Edinburgh Festivals – The NEN – North Edinburgh News

New Edinburgh Sketcher artworks revealed

Celebrating the Third Year of the Festival City Stories project

Edinburgh Festivals and BUILDHOLLYWOOD Scotland celebrate third year of the Festival City Stories project
Showcasing the partnerships of Edinburgh’s Festivals and local community groups with new collaborative artwork from the Edinburgh Sketcher and a Dundee Street hoardings takeover

Edinburgh’s Festivals, BUILDHOLLYWOOD Scotland and local community groups have come together to celebrate the third year of the Festival City Stories project.

As part of the celebration, new artwork has been unveiled from renowned Edinburgh artist, Mark Kirkham, also known as the Edinburgh Sketcher. Attending events and workshops from across the Festivals’ work with local communities, organisations, charities and schools, he captured their projects through a series of sketches, which were transformed into postcards for the participants to share their own stories and experiences.

These sketches and postcard responses are now presented as a part of an artwork takeover across BUILDHOLLYWOOD Scotland’s hoardings on Edinburgh’s Dundee Street and Wishaw Terrace from 23 February – 8 March this year.

The artwork takeover was unveiled at the event at Edinburgh Printmakers which also featured stories and performances from people involved in year-round partnerships between some of the festivals and local community groups, schools and organisations.

Project participant Sally and Dance leader Albi Mendoza from Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival – Inclusive Latin Dance project at the Dundee Street hoardings takeover | Credit Iain MacKay

Projects featured include:

Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival – Latin Dance Inclusive is a community-based project that introduces young people with disabilities, alongside their parents, carers and families, to the joy of dance in a fun, friendly and inclusive environment.

Edinburgh International Book Festival – Paper Trails is Edinburgh International Book Festival’s multi-year communities project working to tackle literacy inequality and social isolation, in partnership with Edinburgh Libraries and Streetreads.

Noëlle Cobden, Edinburgh International Book Festival – Paper Trails project looks over Edinburgh Sketcher postcards for Festival City Stories at Edinburgh Printmakers | Credit Iain MacKay

EIBF activity so far has included poetry residencies in care homes with the Mobile Library, author talks at Muirhouse Library, an intergenerational storytelling project at Ratho Library and zine-making sessions at Liberton High School Library.

Edinburgh Art Festival – World AIDS Day marked World AIDS Day on 1 December 2025 with a celebration of the ongoing work of Ally Van Tillo: Leith resident, and pioneering activist in the Scottish fight against the AIDS crisis.

People gathered to watch a documentary, participate in a table discussion, and experience a musical performance before congregating outside for a torchlight procession.

Edinburgh International Festival – Welcome to the International Festival was a course tailored for international residents in Edinburgh, inviting group members to explore how experiencing different cultures connect us through workshops. These culminated in an international community meal featuring performances by International Festival performers.

Edinburgh International Children’s Festival – Creative Encounters – Election performance. Part of Imaginate’s landmark project, Creative Encounters, Election by Bishop May Down, commissioned by North Edinburgh Youth Arts Collective, imagined children as bigwig decisionmakers with the power to make real change. Three eleven-year-olds in oversized suits and fake moustaches delivered a political manifesto, offering a child’s perspective on what is valuable in the world.

Edinburgh Festival Fringe – Generation Fringe, formerly Fringe Young Ambassadors, works with young people from high schools around Edinburgh to explore careers pathways to the arts. The project aims to engage and inspire young people, introducing them to parts of the industry they might not have known existed, and provides opportunities to visit Fringe venues and arts spaces around Edinburgh.

Scottish International Storytelling Festival – BSL Apprenticeship Programme. Hosted by Deaf storyteller Tania Allan, the Festival set up the BSL storytelling workshops at the Blackwood Bar, to provide a welcoming space where the Deaf community can come together to share stories, humour, memories or anything they feel inspired to perform in BSL.

Edinburgh International Film Festival – In Conversation. Edinburgh International Film Festival’sdynamic programme offers audiences the opportunity to engage directly with filmmakers and creative talent, through In Conversation events and post-screening Q&As.

To find out more about all projects, visit:

www.edinburghfestivalcity.com/about/stories

Belinda McElhinney, Chair, Festivals Edinburgh said: “Residents are the lifeblood of our festivals and so it’s great to have this opportunity to highlight the year-round partnerships between the festivals and their local communities, with thanks especially to BuildHollywood Scotland for their support and to the Edinburgh Sketcher who beautifully presents the many festival community projects in his unique creative style.”

