Festivals Edinburgh Blog

Updates and notes of interest from Festivals Edinburgh. To be added to our press contacts database, for formal news releases and updates, please contact our Media Relations Officer, Claudia Monteiro (Claudia@festivalsedinburgh.com).

Festivals' far-reaching impact revealed
Posted on Monday, May 23, 2011 - 10:33

Massive economic impact, huge tourism and promotional benefits and significant contributions to local and national identity and pride are all key findings from independent research published today (23 May) which describes and quantifies the effect of Edinburgh’s year-round Festivals on locals, visitors, young people, artists, the economy and the environment.

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The largest programme of research ever undertaken into Edinburgh’s twelve major Festivals, comprising 15,000 survey responses over a twelve month period, not only reaffirms Edinburgh’s position as the world’s Festival City but articulates, for the first time, the contribution the Festivals make to the social, cultural and civic life of Scotland and its capital city.


The Edinburgh Festivals Impact Study, announced today, includes the following key findings:


- The Festivals generated over a quarter of a billion pounds worth of additional tourism revenue
for Scotland (£261m) in 2010. The economic impact figure for Edinburgh is £245m.


- The Festivals play a starring role in the profile of the city and its tourism economy, with 93% of
visitors stating that the Festivals are part of what makes Edinburgh special as a city, 82% agreeing
that the Festivals make them more likely to revisit Edinburgh in the future and 82% stating that the
Festivals were their sole or an important reason for coming to Scotland.


- 85% of all respondents agree that the Festivals promote a confident, positive Scottish national
identity; and 89% of Edinburgh respondents say that the Festivals increase local pride in their
home city.


- The Festivals encourage and widen access to the arts, with 77% of audiences saying that the
Festivals had enabled them to discover new talent and genres, and nearly two-thirds saying that the
Festivals encourage them to take risks and see less well-known performances, events or films.


- 93% of parents agreed that attending Festival events as a family increased their child’s
imagination.


The Edinburgh Festivals Impact Study is written by leading economic and social impact researchers BOP Consulting. While the calculation of economic impact remains important, enabling the first update of figures since the last economic impact evaluation back in 2004, this groundbreaking study embraces the ambitious challenge of understanding and benchmarking those impacts beyond the purely financial.

Quantifying the social, cultural and environmental effects of major events, in addition to the economic return, is emerging as best practice in the international events sector – and the Festivals and the stakeholders wanted to lead the way by developing this method of analysis and reporting for this latest study.


Commenting on the report, the Chair of the Festivals Forum, Lady Susan Rice, said: “Edinburgh’s Festivals are a cultural phenomenon, celebrated globally and treasured locally. They are one of Scotland’s most visible assets and, thanks to this study, we now have a clearer understanding of the breadth of their benefits reach across Edinburgh and Scotland. In a competitive tourism market and shifting economic climate, this study will be essential in helping us identify the best ways to ensure the Festivals flourish for generations to come.”

 

VIEW THE FULL IMPACT REPORT HERE>>

Edinburgh Festivals Expo Funding Announced
Posted on Wednesday, March 16, 2011 - 15:41

 

The Edinburgh Festivals have received a confirmed sum of £2 m from the Edinburgh Festivals Expo Fund to help to create world class pieces and collaborations at Edinburgh’s major festivals, helping home grown Scottish work reach international audiences and fostering international collaborations with local artists.


The Expo fund is shared by Edinburgh’s major festivals, and will be used to fund work such as a Festivals pavilion and a Made in Scotland programme to promote local artists and performers.


Culture minister Fiona Hyslop said: "Edinburgh is the world's premier festival city.That reputation is vitally important for the city and the whole of Scotland. Edinburgh's Festivals attract millions of visitors to Scotland year round from across the globe, making a vital contribution to our economy.


"That is exactly why we have continued to invest in Edinburgh's Festivals. Our Expo Fund has produced creative and imaginative projects of the highest quality, many of which are critically acclaimed. It has promoted Scotland's artistic talent and enhanced our reputation internationally.


"This year's funding will enable even more ambitious projects, which will support home-grown talent and stunning creative collaborations, thrilling audiences at home and internationally."


Faith Liddell, the director of Festivals Edinburgh, welcomed the news: Edinburgh's Festivals are a global magnet for visitors and media and an incredible springboard for national and international talent.


"The Scottish Government's belief and continued investment in our Festivals' ambitious programming ensures that Scotland's talents shine brightly when the eyes of the world are on Edinburgh.


"We are enormously grateful for the Scottish Government's Edinburgh Festivals Expo Fund, and especially so as we develop exciting projects and initiatives that will keep Edinburgh and Scotland on the map in the Olympic and Commonwealth years of 2012 and 2014."
 

