This year’s hybrid Festival consists of a digital programme (available to watch 25 May-6 June) and a mostly outdoor programme presented over the Festival’s two weekends (29-30 May and 5-6 June).
The Digital Programme includes a mixture of streamed performances which you can watch at any time during the Festival and innovative digital interactions presented live over Zoom (book now).
Family Encounters programme presents FREE innovative performances and activities mostly outdoor.
Events will take place in the stunning Royal Botanic Garden (book now), as well as in site-specific venues (book now).
All of our grounds, shop, takeaway coffee Kiosk, and restaurant The Lookout will also be open so make some plans and let us welcome you back to Calton Hill. Opening hours are 10am-4pm Thurs-Sun throughout May, and 10am-5pm Tues-Sun from 1 June.
Collective’s events programme also resumes this month.
We’re really looking forward to fully opening our doors to visitors again.
Social distancing measures will be in place to keep you safe – if you have any concerns or questions about visiting Collective drop us a line at mail@collective-edinburgh.art
We are pleased to announce that show registration for Fringe 2021 will open on Wednesday 05 May.
Artists and venues will be able to register Fringe shows right up until the end of the festival. The Fringe’s world-class programme will be available to browse and book at edfringe.com, with tickets going on sale for audiences in early summer.
As Scotland navigates its roadmap out of lockdown, much is still unknown about what the Fringe will look like this August. However, a range of scenarios are being prepared for, from socially distanced live events to digital offerings.
The Fringe Society is supporting artists and audiences to find and book work online across a range of platforms, including the brand-new Fringe Player.
This online platform aims to bring some festival magic into homes across the world, while providing a secure platform for artists, companies and venues to host their shows. The platform is available to any registered 2021 Fringe show or venue to use if they wish.
Any live performance registered as part of the 2021 Fringe will be expected to adhere to public health guidance from the Scottish Government.
Audiences can search, browse and buy tickets to both online and in-person work through edfringe.com. More details on individual shows and Fringe 2021 will be available in early summer.
Shona McCarthy, Chief Executive of the Fringe Society, said: “We’re delighted to be able to open registration for 2021. Of course, we’re still very much in planning mode as we await further updates from the Scottish Government, but this feels like a hugely positive step in the right direction.
“Through the work being created across the various digital platforms, including the Fringe Player, artists have a brilliant opportunity to reach audiences and communities all over the world. I look forward to seeing how our Fringe creatives use these platforms in 2021 and beyond.”
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe will take place from 06 – 30 August 2021.
The Edinburgh International Festival will welcome audiences back to live performance with temporary outdoor pavilions throughout the city this summer:
We are thrilled to announce our reimagined Festival for 2021, marking the return of live performance to Scotland’s capital city after over a year of silenced theatres and concert halls.
Taking place from 7 to 29 August, the 2021 International Festival will use bespoke, temporary outdoor pavilions in iconic, easily accessible spaces throughout the city to safely reunite our artists and audiences to rediscover the magic of live performance.
Our temporary outdoor pavilions, found at three locations including Edinburgh Park and the University of Edinburgh’s Old College Quad, will feature covered concert stages and socially distanced seating to create a beautiful setting for audiences to safely enjoy live music, opera and theatre once more.
The health and safety of the entire Festival community is at the heart of our plans for this year’s festival. That’s why we are working with the Scottish Government, City of Edinburgh Council and other relevant authorities to implement appropriate Covid safety measures.
These will include shorter performances with no intervals, physical distancing, regular cleaning and contactless ticketing.
We will publish full details of our security and safety measures in the coming months.
While we are looking forward to the prospect of bringing the Festival City to life once more, we appreciate that not everyone will be able to attend our performances in person this year.
To ensure that everyone can enjoy a slice of the magic, wherever they are in the world, we will release a selection of high-quality streamed performances, free of charge, during each week of the Festival.
Since Edinburgh’s summer festivals in 2020 were officially cancelled a year ago, we have received extraordinary support from so many people.
As our Festival Director Fergus Linehan says, “We are hugely grateful to the artists who have agreed to come on this journey with us, the stakeholders, donors, and sponsors who have stood by us through a tough year and our audiences who have cheered us along throughout. We look forward to sharing full details of the programme in early June.”
Full details of our 2021 programme, which spans opera, orchestral and chamber music, theatre and contemporary music, will be announced on Wednesday 2 June.
