A total of 23 public-facing events across 14 Local Authorities in Scotland have received a share of £277,666 from EventScotland’s National Events Programme (Round 48), which will support events taking place from July to December 2023.
Among the live sporting and cultural events to receive support are The Black Isle Show, Run the Blades at Whitelee Wind Farm, Paisley Halloween Festival, Fringe by the Sea, Stirling’s Hogmanay, Beatson’s Building Supplies Mull Rally, Oban Winter Festival, Nairn Book & Arts Festival, Vogrie Pogrie Community Festival, Crieff Highland Gathering and Aberdeen Mela.
Two events set to take place this forthcoming weekend are also supported through the programme. Youth Beatz, Scotland’s Youth Music Festival in Dumfries will see top music acts join home-grown talent to offer a festival experience for young people from across the local community and beyond.
Upholding the north east’s maritime heritage, the ACE Winches Scottish Traditional Boat Festival will also drop anchor this weekend in the historic harbour of Portsoy for their 30th anniversary celebrations which include music and dance, the finest Scottish food and drink, and a flotilla of heritage boats from across the country,
For those looking to discover Scotland’s delicious natural larder, events supported through the programme also include Stranraer Oyster Festival and the Scottish Wild Food Festival. If music events strike a chord, there’s HebCelt, Doonhame Festival, Party at the Palace, Tiree Music Festival, and Lammermuir Festival. And if science-fuelled fun is your thing – Orkney International Science Festival and Stirling Science Festival will also provide packed programmes designed to educate and inspire.
A brand new event marking the 100th anniversary of the sailing of the Metagama from Stornoway, will also be supported through the programme. Held in the spectacular surroundings of Lews Castle, ‘Leaving Home and Tattoo Metagama’, will feature an array of entertainment and activities following a Grand Parade led by the 78th Fraser Highlanders Pipe Band from Ontario, Canada.
Paul Bush OBE, Director of Events at VisitScotland, said:
“Our National Events Programme continues to play a crucial role in supporting Scotland’s event sector establish, develop and evolve a far-reaching range of sport and cultural events across the country. Having them in our calendar further strengthens Scotland’s place as the perfect stage for events.
“Events also provide a vital means to generate and distribute additional positive economic, social and cultural impacts across the country throughout the year. They play an important role in our communities, enabling us all to connect, enjoy and share memorable experiences.”
Graham MacCallum, HebCelt Festival Director said:
“We are extremely grateful for the support from EventScotland’s National Events Programme. Their funding is instrumental in making HebCelt possible, allowing us to bring a world-class event to the Hebrides each year, whilst taking further steps towards sustainability. Protecting our local environment is a priority, and the funding has allowed us to partner with clean power start-up PlusZero for a second year, meaning our LWP Islands Stage will have zero carbon footprint again this year.”
James Waters, Co-artistic Director of Lammermuir Festival said:
“Mounting festivals has never been more challenging with both the pressure on public funding and the continuing recovery from the pandemic. Being recognised as part of the national events programme and supported to develop the festival through the creation of a new strand of promenade, semi-theatrical performances and work to attract a younger audience to our world-class classical music concerts in beautiful locations across East Lothian is incredibly validating and important to the future of Lammermuir Festival.”
The National Events Programme is one of the core funding programmes run by EventScotland. The programme supports the strategic development of events which drive domestic tourism and has been designed specifically to support public-facing live sporting and cultural events, which take place out with the local authority areas of Edinburgh and Glasgow to ensure representation of events across Scotland’s Local Authorities.
Deadline dates for future National Event Programme applications (Round 49) will be announced in due course.
Author: Adam Parry
Adam is the co-founder and editor of www.eventindustrynews.com Adam, a technology evangelist also organises Event Tech Live, Europe’s only show dedicated to event technology and the Event Technology Awards. Both events take place in November, London.
