Croydon criticised for insensitive name of arts fund

09 Aug 2022

Croydon Council and Executive Mayor of Croydon Jason Perry have come in for criticism for the name of their new Ignite Fund announced on the weekend marking the 11th anniversary of the Croydon Riots.

The first stage of the Ignite Fund, part of the London Borough of Culture 2023, will provide grants of between £25,000 and £50,000 to ten individual artists and cultural organisations.

A further round of applications later in the year will fund 100 smaller projects for up to £1,000 each and 15 medium projects  up to £10,000 each.

But the name of the fund, which was not discussed with the local community according to a report from Inside Croydon, has sparked controversy.

Bushra Ahmed, whose family business and home were both torched by arsonists during the riots in August 2022, told the publication that the new fund’s name was “both misguided and insensitive”.

During the riots, police cars were fire-bombed, shops were looted and dozens of homes and businesses were destroyed by arson.

The council has not responsed to the criticisms about the name of the fund.

“Croydon’s year as London Borough of Culture is a fantastic opportunity to celebrate our culture and our communities and to kickstart our regeneration and restore pride,” said Perry.

“Croydon’s programme is truly community-led, with local residents, artists and cultural groups at the heart of all our plans, and we also want them to be the first to benefit from every opportunity that it brings.”

Edinburgh festivals receive £2.1m boost

08 Aug 2022

The Scottish Government has put an additional £2.1m towards the Edinburgh International Festival, Edinburgh Festival Fringe and Edinburgh International Film Festival.

The extra funding is available through the Platform for Creative Excellence (PLACE) Resilience Fund and will support events marking the festivals’ 75th anniversary. 

Funded programmes include Edinburgh International Festival’s opening and closing events, and a free concert by the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra, and Edinburgh Fringe’s Made In Scotland event, showcasing 27 Scottish artists, companies and ensembles.

The Scottish Government has invested more than £14m in the three festivals since the start of the pandemic.

Edinburgh Festivals Director Julia Armour said the financial support is “crucial not only to our ongoing recovery but also to our continuing ambition to bring increased opportunities to artists and audiences throughout the country, while also showcasing Scotland as a contemporary, creative, outward-looking nation”.

Bristol Harbour Festival suffering ‘identity crisis’

02 Aug 2022

A report by Bristol City Council has found that Bristol Harbour Festival is suffering from an "identity crisis", with many people unclear as to the nature of the annual event.

“Some think it predominantly a music or food festival due to the programming… Generally there is a feeling it is commercialised, with big brands monopolising the food offer and few people see it as a community festival,” the report noted.

It added that many people were put off by the festival’s “drinking culture”, calling for major changes to the event.

“The drinking culture has a detrimental affect on attracting participants from different cultures and the older community,” the report found, with many visitors to the festival choosing to leave the area before evening. The report also raised concerns that the event is “too middle class and white”. 

In the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests and the toppling of Edward Colston’s statue in Bristol in 2020, it said that the festival needed to make changes to “better reflect Bristol’s communicates in the context of these global events”. Recommendations include installing a creative director to help attract a more diverse audience.

“The festival needs to reflect recent events in its addressing of the issues around the harbour as well as celebrating the diversity that Bristol represents,” the report said.

Despite this, members of the council's are expected to approve an extension to 2023 for the current festival organisers, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

They are expected to use next year’s event as a transition to a new contract, which will be retendered in 2024.

Call for artist compensation over loss of Fringe app

01 Aug 2022

Performing arts and entertainment union Equity says the Edinburgh Fringe should compensate performers over the absence of the official app at this year’s event.

The Edinburgh Fringe app is widely considered to be vital for generating ticket sales. Earlier this month, an open letter from the Live Comedy Association, signed by over 1,600 performers, promoters and venues, condemned the Fringe Society for a lack of transparency over it's decision to withdraw the app.

The Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society CEO Shona McCarthy has since apologised, adding “we really should have better communicated that the app would be one of the casualties of our financial constraints this year”.

Equity has acknowledged the Fringe’s apology but says partial refunds should be given to those who registered for the event before the announcement the app would be unavailable.

“This would be an important goodwill gesture and help repair the damaged relationship with performers at this year’s Fringe,” said Equity’s Organiser for Comedians Rob Lugg.
 
“The removal of the Fringe app could impact ticket sales as well as accessibility for disabled audience members. 

“This is concerning as two years of Covid restrictions have hit our members hard, and with an out of control cost-of-living crisis, the biggest threat to the future of the Edinburgh Fringe is performers deciding that they cannot afford to take part.”

Easol launches tech toolkit for festival organisers

27 Jul 2022

Experience commerce technology company Easol is launching a new toolkit designed to help festival organisers run profitable events and deliver “gold-standard” customer experience.

In the wake of the pandemic, festival organisers are facing challenges including rising costs and supply chain issues, loss of labour due to the pandemic and a saturated market after two years of postponements, the company said. It also cited low consumer confidence and the cost of living crisis as factors affecting ticket sales.