Priority booking for International Festival members opens on Tuesday 1 June before general booking opens on Friday 11 June.
Welcome Back
We are delighted to announce that in August 2021, the Edinburgh International Festival will return to live performance.
Connecting with others is more crucial now than ever. For that reason, we have continued to engage with communities across Edinburgh and further afield during the pandemic, bringing performances and opportunities to schools, families and socially isolated people. These projects are an integral part of the International Festival’s identity, and we will continue them and expand their scope as 2021 progresses.
We are proud of the streamed and broadcast works we have brought you over the past year. These projects have helped us experiment and evolve, and they will continue as a vital element in our work and engagement. But a Festival is at its heart a gathering, a celebration of community and shared purpose. The time is right to take the first careful steps back to live performance.
We are hugely grateful to the artists who are coming on this journey with us; to the stakeholders, donors and sponsors who have stood by us through a tough year; and to our audiences who have cheered us along throughout. We are excited by the prospect of seeing you all at the 2021 Edinburgh International Festival.
Edinburgh Festivals – the biggest combined festivals in the country – will benefit from £1 million from the UK Government this year
Half a million pounds will fund a new digital platform to promote UK talent and content to both international and domestic producers
£500,000 will be made available for Festival organisers to increase their digital capabilities
The UK Government will fund two new projects to expand the digital potential of the Edinburgh Festivals with £1 million investment, Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden has announced.
The Edinburgh Festivals are the biggest combined festivals in the UK, attracting audiences of nearly 5 million every year, generating £313 million for Scotland’s economy alone, and providing unparalleled opportunities for artists across the country.
Last year many shows at the Edinburgh Festivals had to move online due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The challenge of moving to a combination of physical and online events, and the increased demand for British virtual cultural content around the globe, revealed the need to expand the Edinburgh Festivals’ digital capabilities as part of the cultural sector’s post-Covid recovery.
The UK Government is providing £1 million in funding for digital improvements that will enable more ways for people to virtually access the events across the country, increase opportunities for UK artists and ensure Edinburgh’s landmark events will continue to be major contributors to the UK’s economy and cultural landscape.
The 11 festivals in the Festivals Edinburgh event portfolio will be able to apply for a share of a new £500,000 fund which will support innovative virtual solutions to the challenges of commissioning, producing and promoting festival programmes in an increasingly digitised cultural sector.
The funding will help encourage collaboration between events and develop hybrid events with live and digital elements.
Another £500,000 will be provided to create a new digital platform that will help national and international buyers and producers search for talent and content from the festivals’ hugely varied programmes, which showcase thousands of artists and performers every year, and promote the work of British artists and performers around the world.
The funds will be available to Festivals Edinburgh this financial year. Events with live audiences at limited capacities in Scotland will return no earlier than 17 May, and further details about the planning for this year’s Edinburgh Festivals will be released in due course.
This funding builds on £100,000 previously awarded to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2018 to better connect UK artists with international producers. As part of ongoing support for culture in Edinburgh, the UK Government provided £10 million for the Dunard Centre, through the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal.
It will be the city’s first dedicated new space for music and the performing arts in 100 years. Scotland also received £97 million from the UK Government’s Culture Recovery Fund to provide support for the nation’s arts and cultural sectors.
Lothian MSP candidate for Edinburgh Southern, Miles Briggs, said:“This funding from the UK government is a very welcome investment into the arts and supporting the Edinburgh festival.
“It has been an exceptionally challenging year for artists and performers, many of whom have needed to adapt to virtual audiences.
“This investment will pave the way for hybrid Edinburgh Festival performances, which will allow people around the globe to see the creativity and talent on show in Edinburgh.”
Oliver Dowden, Culture Secretary, said:“Edinburgh’s Festivals have long been a springboard for the very best of British talent and a vital part of culture in Scotland and the UK.
“The UK Government’s investment will promote it to a worldwide audience online, helping the UK’s biggest combined festival build back better from the pandemic.”
“This is on top of £97 million we provided last year to the Scottish Government to support Scotland’s arts organisations through the pandemic. Like everyone else, I look forward to our fantastic arts and culture coming back better than ever before, as soon as it is safe to do so.”
Iain Stewart, UK Government Minister for Scotland, said:“Edinburgh is world-famous for its festivals, bringing wider benefits to Scotland’s economy, tourism and arts sectors.
