Spaniard Jordi Albareda founded Fair Saturday as an alternative to Black Friday and all its emphasis on consumerism – and now it’s coming to Scotland.
In Europe they celebrate with arts and culture on the last Saturday of the month (24 November 2018), while in Edinburgh (the first city outside mainland Spain) we will have St Andrew’s Fair Saturday on 1 December, the day after St Andrew’s Day itself.
It will be a mass celebration of arts and culture, along with our patron saint St Andrew while supporting social causes at the same time, boosting social inclusion, fairness and sharing.
The aim is to get shows to support charities or social causes, so generating funds to help those organisations in the process.
All proceeds from the Silent Light event on George Street on 1 December 2018 will be donated to three charities : Deafblind Scotland, National Deaf Children Society and Royal National Institute of Blind People.
“Fair Saturday, a day to improve the world through arts and culture.”
Later in October The Scottish Government is expected to announce more events which will take place across Scotland as part of our very own Fair Saturday.
The St Andrew’s Fair Saturday was launched in May 2018 at an event hosted by BEMIS Scotland the charity which empowers ethnic and cultural minority communities in Scotland and the Scottish Government at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall.
Dr Alasdair Allan, the then Minister of International Development and Europe at the Scottish Government said at the launch : “I am pleased that this year, for the first time, Scotland is joining the global Fair Saturday movement. I am proud that we will be the first country in the EU outside of Spain to host the celebrations nationally.”
There is a Facebook page here
Some have already been announced and events on St Andrew’s Fair Saturday will include : Live Music Now will hold a concert in Edinburgh, there will be an exhibition at The Biscuit Factory, The Penalty will play at The Queen’s Hall, there will be a Family Ceilidh in Edinburgh, at St Giles Cathedral there will be a celebration of St Andrew, there will be an event at the Scottish Poetry Library, The Dunedin Consort will perform, there will be a performance of Oh! What a Lovely War, the Consort of Voices will perform in a concert, The Fisherman’s Feast is at the Sailor’s Rest, and the St Andrew’s Day Debating Tournament will also take place.
In North Berwick Opera East Lothian will perform Handel’s Messiah.
The important part is that the chosen charity or charities get to share their work with the audience, and part of the proceeds is donated to them.
This will be coordinated in a partnership between The Scottish Government and the Fair Saturday Foundation.
In Europe last year around 600 shows took place in 117 cities raising around 189,000 euros for social causes.
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