The new toolkit aims to help tackle the problem of organisers using multiple websites and systems to manage customer bookings and payments, which Easol says leads to “increased fees, loss of data and a loss of control over the customer experience”.

“It is amazing to see festivals up and running again but as festival organisers ourselves, we know that they are facing an uphill battle by using outdated technology that erodes the control they have over their business,” said Ben Simpson, Co-Founder and CEO of Easol.

The company plans to reveal full details of the toolkit at an event on September 22.

The future of storytelling

Women using immersive technology
20 Jul 2022

One of 50 creative practitioners trained in immersive technology to create UNBOXED’s StoryTrails, DJ McDowall shares how these skills can celebrate communities and foster a sense of belonging.

Mass gift-making as a shared symbolic act

20 Jul 2022

With athletes about to arrive in Birmingham for the 2022 Commonwealth Games, a mass gift-making initiative has been underway to welcome them. Deirdre Figueiredo led the project.

Edinburgh Festivals launch vision for 2030

04 Jul 2022

The Edinburgh Festivals are aiming for the Scottish capital to be a world leading sustainable festival city, according to a new vision agreed by the festivals and their stakeholders.

Launched in the festivals’ 75th anniversary year, Edinburgh: City of Imagination is a vision for a resilient and ambitious festival city by 2030, encompassing eleven annual events including August’s Edinburgh International Festival and Festival Fringe.

The 2030 vision is based on six collective ambitions, including championing global solidarity, creating skills and work for local artists, workers and traders, and making links with city community groups and schools.

A goal to reduce emissions in line with the city’s goal of being net zero carbon by 2030 also features, alongside investing in excellence and innovation and increasing the festivals’ resilience and long-term financial sustainability.

Festivals Edinburgh Chair Simon Gage says the vision sets a course of action and should act as a starting point for each festival.

“Each festival [can] consider the shared ambitions and identify their particular areas of contribution and for joint efforts across the festivals, funders and stakeholders to identify how we can thrive as a world leading sustainable festival city in this decisive decade.”

Monkeypox: how can festivals prepare?

28 Jun 2022

With the summer festival season underway, organisers should consider implementing contact tracing systems and raise awareness of monkeypox among attendees, the World Health Organisation says.

Low uptake of live events insurance scheme by festivals

image of Green Man festival
23 Jun 2022

Less than a quarter of the government's ringfenced insurance funding has been paid out, with music festivals finding the scheme not fit for purpose.

Edinburgh’s first Deaf Festival set for August

20 Jun 2022

The first Edinburgh Deaf Festival will take place from 12 -19 August.

Organised by Deaf Action, with the support of Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, the festival is the first of its kind to be held in Scotland. Its organisation, production, shows and events are all deaf-led and it is scheduled to feature drama, magic, comedy, cabaret, tours, exhibitions, workshops, book clubs and a deaf rave.

Performances will include a mix of deaf and hearing artists and will be interpreted and captioned to be inclusive for hearing people as well as the deaf and hard of hearing.

“The festival will be a real celebration of our language, culture, heritage and the variety of people that make up our community,” said Deaf Action CEO Philip Gerrard.

Fringe CEO Shona McCarthy said “the Edinburgh Fringe is really proud to be associated with the first deaf festival in Scotland”.

“I think this is something that’s going to continue into the future and I hope it becomes an annual addition to the festivals landscape,” she said.

Renewable energy project to put festivals on national grid

A stage at Leeds Festival
20 Jun 2022

Music Declares Emergency, in partnership with Festival Republic, will create a roadmap for live outdoor events to connect to mains energy, reducing carbon emissions.

Guide to running hybrid in-person events launches

15 Jun 2022

A new guide to help festivals, literature organisations and publishers run online and in-person hybrid events is now available.

Written by CRIPtic Arts Director Jamie Hale, in consultation with D/deaf and disabled writers, the Being Hybrid guide is designed to support time and resource limited organisations.

The guide hopes to prevent “shutting the door” on those who benefited from the increase in hybrid events during the pandemic, namely those who are geographically dispersed, disabled, poorer or have caring responsibilities.

Hale says hybrid programming can be simple and quick, adding the guide gives “the cheapest and fastest way of offering online as well as offline access to events”.

It covers five reasons for making an event hybrid, how to go hybrid with limited time and tech, putting ideas into practice, advice on including hybrid speakers and facilitators, and access to hybrid events.
 
The guide is available in full, summary, plain english, BSL and in audio and video formats.

Cost of living 'jeopardising theatres and festivals', MPs told

Choir performing at Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod
07 Jun 2022

Select committee hears that theatres and arts festivals are facing a "double whammy" of increasing costs and lower demand for tickets due to ongoing cost of living crisis.

Coventry City of Culture attracts more than a million

06 Jun 2022

More than one million people attended events in Coventry during the city’s stint as UK City of Culture, according to analysis from organisers.

Coventry’s year-long programme came to an end last Tuesday (31 May), after 709 events took place across the city, including Radio 1’s Big Weekend and the 2021 International Booker Prize.