“We know the last 12 months have been difficult for the culture sector. This £1 million funding boost will support organisations to improve their digital capabilities and engage with audiences here in Scotland and further afield.”
Sorcha Carey, Chair, Festivals Edinburgh, said: “While live events in Edinburgh will remain the backbone of our world-class festivals, it’s crucial that we enhance our digital operations and so we’re delighted with this incredible support from the UK Government which will help reposition our work, and the work of creatives, across the digital world.”
Sir James Macmillan, Composer, said:“I’m delighted and encouraged to see this significant and notable support being given to the Edinburgh Festivals at this crucial point.
“The arts have been seriously affected by the pandemic and it is wonderful that the UK Government is showing its tangible commitment to culture in Scotland by investing in one of Scotland’s and Britain’s most important arts organisations.”
Edinburgh’s culture sector will be boosted by funding of around £4.7 million in the coming year if Councillors approve the cultural grants scheme next week.
The report seeks approval for the continued Strategic Partnership, flexible and project funding recommendations for 2021/22, the second year of the programme, originally agreed in 18 June 2019.
Last year, following the COVID-19 outbreak, the Council’s Leadership Advisory Panel agreed the funding recommendations for 2020/21 and pledged support for Edinburgh’s cultural sector with resources to be repurposed to help mitigate the impact of the pandemic.
Regular and ongoing reporting from funding recipients has allowed the Council to directly monitor and work with strategic partners on their progress throughout the year.
Next week’s report recommends councillors approve the commitment of £4,689,279 to continue to support culture sector partners during the ongoing pandemic.
This funding would contribute to retaining jobs, creative practices and development, and responsive programming and delivery of activity throughout the city supporting freelancers, artists and companies towards sector recovery.
Councillor Donald Wilson, Culture and Communities Convener said: “It would be an understatement to say 2020 was extremely tough for our culture sector but we’ve been hugely impressed by the resourcefulness and resilience they’ve demonstrated throughout the crisis.
“We are committed to doing what we can to support the sector and its recovery as safely and as quickly as possible. Our grants programme has always supported the city’s year-round cultural offering and by approving the funding for 2021/22 we’ll be playing our part in boosting the sector following such a hard year.
“We’re in regular contact with all of our event and cultural partners in the city and look forward to their return to activity when that comes.”
Councillor Amy McNeese-Mechan, Culture and Communities Vice Convener said: “We know this is an extremely difficult time for so many in the culture sector and I’m very glad we’ll be able to maintain our commitment through the £4m+ culture sector funding programme, subject to the report being agreed next week.
“We’ll continue to do what we can to support the sector to make sure they’re in the best possible place to recover. This support will in turn play its part in the whole city recovering from the effects of the pandemic as we look forward to enjoying the positivity and dynamism that Edinburgh’s cultural offer will bring.”
The AD-Cademy, a free, 8-week virtual course has officially launched nationwide, kickstarting improved access to the advertising, marketing and digital industries for younger talent, no matter their background.
The course is targeted at 18-25 year-olds across the UK, to prioritise the next generation of creative stars entering the advertising industries in the wake of diminishing opportunities caused by the pandemic.
Developed by the award-winning employment inclusion project, Brixton Finishing School, the AD-Cademy’s aim is to ensure the progression of multicultural and working class talent into the creative and technology industries.
The programme has been designed with national reach and accessibility in mind, to ensure that fresh talent from the 20 most challenged places in the UK and Scotland, including Manchester, Liverpool and Glasgow, stop being overlooked by agencies which can have a London-leaning bias when it comes to recruitment.
The programme is packed with industry masterclasses and professional skills workshops. It has been created to upskill participants in key aspects of marketing, creativity, and digital, help build their networks and increase the chance of them securing a role through employability workshops including personal branding, accountability, interview tips, and CV writing.
The course modules have been designed to allow participants to learn from home and fit it in around their schedule, and graduates will have an opportunity to be placed in the industry at an agency. 200 young people are actively learning in the course so far.
The AD-Cademy is supported by big name sponsors including KFC, and will feature presentations and workshops from some of the biggest advertising and media agencies and technology partners, including Adam & Eve DDB, Saatchi & Saatchi, R/GA, GSK, Mail Metro Media, Clear Channel, Kinetic, Wolff Olins, Blis, RAPP, AD YOU LIKE, Anomaly, Amplify, Brand Advance, Oglivy, 21st Century Brand, Oliver, Westmill, M&C Saatchi and 1000 Heads.
