Scottish Government announces £3 million in funding for 14 festivals

THE Scottish Government has awarded £3 million in funding to 14 festivals, the Culture Secretary has announced.
The events will receive a share of the £2.8m Festivals Expo Fund, and Festivals Edinburgh will get £200,000 from Creative Scotland for branding and marketing support for the events in the capital.
The Expo Fund spending has increased from £1.7m last year.
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The Edinburgh Festival Fringe will receive £670k, while the Edinburgh International Book Festival will be given £200k, the same amount as for the Scottish International Storytelling Festival.
Culture Secretary Angus Robertson (below) said: 'Scotland's festivals are our cultural shopfront to the rest of the world.
Angus Robertson MSP 'As well as offering performers and creatives an unrivalled international platform, they also deliver an annual economic uplift to businesses, jobs and livelihoods right across the country.
'This year's funding increase for the existing Expo festivals cohort represents an increase of £1 million across the 14 festivals in Glasgow and Edinburgh, the first in 10 years.
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'It recognises the success of festivals in shaping and supporting hundreds of commissions, enhancing the ambitions of thousands of Scottish artists and attracting audiences in the millions for Expo-supported work since the fund's creation in 2007.
'From this foundation we will expand the reach of the Expo fund across the whole of Scotland, and I am working with festivals across the country through the strategic festivals partnership to realise this commitment.'
Dana MacLeod, executive director of arts, communities and inclusion at Creative Scotland, welcomed the funding, saying it will enable festivals to 'commission bold ideas, develop creative collaborations and present high-quality programmes for audiences in Scotland and internationally'.
Lori Anderson, director of Festivals Edinburgh, said: 'Today's announcement is welcome news for our festivals and for Scotland's cultural sector, ensuring that the guiding principle of the Scottish Government's Festivals Expo Fund – to showcase Scottish talent to the world on the country's premier festival platforms – continues to successfully support creative careers.'

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