Edinburgh Council is seeking contractors to manage and run a new series of community events at the Ross Bandstand.
Under plans set out in February, two ‘large’ community events will be run at the bandstand this year, as well as several smaller events put forward by community groups, with some of the smaller events being free.
The bandstand will also continue to play a role in the city’s winter festivals, where it is used for concerts and other events throughout the city’s Christmas celebrations and Hogmanay.
One of the large community events will be targeted at families, while the other will be aimed at young people, with both running for two days.
Margaret Graham, Labour councillor and convener of the Culture and Communities Committee, said: “We want to support a range of events at the Ross bandstand, which will help revitalise Princes Street Gardens and provide entertainment for all those who live in and visit the city.
“It’s important that we offer a programme of free events to the residents of Edinburgh and this contract will help us to deliver that.”
The city is seeking three contractors, one for each of the large events and one for the community events.
One contractor each will be tasked with the large events, while the third will handle management for the programme of small community events.
A contract notice by the city spells out that the event programme would initially run for two years, but can be extended in the future.
According to a council spokesperson, the city is currently looking for initial expressions of interest from contractors, with contracts being put out for application in early autumn.
The contracts are part of a wider plan to reform how the bandstand is used, which councillors decided on in February.
The smaller community events are envisioned as being ‘low impact’, avoiding the large infrastructure many events there currently require.
The reform plan was one of the last projects of councillor Val Walker, who convened the Culture and Communities Committee, before she passed away in April.
At the time, she said: “We want to see a new series of performances in place for the Ross Bandstand. These events would be truly free to the residents of Edinburgh.”
She envisioned local arts and community groups using a special fund to host events in the space, breaking from the trend of only large festival and music events using the bandstand.
By Joseph Sullivan Local Democracy Reporter