Launched in 2018, the Brixton Finishing School is the brainchild of Ally Owen, former exec at Unruly, MailOnline and Yahoo. Ally saw the urgent need to diversify talent in advertising and encourage untapped talent from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds – whether multicultural, neuro-diverse, or female – into the industry through training and work experience.
Ally Owen, Founder of Brixton Finishing School said: “The AD-cademy is a game-changing moment for the rebalancing of the future talent pipeline at scale. Young people in Liverpool, Burnley, Manchester, Glasgow and all across the country will have access to amazing teachings from some of the stars of the creative and media industries.
“The AD-Cademy will be an awesome self-serve learning platform of lectures, as well as showcases and events that will enrich young people’s knowledge of the advertising industry.
AllyOwen concluded: “Covid-19 is having a hugely negative impact on young people’s futures across the country. Internships and work experience opportunities have been put on ice as businesses look to stay afloat, and entry-level roles have all but disappeared.
“Brixton Finishing School’s mission has always been to break down the barriers that prevent young people from working class, multicultural and neurodiverse backgrounds having an equal chance to succeed in their careers. It’s also incredibly important to challenge companies to see the massive value you get from a diverse and inclusive workforce.”
Scottish Ensemble starts 2021 as it means to go on with the appointment of three new board members by chair Samantha Barber.
Scotland’s award-winning ensemble has been treating audiences both old and new to an array of digital content and collaborations since the global pandemic began and the appointment of three new board members carries their commitment to reaching new audiences and promoting mental wellbeing well into the future.
Together, the new appointments draw on expertise from the fields of digital/ technology, mental health, young people, tackling social disadvantage, strategy and governance and will help the ensemble continue to innovate at a time of ongoing uncertainty and change.
James McAulay, the CEO & Co-Founder of Encore – one of the world’s largest online booking platforms helping musicians earn money playing at events, concerts, weddings and recording sessions – joined the board in December 2020, as its youngest member to date.
Before starting Encore, James studied the cello at the Music School of Douglas Academy in Glasgow and led the NYOS cello section at their BBC Proms performance with Nicola Benedetti in 2012. James brings extensive digital expertise and a passion for strings and composition to the table.
Morag Burnett began her career in arts management and has since worked with international NGOs and foundations for over 20 years in Honduras, the Dominican Republic, New York, London, Mexico City and most recently Tbilisi, Georgia.
Morag is deputy chair of the innovative, London-based Lankelly Chase foundation, working to change systems that perpetuate disadvantage and she hopes to bring this experience into her new role.
Amy Woodhouse, currently Head of Policy, Projects and Participation for Children in Scotland, the national network organisation improving children’s lives, has a particular interest in how music, and the arts more widely, can be used to promote mental health and wellbeing and will join the board in March 2021.
She brings an understanding of mental health improvement and participatory approaches to the board.
Chair of Scottish Ensemble, Samantha Barber said:“We are truly delighted to welcome Amy, Morag and James to the Scottish Ensemble board. Together they bring skills and experience that we know to be of utmost importance as we enter 2021.
“These new appointments and all that they represent in terms of knowledge and know-how will enable us to remain resilient and continue innovating in the way for which we have become known. I know that all of my colleagues on the board and across the organisation will join me in wishing them a warm welcome; we look forward to their input and to exploring new ideas and perspectives over the coming year.”
In addition to the new board members, SE also announce that after over 14 years in various roles throughout the organisation, Lesley Paterson retires in 2021 having completed her full term as a board member.
And finally, Chief Executive Jenny Jamison will be heading off on maternity leave in March and William Norris of William Norris Arts Management will be stepping into her role, supported by the wider SE team.
Having previously held the post, among others, of Managing Director for Southbank Sinfonia and Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra (Toronto) William’s past work has explored innovative concert formats and looked at ways to reach new audiences and SE are delighted to welcome him to the team.
104 projects are sharing in over £1.7m of National Lottery and Scottish Government funding through Creative Scotland in the latest round of Open Fund awards.
These funds are supporting creative people, projects and organisations across Scotland to adapt and respond to the current changing circumstances brought about by COVID-19 and helping to sustain creative development at this challenging time.