Charlotte Black, General Manager, BUILDHOLLYWOOD Scotland has said: “It’s been a real pleasure to once again champion the many incredible stories behind our city’s leading festivals and their collaborations with our vibrant, creative communities, organisations and schools.

“Through the magic of the Edinburgh Sketcher and handwritten postcards from participants, these stories have been brought to life beautifully. Together, they form a series of rich visuals we’re proud to platform across our posters and billboard sites throughout the city.”

Mark Kirkham, The Edinburgh Sketcher has said: “I am so pleased to work with Festivals Edinburgh and BUILDHOLLYWOOD Scotland to create these sketches that showcase the great community work that many of Edinburgh’s festivals are doing as part of the Festival City Stories project.

“Seeing the work going on behind the scenes in my community and meeting the many people who are coming together to help others and to make lives easier for locals and visitors to the city has been a very positive and hopeful experience.

“I hope these sketches capture some of the energy of these happy occasions and lead to more people taking an interest and finding out more about the events the Edinburgh festivals are running within the city throughout the year.”

Mark Kirkham at the Dundee Street hoardings | Credit Iain MacKay

‘Summertime Streets’ changes to begin next week in city centre

With the summer festivals season fast approaching, the city council is making temporary changes to the way some of our city centre streets operate between Thursday 24 July and Sunday 7 September 2025.

During this busy period the population of our city effectively doubles, which brings challenges for residents, businesses and visitors.

These temporary changes, which include removing or restricting vehicle traffic, are designed to make our streets easier and safer to walk around.

George Street and several streets in the Old Town will be impacted. A full list of streets along with further information is available on our website.

There is also specific advice for blue badge holders, home deliveries, loading and services for businesses, places of worship and special arrangements.

Transport and Environment Convener, Councillor Stephen Jenkinson said: “As we prepare to welcome the world to Edinburgh for our summer festivals, we’re making sure that these higher visitor numbers are managed safely and properly.

“We’ve made temporary changes to our city centre streets successfully during this period for many years and I’m sure that this summer will be no different.

“I’d like to thank our residents and businesses for their understanding and patience as we get ready to showcase and enjoy our city’s unparalleled cultural offering once again.”

Free Day Trip to Edinburgh Festivals

Hey North Edinburgh youth! Ready for an epic day out?

Together with Imaginate UK, we’ve planned an exciting day exploring the Edinburgh Festivals on Saturday 24 August, from 10.30am – 5.30pm. Expect interesting arts exhibitions, amazing live performances, and loads of fun.

This free event is for local young people aged 11-13 living in the loca area of Muirhouse, Pilton, Granton, and Drylaw. Food and travel will be provided.

This event will be also be an informal opportunity to learn more about NEA Youth Arts Collective, a new creative group for 11-13 year olds living in North Edinburgh. Part of Imaginate and North Edinburgh Arts project, Creative Encounters, which puts children at the heart of decision making

Advance booking required so book your spot soon:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/972069745777

Got a question?

Call us: 0131 315 2151 (Monday – Friday, 10am – 1pm)

Email us: admin@northedinburgharts.co.uk

The Besties’ winners week two announced

The Besties is a new series of awards celebrating the best across Edinburgh’s August Festivals. The Award is a partnership between The Skinny & Fest, Capital Theatres and Premier Scotland.

The Skinny and Fest, Capital Theatres and Premier Scotland are delighted to announce the winners of the second round of the weekly new Festival Awards, The Besties, in the following categories:

The Movement Award – Mele Broomes for through warm temperatures, Custom Lane (Edinburgh Art Festival)

The Narrative Award – Adania Shibli for Against Forgetting, Edinburgh Futures Institute (Edinburgh International Book Festival)

The Radgie Award – Piotr Sikora for Furiozo: Man Looking for Trouble, Underbelly Cowgate (Edinburgh Festival Fringe)

The Debut Award – Wonder Fools for Òran, Pleasance Courtyard (Edinburgh Festival Fringe)

[the gender euphoria award] – Wet Mess for Testo – Here and Now Showcase, Zoo Southside (Edinburgh Festival Fringe)

The Collaboration Award – The Giant Company and The Distant Voices Community for A Giant on the Bridge, Assembly Roxy (Edinburgh Festival Fringe)

The Solo Award – Yolanda Mercy for Failure Project, Summerhall (Edinburgh Festival Fringe)

The award ceremony took place on Saturday 17^th August at the Festival Theatre in Edinburgh, hosted by comedian Josephine Lacey whose show Autism Mama is at the Pleasance Courtyard, with performances from Orkney musician Catriona Price who performed earlier this week at Queen’s Hall and Edinburgh New Town Church, celebrating her debut album, Hert.