Funding boost secures the future of Speed of Light
Posted on Thursday, January 27, 2011 - 12:40

As part of our cross-festival ambitions to celebrate and maximise the opportunities around the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, I’m delighted to let you know that the Edinburgh International Festival has just announced that Speed of Light, being created by public art organisation NVA, is confirmed as being funded by Legacy Trust UK, an independent charity set up to create a cultural legacy from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games across the UK.

The large scale work’s premiere will be a major feature of Edinburgh International Festival 2012 running for the full three weeks of the Festival on Arthur’s Seat, Edinburgh’s iconic city mountain, and is a unique melding of innovative mass participation art and sport.

Speed of Light will explore people’s sense of self and of place in the world, their aspirations and key areas of common concern; health and environmental sustainability. The project will be accompanied by a programme of associated activity over a period of three years from 2012-14.

Large numbers of amateur sports and arts enthusiasts of all levels of ability will be invited to help create the event, bringing together people from all over Scotland to celebrate sport and culture and connecting them directly to the aspirations of the Festival, the Olympic Games and the Paralympic Games.

Using light sources powered by physical and kinetic movements, the mountainside presentation will promote the latest energy conservation technologies developed in partnership with the Edinburgh International Science Festival. Edinburgh’s other major festivals are also exploring ways in which they will be involved in the project.

Part of the Cultural Olympiad celebrations, Speed of Light will run throughout the three weeks of the 2012 Edinburgh International Festival, the dates of which bridge the Olympic and Paralympic Games in London.

Angus Farquhar, Creative Director NVA said, ‘The Legacy Trust UK funding has created the  chance to bring together a passion for mountains and distance running in one of the world’s great cultural festivals, it is a moment that only happens once’.

Dugald Mackie, Chair of Legacy Trust UK said: ‘Speed of Light will help spread the magic and excitement of the 2012 Games outside London and leave a lasting legacy across Scotland. The Games aren’t just for two weeks, and they’re not just for sports fans.  Through projects such as this, they will have an enduring impact on many people’s lives.’

Jonathan Mills, Edinburgh International Festival Director said: ‘Speed of Light is a vast and exciting project with important and timely ambitions and values. We are very proud to be presenting its premiere at the Edinburgh International Festival in 2012.

‘This project also represents the first major artist-led collaboration involving the gamut of Edinburgh’s festivals. Its breadth is challenging us to look at new ways of working and the many ways in which it might be possible for us each to engage with the scope and ideas of this visionary work.

‘We very much hope to make the most of the many opportunities it presents to grow relationships with sporting and community organisations and to develop environmental work.’

Andrew Dixon, Chief Executive, Creative Scotland said: ‘Speed of Light will be a remarkable Community Celebration for Scotland in 2012. Working in partnership with Edinburgh International Festival and artistic direction and production from NVA, Speed of Light project promises a magical animation of Arthur’s seat. Edinburgh in August throngs with creative talent and this project will add to the buzz that the festival season creates.  As well as the unique experience for audiences, Scotland’s creative practitioners will develop their skills through a programme of mentoring, internships and master classes. The blend of groundbreaking energy conservation technologies and the artistic, sporting and wider community participation makes this a celebration for 2012 that will leave an inspiring legacy for Scotland.’

Donald Smith, Chair of the Edinburgh Festivals Programming Group, and Director of the Scottish International Storytelling Festival, said: 'Edinburgh’s Festival Directors have long been committed to collaborations of all kinds, and especially so in the context of the manifold opportunities presented in the Olympic year.  We’re delighted to see this exciting project develop, and look forward, individually and collectively, to contributing to its success.'

The Edinburgh Festivals get a taste of India

Posted on Monday, January 24, 2011 - 17:00

The directors of Edinburgh's major festivals in IndiaIt’s a not-so-warm 15 degrees. The traffic is at a chaotic standstill in the muted sunshine. The streets are throbbing with energy, and eight festivals rub shoulders, exchange ideas, and explore new connections with artists.

Edinburgh at the height of its summer festival season?

No.

This is January 2011 and the eight festivals concerned – the Edinburgh International Festival, the Festival Fringe Society, the Edinburgh International Book Festival, the Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival, the Edinburgh Mela, the Edinburgh International Science Festival, the Edinburgh Art Festival and Edinburgh’s Hogmanay are not in their currently frost-clad city but... thousands of miles away in India, building connections that will continue to ensure Edinburgh’s creative vibrancy, and its relationship with one of the most remarkable nations in the world.