With the live music scene paused due to lockdown restrictions, Glasgow-based music platform Tenement TV has received £14,954 to create TTV COLLECTIVE; an online space to support and showcase emerging Scottish musicians. Allowing artists to create new recorded live experiences for music fans, the project will provide a paid platform for musicians in the absence of live gigs and concerts.
Chae Houston, Director, Tenement TVsaid: “After almost a year without live music, TTV are delighted to launch this brand-new project which will allow artists in Scotland to collaborate and create, in line with current guidelines.
“We’ve curated a fresh live recorded content programme featuring new combinations and collaborations from up-and-coming Scottish musical talent across the country and we cannot wait to share it with our audience.”
The Scottish BAME Writers Network has received £49,837 for its 2021 programme, ‘Staying Connected’. Founded in 2018 to engage, validate and connect Black writers and writers of colour, the network advocates for inclusive publishing and promotes diverse voices within Scotland’s literary sector.
The ‘Staying Connected’ programme will sustain community connection at a time when many are living in isolation, and create paid opportunities for BAME voices across publishing, mentoring and editorial roles.
Jeda Pearl Lewis, Co-Director, Scottish BAME Writers Networksaid: “This year we plan to provide writing workshops, paid work, submission opportunities and writer development initiatives for our community and integrate more accessibility into our programming. Taking a nuanced, inclusive and intersectional approach to our work will continue to be at the heart of our organisation.”
Community art project Fun A Day Dundee has also received £6,963 to help children, hobbyists and ‘non-artists’ to get creative by making art or doing something fun every day throughout the month of January. This free initiative will culminate in an online group exhibition, showcasing work by participants of all ages and abilities.
Samantha Sherriff, Co-ordinator, Fun A Day Dundee said: “By supporting artists and non-artists, we hope to encourage new patterns and habits of playful making that will improve mental health, grow small businesses and support artistic development.
“We welcome all skills and art mediums, and it’s a delight to see this wide variety of artists and makers encouraging each other, as well as sharing ideas and techniques.”
Other initiatives supported by the latest round of Open Fund awards include William Letford’s Unexpected Poetry project, which will bring poetry installations to the streets of Stirling, and writer Elspeth Lewis’s memoir ‘The Sun on My Skin’, which aims to explore nature writing through the lens of disability and identity.
Joan Parr, Arts and Engagement Director, Creative Scotlandsaid: “As we begin 2021, the Open Fund continues to support Scotland’s arts and creative community to adapt and respond to the current changing circumstances brought about as a result of Covid-19.
“From championing Scottish BAME writers to reimagining live music for digital audiences, these projects are testament to the determination, resilience and imagination of creative individuals and organisations in the face of extremely challenging circumstances.
“Thanks to the generosity of National Lottery players, who raise £30 million for good causes across the UK every week, and funding from the Scottish Government, these awards are helping to sustain the great value that creativity brings to our lives.”
Creative Scotland has published the findings from independent research looking at public attitudes to cultural participation and attendance in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Surveying a representative sample of the population in Scotland, this is the second wave of research, following the first wave which was completed in August 2020. The survey provides valuable insight regarding how the Covid-19 pandemic has changed attitudes towards, and engagement with, cultural activity and also looks at public attitudes towards cultural participation in the future.
Key findings include:
More than half the population (56%) say they really miss attending cultural venues and events
However, there is wariness amongst the culture-going public as regards returning to venues and events as restrictions ease, more so than with many other leisure activities
The vast majority of the population (98%) are engaging with cultural activity from home during the Covid-19 pandemic but only a small proportion (17%) say they are willing to pay for cultural content that has moved online due to the pandemic
Audiences are nevertheless looking forward to attending cultural activity when they can; are open to trying new experiences at different types of venue (70%); and audience levels look likely to return to pre-Covid levels, or increase, once a vaccine is widely available
Iain Munro, Creative Scotland Chief Executivesaid: “The impact on Scotland’s art and culture sector by the Covid-19 pandemic has been severe. This important and ongoing research helps us understand that impact from a public perspective and is helping inform our ongoing discussions with partners, including Scottish Government, regarding current and future support.
“The research also provides invaluable insight that will help shape our collaborative work with the sector in terms of recovery and renewal as we emerge from the impacts of the pandemic through 2021.”
The report summarising the findings from the research can be found on the Creative Scotland website. A further wave of this research is planned for Spring 2021.