The Besties award, designed by artist Camillo Feuchter who has recently graduated fromInterior & Environmental Design at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design in Dundee, uses recyclable plastics gathered at the Festival Theatre Café and leftover wood sourced locally.

Reflecting the broad and diverse coverage both magazines produce every summer and responding to the need for a pan-festivals award, The Besties span all the festival activity taking place in the city over the month of August, including the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Edinburgh International Festival, Edinburgh Art Festival, Edinburgh International Book Festival, Edinburgh International Film Festival which started on Thursday 15 August, and others, making them the one of the only awards to celebrate the full spectrum of culture in the city.

Winners of The Besties are chosen each week by the editorial teams of The Skinny and Fest, drawing on their cross-festival expertise to celebrate the best work happening anywhere in the festivals. The categories will reflect the diversity of the magazines’ coverage and might be different every week.

The third and last ceremony will take place on Saturday 24^th August.

First winners of The Skinny-Fest Festival Awards announced

The Besties is a new series of awards celebrating the best across Edinburgh’s August Festivals. The Award is a partnership between The Skinny & Fest, Capital Theatres and Premier Scotland

The Skinny and Fest, Capital Theatres and Premier Scotland are delighted to announce the winners of the first of the weekly new Festival Awards, The Besties, in the following categories:

The Outwith Award (for best international artist/production) for Lou Wall’s The Bisexual Lament at Pleasance Courtyard (Edinburgh Festival Fringe)

Radgie of the Festivals (for boldest performance/behaviour) for Joe Kent-Walters is Frankie Monroe: LIVE!!! at The Monkey Barrel Comedy (Edinburgh Festival Fringe)

The Sexy Award for Sexiness to Internationaal Theater Amsterdam’s Penthesilea, Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh (Edinburgh International Festival)

Night Owl (for a late night show) to John Norris for Mr Chonkers / Mr Chonkers Presents…Piggy Time at Monkey Barrel Comedy (Edinburgh Festival Fringe)

Best Kids Show for Garry Starr’s Monkeys Everywhere at The Pleasance (Edinburgh Festival Fringe)

Next Big Thing Award for Emergent Talent for Kim Blyth’s Might As Well at Gilded Balloon (Edinburgh Festival Fringe)

New Writing Award for The Chaos That Has Been and Will No Doubt Return at Summerhall (Edinburgh Festival Fringe)

The award ceremony took place on Saturday 10th August at the Festival Theatre in Edinburgh, hosted by Australian comedian Michelle Brasier whose show Legacy is at the Gilded Balloon, with performances from the cast of A History of Paper, a Dundee Rep and Traverse Theatre co-production being staged at the Traverse.

The Besties award, designed by artist Camillo Feuchter who has recently graduated from Interior & Environmental Design at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design in Dundee, uses recyclable plastics gathered at the Festival Theatre Café and leftover wood sourced locally.

Reflecting the broad and diverse coverage both magazines produce every summer and responding to the need for a pan-festivals award, The Besties span all the festival activity taking place in the city over the month of August, including the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and Edinburgh International Festival, Edinburgh Art Festival which started on the 9th, Edinburgh International Book Festival which opens today and the Edinburgh International Film Festival starting next week, and others, making them the only awards to celebrate the full spectrum of culture in the city.

Next two ceremonies will take place on Saturday 17th and 24th August.

Scotland hosts global cultural leaders for festival hub of international exchange

The Momentum Delegate Programme kicks off in Edinburgh today, Wednesday 7 August, acting as a central hub from the world-leading Festival City to connect key cultural players from across the world with the wider Scottish and international cultural sector.

Every August during the Edinburgh Festivals the capital of Scotland becomes a global celebration of culture and creativity, with citizens of the city and the country joined by artists and audiences from all over the world.

At Momentum, a cohort of producers, government agencies, funders, stakeholders and programmers from invited countries will join a tailored programme of networking and meetings with creative practitioners, policymakers and educators in Scotland.

