Events taking place across Scotland will be part of a global Fair Saturday festival involving more than 110 cities across the world on 30 November
Scotland will once again host a number of unique cultural events as part of Fair Saturday – a groundbreaking global movement involving more than 150,000 people in over 110 cities across the world this weekend (Saturday 30 November 2019).
As the only nation to support this movement at a country-wide level, numerous Scottish towns and cities will take part in Fair Saturday, a global mobilisation that aims to create a positive social impact every last Saturday of November, the day following Black Friday.
This year’s Fair Saturday will take place on Saturday 30 November, St Andrew’s Day, demonstrating the shared values and a commitment to fairness, kindness, inclusion and diversity between Scotland and the Fair Saturday movement. The Fair Saturday events also form part of the wider St Andrew’s Day celebrations. St Andrew’s Fair Saturday is a Scottish Government initiative that is being delivered by the Fair Saturday Foundation in partnership with BEMIS Scotland.
This year there will be more than 115 cultural events in 35 cities and towns all over Scotland, involving more than 3,000 artists and supporting more than 90 social projects.
You can now check out the full programme and participating organisations at https://standrews.fairsaturday.org/ and keep track of the inspiring events happening for the day.
The Fair Saturday movement started in Bilbao, in the Basque region of Spain, in 2014 as a response to the rising tide of materialism and consumerism. It is a non-profit organisation dedicated to improving the world through arts and culture. The movement brings together artists and cultural organisations in a global festival, with artists in each city supporting a social cause of their choice through their event.
Fair Saturday aims to celebrate the arts and spread support for social causes across the world, and help people reflect on the essential role of culture to build stronger societies, in times of turbulence and uncertainty and the day after many people will have been tempted to spend on Black Friday offers.
Minister for Europe, Migration and International Development Ben Macpherson said: “I’m proud that Scotland has become a leading member of the global Fair Saturday movement, playing a key role as the first country to host celebrations on a national basis.
“This year’s St Andrew´s Fair Saturday events programme will be the largest ever and I am delighted that Scotland’s global reputation for fairness, diversity, inclusion and internationalism will be at the very heart of the celebrations.
“I would encourage everyone to get involved and attend one of the many events that are taking place across the country, or by doing something positive for someone else, a good cause or your local community this St Andrew’s Day.”
The Fair Saturday movement has a bottom-up approach, as it invites local artists and talented people in each city to join the movement and present their work, allowing the city itself to take ownership of the event.
The aim is to connect citizens with different ethnicities and backgrounds and unite them with other citizens around the world, sharing the same universal values. The only requisite to participate is to support a social cause.
Every cultural organisation that participates into Fair Saturday selects a social cause to give them recognition, visibility and funds.
Jordi Albareda Ureta, founder and director of the Fair Saturday Foundation, said: “Scotland is probably one of the best countries in the world to lead Fair Saturday. There’s culture everywhere, combining tradition and a brave look towards the future. Fair Saturday fits very well with values that Scotland wants to foster worldwide: being open, connected, fairness, diversity, inclusivity. And the reason to combine it with St Andrew’s Day celebrations, apart from the similar date, is to enhance national celebration making it more open and inclusive to all Scottish people.
“We are living times of uncertainty and positive global leaderships are increasingly needed. Regarding this, we believe that there are two main pillars to build better societies: culture and social empathy. And this is what St Andrew’s Fair Saturday is about – creating, through arts and culture, an inspiring day towards fairness, kindness and inclusivity.
“Since the Fair Saturday movement started, it has been growing internationally year-on-year and we will always be very proud that Scotland became the first nation to embrace the initiative. Beyond this, Scotland will always be an inspiring landmark for other territories to join in the Fair Saturday movement.
“I’m delighted that Scotland has decided once again to participate and all these towns and cities can look forward to some amazing, inspiring performances come 30 November.”
BEMIS CEO Dr. Rami Ousta said: “BEMIS Scotland are delighted to integrate our full St Andrew’s Day programme for 2019 into the broader International Fair Saturday festival.
“We need to nurture and give a special platform to Scotland’s diverse cultural identities as it is through their celebration that we can begin to mould a dynamic, inclusive and sustainable national identity.
“Fair Saturday brings the world to Scotland and Scotland to the world and we are proud that our ethnic and cultural minority communities continue to play a pivotal role in mobilising their cultural assets for positive social change”.
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