Hansard

Well, that is a great pity. I will simply say that the book was, as befits a Scot of international celebration and reputation, a wonderful seller.

The fact that 25,000 people turned out to watch the fireworks finale across the skyline was a fitting tribute to the most successful year to date for the Edinburgh international festival. Matthew Bourne's "Dorian Gray" became the festival's biggest-selling dance event, and overall box office takings were up by 7 per cent.

Ticket sales are, of course, a good thing, but they are just part of the story. If we go beyond the headline figures, we can see how the Edinburgh festivals contribute to the cultural and wider life of the nation. It is clear from the representation of 45 countries at the book festival, the presence of fringe performers from all corners of the world and the international acclaim for the hogmanay celebrations that Edinburgh's festivals speak an international language. It is a language that an increasing number of people want to learn. There was an enormous sense of inquiry across the range of festival programmes last year. Audiences for talks and conversations increased, as people sought to engage not just with the artistry, but with the ideas and the artists. Such engagement is typical of the impact that the festivals have on the cultural life of the city and the nation.

The Edinburgh art festival, which, with just five years' experience under its belt, is a relative newcomer to the Edinburgh festivals group, is already helping to consolidate and build on the city's reputation as a vibrant destination for the visual arts. Established venues, such as Inverleith house, the national galleries and the Talbot Rice gallery, are embracing the new possibilities that are afforded by an annual focus on the visual arts sector, which during 2008 alone brought to Edinburgh a Tracey Emin retrospective, Turner prize winner Mark Wallinger and celebrated artist Richard Hamilton.

It was not just international visitors who pounded the streets—local support was out in force and local ticket sales rose, too. Outside Edinburgh, the sharing the festival initiative, which is now in its second year, took the festival to those who otherwise might not experience the occasion. The production of "Class Enemy" went on tour to Rutherglen, Stirling and Cumbernauld. This Administration not only recognises but supports such activities. The festivals make such an enormous contribution to communities and the economy that they must be sustained and underpinned.

I will give some examples of how we do that. At the science education summit on 5 May, my colleague Ms Hyslop announced a new science festivals fund, which will be worth £225,000 this year. That funding, which has been offered outside a formal grant scheme for the first time this year, will help to nurture new festivals in areas that are remote from science centres, thereby ensuring that local events achieve stability and have the chance to grow. The fund also makes provision of £60,000 for the Edinburgh international science festival, to increase the programme's scope to work with further and higher education, local science businesses and research institutes.

We provide other means of support. The Edinburgh festivals expo fund is an enormously important part of Scotland's festivals infrastructure. Earlier this month, I was delighted to announce the provision of £1 million over the next two years to showcase Scotland-based dance and theatre artists through the fringe's made in Scotland programme. Funding from the expo fund will bring a fantastic suite of performances to this year's fringe. There will be radical interventions at, for example, the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, and the drama in Grid Iron's "Barflies" will unfold in the company's local—the Barony bar. I am sure that that production will attract some members that pure arts might not.

The expo fund supports Scotland's creative sector at the grass-roots level by expanding the opportunities for those involved and developing the capacity of the sector to produce and deliver on an international stage. The fund is born out of a desire to ensure that the Edinburgh festivals continue to flourish, develop and innovate, which is extremely important. During question time, Margaret Smith asked about the "Thundering Hooves: Maintaining the Global Competitive Edge of Edinburgh's Festivals" report and what happened next. It is by investing in the future that we will keep the festivals, and the contributions of the artists who participate in them, great. The expo fund invests in the future. The provision last year of £1.3 million of funding enabled the creation of a wide array of high-quality artistic collaborations that premiered throughout the year and which promoted the best of Scottish talent at home and abroad. This year's allocation of just over £2 million, through which we will continue to support ambitious projects from each of the 12 festivals, demonstrates the importance that this Government places on creativity and artistic endeavours.

I cannot overemphasise just how important the festivals are in terms of international profile, creativity and the economy. That will continue to be the case. Last year, the Edinburgh mela received money from the expo fund to produce a piece called "Yatra", or "The Journey", which was performed twice over the mela weekend. It was an unforgettable experience that saw Scotland-based artists from three diverse musical cultures—south Asian, Scottish traditional and Japanese taiko—working and performing together in Edinburgh.

I am delighted to announce that we have approved a grant of £30,000 from the expo fund for the mela to research and develop the possibility of a bold, large-scale, outdoor performance, "Cargo", which will focus on stories of immigration and the myriad diverse cultures that have settled in Scotland throughout our history, and will examine Scotland's own identity as an evolving nation. The project will engage with minority ethnic communities in Scotland and build international links. That is particularly significant in this, the year of homecoming, as we seek to reach out to our diaspora community across the world.

Homecoming 2009 is at the centre of many of the events that will take place this year. The international film-making diaspora is featured at the film festival. The Edinburgh international festival programme will include the themes of homecoming and the enlightenment. It is a good, diverse programme that balances the best of the world with the best of Scotland. The science festival will showcase some of the great contributions that Scots have made to scientific and technological advances, both at home and abroad. The book festival is creating a series of special events, focusing on the importance of Burns and the Scottish enlightenment. The tattoo will go on tour to four additional venues around Scotland. As 2009 is the 250th anniversary of the birth of Robert Burns, a feature of this year's show will be a series of vignettes depicting episodes from the popular poet's works.

The Edinburgh festivals are uniquely placed to speak to communities at home and abroad and to convey what Scotland has to offer. They attract a huge international audience—a wonderfully cosmopolitan, colourful, open-minded audience—and make Edinburgh a must-see destination and a place that comes even more alive. That leads to international success for Scottish artists and underpins what we want to continue to achieve. Everything that we do must underpin not just Edinburgh's position now but what it can and will achieve. We seek constant innovation, investment and celebration. The festivals are a living thing and need to be treated in a way that encourages them to grow and develop all the time. Their global marketing strategy—the first cross-festival collaborative project, with investment by the Scottish Government, through its Edinburgh festivals expo fund—is being put in place, will be essential and can be built on.

Edinburgh's major festivals have continued to grow in strength since their foundation. This is a 60-year-old festival city. We should be proud of it, must support it and must understand that it is key to the economic and cultural life not just of the capital city and the region but of the entire country. It defines some of our place in the world. Scotland's burgeoning festival scene—this nation of festivals, right across the country—delights and entertains us all and underpins Edinburgh's success. It reaffirms what it is to live and be part of the social and cultural life of this country and supports the creative and social confidence of the people, who need to become all that they can be.

Long may we continue to promote and make a noise about our collective talents, creativity and ambitions on the global stage. Long may these crucial annual happenings encapsulate the confident, proud, diverse, dynamic and inclusive nation that we know ourselves to be. The work that the Government is doing to set up creative Scotland will help that process, but the real treasure in all our festivals, artistry and events is the artists themselves. Long may they be supported by our festivals.

I move,

That the Parliament recognises the international success of the Edinburgh festivals, along with Scotland's other festivals, their contribution to the Scottish economy, their role in the cultural life of the nation and the positive messages that they promote about Scotland's cultural confidence and ambition in this Year of Homecoming.