The collaborations established will enable long-term relationships, platforming Scotland and its artists and art organisations on the world stage and further cementing Scotland’s international cultural reputation.

Led by Festivals Edinburgh, in partnership with Creative Scotland and British Council Scotland, with additional support from City of Edinburgh Council and Event Scotland, the hub will open its doors from Creative Scotland’s Edinburgh headquarters at Waverley Gate.

On behalf of Momentum partners, Julia Amour, Director of Festivals Edinburgh said: “The Edinburgh Festivals are distinctively Scottish yet profoundly international, and we’re delighted to welcome cultural representatives from around the globe to our Momentum programme, where we will help them build relationships with our festivals and the wider Scottish cultural sector.”

The 36 delegates arriving are from Viet Nam, Sweden, South Korea, the MENA region (Middle East & North Africa), Türkiye, Mexico and Poland – as well as two artform delegations for Literature and Visual Arts. Information on each area, its delegates and sessions are available on the Momentum website.

Since 2011, Momentum has brought over 700 international delegates to Edinburgh during the buzz of the city’s August festivals. These have contributed to multiple collaborations, most recently:

Scottish Dance Theatre (SDT) connected with Ciało/Umysł, an international contemporary dance festival in Warsaw, developed from a meeting set up by the Momentum team last year. After the initial introduction, with support from the Momentum follow-up fund, SDT Artistic Director Joan Clevillé visited Poland for Ciało’s dance platform.

SDT’s Senior Producer, Robyn Jancovich-Brown said: “The visit enabled SDT to get a sense of the scene, visit venues, make more connections in the area, and, critically, really understand the cultural and political context in which the artists and organisations are working.

“We’re now talking about next steps and exploring plans for an artistic exchange programme in autumn 2025, in which Scottish and Polish dancers will be able to work together.”

Stanza Poetry Festival Artistic Director Ryan Van Winkle met Manuela Moser from the Cúirt International Festival of Literature from Ireland at Momentum 2023.

Ryan said: “Initially Manuela and I had some great chats just about being new in our roles and the challenges of directing festivals. We stayed in touch, sharing ideas about poets and writers, and then agreed to partner on a grant application.

“That enabled us to have an extra event at Stanza last year, in collaboration with Cúirt International Festival of Literature, called Companion Planting. An artist and an author visited from Ireland to talk about strategies of support and examined ‘care’ within collaborative artistic working practices.

“This was a perfect fit with Stanza’s theme last year. It’s rare to see a project happen that fast; I felt lucky to encounter Manuela, and get something going so quickly.”

Edinburgh’s festival season takes centre stage

Culture and Communities Convener Val Walker writes about the summer festival season and finding the balance:

There’s already a fantastic buzz building across Edinburgh as the summer festival season starts to get into full swing. It’s undeniable that the festivals continue to be a central part of the fabric of our city.

They contribute year-round to our worldwide reputation as an outstanding destination and showcase our identity as a welcoming place to be, both for those of us lucky enough to live here and the millions who visit each year.

Edinburgh in August is a place like no other, with our residents and visitors enjoying access to thousands of outstanding performers and shows that we’d otherwise have to travel the world to find. From the Jazz and Blues Festival at the start of this month, through to the Fringe, Art, Film, Book, Tattoo and International festivals throughout August, we’re truly spoiled for choice here in the culture capital of the world.

Beyond the cultural benefits, it’s important also to remember just how important the festivals – and the tourism industry as whole – are to our economy. Tourism in Edinburgh sustains over 30,000 jobs, bringing in £2.7 billion worth of visitor spend each year, with the festivals alone supporting over 7,000 FTE jobs and contributing £407 million to our local economy. Beyond that, of course, it affords us, as residents, the choice of restaurants, bars, and other attractions that would simply not exist otherwise.

We do acknowledge, of course, that there is another side to this – for all the buzz we enjoy in August, it is also extremely busy – and we’re fully aware of our responsibility to manage this and find the right balance between the needs of our residents and visitors.

I was delighted, then, that following our long campaign to introduce a visitor levy, we’re now able work with the tourist industry and other partners to develop our plans, with a view to introducing a levy by early summer 2026 (following an 18-month mandatory stand still period).

This presents a major opportunity for us, generating millions of pounds in additional revenue to sustain and develop the city – just as so many other major cities already do so successfully – and to support and enhance our world class festivals. As an example, had a 5 per cent levy been in place over the weekend of Taylor Swift’s concerts, it would have generated an (estimated) additional £632,000.

