Dumfries and Galloway Council will invest more than £300,000 in a programme of festivals, events and cultural activities in 2021.
All will be carefully adapted to protect public health and support the social and economic recovery of the region.
It is estimated that the cancellation or scaling down of events in the region will lead to a loss to the regional economy of £8 million in 2020.
This contrasts sharply with the £16.35 million generated through the Council’s Major Events and Festivals Strategy (MFES) in 2018 and 2019. The Council’s highly successful events strategy yields or safeguards £30 for the economy for every £1 of Council investment.
Councillors today agreed to revise the MFES 2018-2021 through the preparation of a new Action Plan for 2021/22. The new plan will focus on assisting smaller scale events to take place next year, developed in consultation with communities across Dumfries and Galloway.
These are designed to help with economic recovery through promoting Dumfries and Galloway as an attractive and safe destination for sporting and cultural events.
New for 2021 will be:
- A Tour of Britain town centre cycle race
- A year-long arts season called Together Again
- An events programme themed to promote the Galloway Hoard exhibition in Kirkcudbright which will help attract and retain thousands of visitors in the region
Confidential discussions between the Council and several agencies are also well underway to bring another world-class cycling event to the region in the spring of 2021.
At the same time, the Council confirmed that there will be continued MFES 18-21 funding of Dumfries and Galloway’s four highly regarded Signature cultural events – Wigtown Book Festival, Dumfries and Galloway Arts Festival, Spring Fling open studios and Big Burns Supper.
One significant change will be that there will be an emphasis on spreading some events out over long periods of time and organising programmes to avoid mass gatherings.
Councillor Andy Ferguson, Chair of the Communities Committee for Dumfries and Galloway Council said:
“The Council is determined that festivals and events can continue to thrive here in Dumfries and Galloway, but we are mindful of public health concerns around re-introducing events too soon within our communities. Our priority will be partnership working with communities across Dumfries and Galloway to ensure that events organisations have the support of local people when they deliver their work.
There has been a devasting loss of income to our economy from the cancellation of our events programme in 2020. As a region we are feeling their loss for economic reasons and social reasons – our festivals and events raise our spirits, bring people together and help introduce new music, literature, sports and heritage into our lives and that has been sorely missed.”
Councillor John Martin, Vice Chair of the Communities Committee of Dumfries and Galloway said:
“The impact of Covid-19 has been felt by everyone, with tourism, the arts, sport, culture and hospitality being especially hard-hit. Our resources are finite, but we know that they can make a critical difference, so we are consulting with communities and organisations across the region about how we can help rewrite and redesign our Major Festivals and Events Strategy most effectively.”
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