Meeting of the Parliament 24 June 2026 [Draft]
I welcome the cabinet secretary’s answer and the additional support that has gone to island festivals.
Festivals on our islands, such as the Orkney Folk Festival, contribute hugely to island life and our national cultural offering. Although festivals in our cities and the central belt can grow due to the ability to add more venues and the availability of accommodation provision and transport links, our island festivals do not have the same opportunity to develop. They face constraints and are victims of their own success, in that they cannot increase their income substantially, yet have increasing costs.
Will the cabinet secretary commit to considering, alongside Creative Scotland and EventScotland, how we can deliver a pilot island festival fund to provide stability to those vital cultural events in unique circumstances?