For we are here to begin a dialogue that will build towards 2012 and 2014 when the greatest sporting events in the world – the London Olympic and Paralympic Games and at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games – and the greatest arts event in the world happen in the same country at the same time.

Generously supported by the British Council Scotland, not just financially but through their brilliant knowledge of individuals and networks on the ground, this mission to India is the most ambitious exploration to date of how Edinburgh’s Festivals can work withA scene from the Jaipur Book Festival key nations to assert the essential role of culture and the role of festivals – curated and open-access – as cultural powerhouses and platforms. This is about building connections between countries that extend well beyond those of artists and their audiences to diplomacy, education, tourism and business, allowing our festivals to act as global ambassadors for Edinburgh and Scotland (an initiative also supported by Creative Scotland and EventScotland).

We have spent time in Delhi meeting with some of the most interesting artists, companies, producers and organisations in India to hear about their work and ideas and to tell them about the astonishing opportunity that Edinburgh can offer. And some of the artists and producers here, the Edinburgh Festivals veterans, will be telling their stories about how our festivals have transformed their creative and career development.

We have seen some remarkable work in Jaipur, attending the Jaipur Literature Festival and the Jaipur Heritage Festival, both of which have provided great platforms for us to hold conversations about seeking new partnerships and sowing the seeds for future Roger Spence, Director of the Jazz and Blues festival, speaks. exchanges. But we have also been promoting our festivals, our city and our country, our combined future ambitions for deeper and lasting collaboration with the Indian Government, exploring future relationships with cultural agencies and foundations and the private sector in Delhi and Rajastan and working in new ways with Edinburgh's City Council and the Scottish Government. We want to use the profound connections our festivals make with India and the rest of the world to build a sense of a creative, ambitious, welcoming Scotland for visitors, students, and businesses.

In 2010, Delhi handed the Commonwealth Games to Glasgow. In 2011 Jonathan Mills, the Director of the Edinburgh International Festival will present his new programme ‘To the Far West’, which brings the best Eastern talent to Scotland – including artists from India. This is just one example of a record of important Indian programming that will take place across the very many stages of Edinburgh.

This mission marks the beginning of a deeply fruitful new stage to our relationship with this astonishing country India, whose own future will be defining all of ours. 

Edinburgh Festivals Expo Fund to continue in 2011
Posted on Wednesday, November 17, 2010 - 17:24

The Scottish Government presented its draft budget this afternoon, proposing the continuation of the successful Edinburgh Festivals Expo Fund with £2 million of support in budget year 2011/12. For more information on the budget report: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2010/11/17091127/7

Faith Liddell, Director, Festivals Edinburgh, said:
“We deeply appreciate the Scottish Government’s recognition of the enormous economic, cultural and social impacts the Edinburgh Festivals have on Scotland’s international reputation and vibrant cultural life, and especially so in these challenging economic times. The Scottish Government’s Edinburgh Festivals Expo Fund has been a successful, enlightened and far-reaching investment in homegrown talent on the world’s greatest stage, and its continuation in 2011 will help us continue to deliver for Scotland in the run-up to 2012 and 2014, when Edinburgh’s Festivals plan to seize the global promotional, artistic and diplomatic opportunities afforded by the London Olympic and Paralympic Games and Glasgow Commonwealth Games.”

Announcing the Edinburgh Festivals Innovation Lab
Posted on Monday, August 9, 2010 - 18:50

The Edinburgh Festivals Innovation Lab is a revolutionary experiment and resource for Festivals (and working groups) to work with leading thinkers, technologists, artists, audiences and digital communities to explore exciting opportunities or respond to complex challenges like navigating the festivals, distributing content or making festivals greener. Over the next two years, our world-renowned festivals will be a stage and a showcase, a playground and a platform for a number of innovative pilot projects and initiatives. And the way we invite, select and deliver the projects will be an innovation in itself too.

This two year initiative to lead the digital development of Edinburgh’s Festivals has been made possible by an award of £300,000 from Creative Scotland’s National Lottery Fund. For more details, visit the Innovation Group page.

Why Festivals Work in Stressful Times
Posted on Friday, August 6, 2010 - 13:56

A recently published book by Hamish McCrae, What Works: Success in Stressful Times examines winning organisations. Although they are not in any particular order, we’re very pleased to say that the Edinburgh Festivals are the first (and only cultural) case study. Others include a car-free Copenhagen, IKEA and the slums of Mumbai; and all demonstrate intrinsic qualities which, according to the author, other organisations might learn from. In our case, McCrae celebrates the Festivals’ open market place, their ability to blend top-down and bottom up, and their entrepreneurial ability to listen to the market and accept failure and take risks on the journey to wider success. For more information on the book, click here.