs, supporting our tourism industry and contributing £313 million to the Scottish economy.
“Through our Expo Fund the Scottish Government has provided more than £17 million over eight years to support artists to create and showcase their work to the world. I am pleased to announce today we will enhance our support for the festivals with an additional £300,000 next year to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding festivals, led by the Edinburgh International Festival.
“In line with the commitment we set out in our current Programme for Government, this extra funding will support the festivals to deliver innovative work and create performances that will catch the imagination of our international audiences. This underlines the government’s commitment to supporting the festivals to grow, and our artists to thrive.”
Julia Amour, Director of Festivals Edinburgh, said:“Over 70 years, Edinburgh’s Festivals have become Scotland’s globally renowned meeting point for arts and creativity. We are delighted to be able to celebrate this anniversary and share Scotland’s cultural riches with the wider world, thanks to enhanced support from the Scottish Government’s Edinburgh Festivals Expo Fund. This investment in maintaining our unique cultural edge will help make our 70th year the start of an exciting new chapter for the world’s leading festival city.”
Photo by Mark Brown.
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