With the city’s population effectively doubling during August, it’s important that we also consider short-term measures to keep the city moving. That’s why, we’ve re-introduced a series of changes in and around the Old Town, all designed to make our streets and pavements easier and safer to navigate.

Our transport partners are also doing what they can to help us get around smoothly and safely and I’m delighted that, once again, Edinburgh Trams will be operating an all-night service every weekend throughout August, while Lothian Buses will be offering additional on-street support during busy periods.

Alongside our festival season this summer, we’re also eagerly anticipating the launch of Edinburgh 900 – a celebration of nine centuries of our shared history and traditions as a Royal Burgh.

With the programme launching next week, we can look forward to 18 months of community and other events, shining a light on the wonderful and often colourful history of our fantastic city, and on the people and communities who’ve helped make our city what it is today.

I do hope that, like me, you’re looking forward to another fantastic August here in Edinburgh, the best city in the world.

EE boosts capital’s mobile capacity ahead of influx of festival visitors

New mobile ‘mini-masts’ have been installed by EE on street furniture like lamp-posts and phone boxes in Edinburgh to help boost mobile coverage in the busiest areas of the city.

The Scottish capital is the UK’s second most popular tourist destination after London, and the mobile mast installations come as the city prepares for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

During August, it’s estimated that the population of the city doubles, as more than 500,000 people visit for the festivals.

The mini antennas, known as small cells, are now delivering enhanced 4G capacity in high demand areas of the city. Small cells take advantage of existing street assets, such as BT’s iconic red telephone boxes, to help enhance street-level mobile coverage in busy areas where it’s impractical to build larger masts, such as city-centres and transport hubs.

In Edinburgh, EE has worked with partners including Edinburgh Council and Nokia to deploy small cells to boost capacity in busy locations including the Royal Mile, University of Edinburgh, Princes Street, Chambers Street and the National Museum, and the West End.

Responding to the news, Shona McCarthy, Chief Executive of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, said: “Visitors to the festival are increasingly using their smartphones for electronic ticketing, searching programme listings, booking tickets on the go, and navigating to the various venues.

“Many of these are things visitors will be able to do from the new official EdFringe app. People are also keen to share their experiences with friends and family and social media throughout the festival.

“All of this depends on having good access to mobile networks. It’s vital therefore that the city’s mobile networks can cope with this significant increase in demand during the summer. We welcome any steps like these new mini mobile masts to help boost network capacity in these busy locations.”

As well as being located on phone boxes, lamp-posts and CCTV columns, EE can also install small cells on BT’s innovative new digital Street Hubs.

James Hope, Director of Mobile Radio Access Networks at EE, said: “Edinburgh is a prime example of a city that can benefit from these small cell masts.

“The city is said to be built on seven hills and has plenty of old buildings, all of which pose a challenge to mobile coverage. It also sees huge peaks in mobile traffic in confined areas during major events. Small cells help customers continue to benefit from our fastest 4G speeds, even at the busiest times and in the most congested of locations.

“Our new digital Street Hubs also have the potential to help increase the number of small cells in the city. We’ll continue to discuss our plans with the council and we hope that Edinburgh will join other cities, such as Glasgow and Birmingham, where our new Street Hubs are already providing communities with the digital facilities needed for the future.”

14 mini masts are already live in Edinburgh, with four more sites to go live by the end of July. EE plans to deploy more small cell sites throughout the city in areas where it forecasts network congestion.

Trams to run all night at weekends during Festival

An all-night tram service is being lined up for weekends in August to help visitors and local residents to make the most of Edinburgh’s festival season.

Over the summer, the city hosts one of the world’s most popular celebrations of arts and culture, and Edinburgh Trams is gearing up to play its part in helping to keep the city moving as tens of thousands of people flock to Scotland’s capital.

In addition to daytime and evening services, which run from every seven minutes between the airport and Newhaven, trams will continue to serve all stops throughout the night on Fridays and Saturdays, so that people get home or back to their accommodation once the entertainment has come to a close.

Following the usual end of services around midnight, trams will then operate from every 20 minutes until 2am, then from every 30 minutes until the normal timetable commences the following day.

Lea Harrison, Edinburgh Trams’ Managing Director, commented: “Alongside the main festival, August also sees the Royal Edinburgh Tattoo and fantastic Fringe performances during what is traditionally one of the busiest times of the year for the city.

“Following the enormous success of late-night trams in previous festival seasons, we wanted to go the extra mile this year by running a 24-hour service over the weekend, which is a testament to our commitment as Scotland’s number one public transport operator.

“For further convenience, anyone heading for the festivals can avoid the hassle of finding a parking spot in or around the city centre by leaving their cars at Ingliston Park & Ride, which has over 1,000 spaces available and a tram stop.”

The operator’s normal range of tram tickets will be accepted at no extra cost when all-night trams are running and more information on great money-saving ticket deals can be found here.

Edinburgh’s Festivals ‘strengthen recovery of businesses and jobs’

Independent research has confirmed the huge contribution that Edinburgh’s Festivals make to the economic vitality of Edinburgh and Scotland.

The latest study – conducted across the festivals in 2022 and surveying 22,000 people – shows that the Edinburgh Festivals continue to be Scotland’s world-leading cultural brands.

These unrivalled cultural programmes deliver a major economic uplift to businesses, jobs and livelihoods in the city and further afield – helping to rebuild sectors devastated by the pandemic and an especially important boost during the cost-of-living crisis, with the Festivals themselves having a stronger focus on fair work and local suppliers.

Key findings from the study show that the Edinburgh Festivals in 2022 are:

Edinburgh Festivals are World leading cultural brands

FACT: 3.2 million attendances generated by around 700,000 attendees
FACT: Remain on a par with FIFA World Cup [3.4m], despite reduced scale in 2022
Edinburgh Festivals are Increasing economic powerhouses
FACT: Economic impact increased in Edinburgh from £280m [2015] to £407m [2022]
FACT: Economic impact increased in Scotland from £313m [2015] to £367m [2022]
Edinburgh Festivals are Important drivers in the national economy
FACT: Proportion of non-Scottish staying visitors increased from 25% [2015] to 31% [2022]
FACT: Spend by non-Scottish staying visitors increased from £95m [2015] to £137m [2022]
FACT: Impact supported 5000 FTE jobs across Scotland
Edinburgh Festivals provide Crucial support to city jobs and livelihoods
FACT: Impact created 5850 FTE jobs in Edinburgh [5650 in 2015]
FACT: 51% of spend on accommodation (c£85m), 25% on food & drink (c£42m) and a further 19% on shopping (c£31m)
Edinburgh Festivals offer Incredible value for money
FACT: Generate £33 in economic impact for every £1 invested from the public purse

For the first time this Impact Study also identifies what the figures look like when the economic actions of locals are included in the calculations – previous impact studies have focussed solely on the Festivals’ role in bringing new money into the economy.

This further analysis shows the importance, previously only anecdotal, of local and Scottish audience spending driven by the Festivals rather than by other activities:

Edinburgh Festivals are Loved by locals

FACT: Had 1.5m attendances by residents of Edinburgh/Scotland [c50% of total audience]
FACT: Contribute £492m to Edinburgh and £620m to Scotland in gross impact
FACT: Support 7,150 FTE jobs in Edinburgh and 8,500 FTE jobs in Scotland
FACT: Overnight audience spend from across Scotland has doubled since last report

Introducing the Study, Dr Simon Gage, Chair of Festivals Edinburgh commented: “The positive impact our Festivals have on businesses, jobs and livelihoods is great news for the people of our city and country – and we need to ensure that this economic recovery is built on a solid foundation of good responsible growth, looking after our people, our place and our planet.

“In this instance our impact is primarily felt by the tourism and hospitality sectors, not by the festivals themselves and the people who make them happen – in fact, their unique cultural programmes are hanging each year by a precarious financial thread, damaged by Covid lockdowns and over 15 years of declining investment.

“We call on all funders and supporters to come together to consider their long-term role in helping the Edinburgh Festivals remain Scotland’s world leading cultural brands and a crucial economic powerhouse for people’s jobs and livelihoods.”

Commenting on the Study, Richard Naylor, Director of Research at BOP consulting said: “This Study confirms and further strengthens the key message from the earlier Impact Studies that the Festivals are a major contributor to both the local Edinburgh economy and the national Scottish economy.

“This economic impact spreads far beyond the immediate cultural economy, with the biggest beneficiary businesses being those in the tourism and hospitality sectors.

“That the Festivals have bounced back so strongly shows the importance of communal events in our post-pandemic world, with audiences and visitors increasingly seeking out unique cultural experiences such as the Edinburgh Festivals.”

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