More than 389,000 tickets were issued for live events, with a further 137,000 attending unticketed live events. The programme’s online audience, which pulled focus for events affected by lockdown, is estimated to have reached over 516,000.

The initial results do not include visitors to the public art programme, participation and workshop activity figures, or the creative programme funded by Coventry City of Culture Trust but delivered by partner organisations, which will be reported in the final evaluation.

Coventry secured more than £172m of direct investment to support its programme of events. City Council leader George Duggins says the calendar succeeded in bringing people together to help build a lasting legacy.

“The people, firms and organisations of Coventry will be feeling the benefits of our year as UK City of Culture for a long time to come – through improved prosperity, greater access to the arts, and a better quality of life.”

Welsh government defends £4.25m purchase of farm for Green Man festival

30 May 2022

Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford has defended the Welsh Government's decision to spend £4.25m on a piece of land for the Green Man festival.

The Welsh Government has previously said that the purchase of Gilestone Farm in Powys was intended to ensure Green Man has a "permanent home" in Wales, but the festival organisers have said they have no plans to move from their current home at the Glanusk Estate near Crickhowell.

The festival is understood to want to use the farm for sustainable farming and local food production but no business plan has yet been submitted to the Welsh Government by the festival's organisers and will not be provided until next month.

Speaking in the Welsh Senedd in response to questioning by Welsh Conservative leader Andrew RT Davies, Drakeford said those running the festival believe that they can do more to contribute to the economy of that part of Wales, "building on the success of their business".

"To do that they need more space in which to be able to develop those further possibilities. That's what lies behind the arrangements," he said.

Drakeford said that in the short term the farm will be leased back to the original owner in order that they can complete the bookings that they have in their tourism hospitality business and to make sure that the crops that have been planted are harvested this year.

"From the very beginning, we knew that the businesses plan from those who are responsible for the festival would be delivered to the Welsh Government in June of this year, and that is what we still expect," Drakeford added. 

"We are working with a trusted partner. We are working with a company that the Welsh Government has known and worked alongside over an extended period of time, as it has grown to be the fifth most successful festival of its kind anywhere in the United Kingdom. 

"We hold the land against the business plan and we will continue to scrutinise the business plan to see whether the objectives that the company have discussed with us can be delivered through it."

Edinburgh Fringe producers get £1.3m resilience funding

26 May 2022

Edinburgh Festival Fringe producers have received financial support to help them recover and remain resilient following the Covid-19 pandemic. 

A total of 13 Edinburgh Festival Fringe producers have been awarded a share of £1.275m from the Fringe 2022 Resilience Fund, financed by the Scottish Government and distributed by Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society.

Venues in receipt of the money are Assembly, BlundaBus, Gilded Balloon, Greenside, Just The Tonic, Laughing Horse, Monkey Barrell Comedy, Pleasance, Scottish Comedy Festival, Summerhall, theSpaceUK, Underbelly and ZOO.

A further £305k has been allocated to support the ongoing resilience of the Fringe Society, which includes £55k to support the delivery of street events during August.

Shona McCarthy, Chief Executive of Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, said: “It’s fair to say that the last few years have been the most challenging in our festival’s history. 

"Now, as we prepare to enter our 75th anniversary year, creatives across the Fringe landscape are working hard to ensure that this incredible festival not only survives, but continues to work hard to be the best version of itself.

“This support from Scottish Government is absolutely vital in helping us to achieve that goal: allowing producers and creatives across the landscape to not only recover from the devastating effects of the pandemic, but to offer enhanced support to artists, workers and volunteers; to continue to programme creative and innovative work; to improve accessibility; to tackle affordability and to ensure that this festival remains true to its founding principles of openness and inclusivity.”

Commonwealth Games cultural programme 'ignores diverse communities'

Future Birmingham - SUKI 10C, Digbeth.  The painted former public house at the corner of Bordesley Street and Meriden Street has been repainted.
25 May 2022

Report claims organisers have missed opportunities to include Birmingham's diverse communities in planned events, and are not on target to meet requirements measuring race equality, community engagement and accountability.

Only 13% of UK festival headliners are female

24 May 2022

Only around one in 10 headline acts at the leading UK music festivals taking place this summer will be women, a study has found.

A BBC study focusing on 50 of the biggest UK festivals found that out of 200 headline acts only 26 (13%) were an all-female band or solo artist whereas 149 (74.5%) were either an all-male band or solo artist.

Meanwhile 24 acts (12%) had a mixed line-up of male and female performers, and one (0.05%) artist identified as non-binary.

This is despite many events previously promising to achieve a 50/50 gender balance across their line-ups by 2022.

Maggie Rogers, a singer/songwriter who will be performing at Latitude Festival this summer, said: "What I come to music for - as a fan and artist - is community and to feel part of something, and I think community functions at its best when it feels inclusive.

"When that doesn't happen - when the line-ups reiterate imbalances that exist in gender and race and class - it's not surprising, but it's certainly not ideal."

 

 

Evaluating cities and capitals of culture

art installation of dominoes in a town square
17 May 2022

With the winner of the UK City of Culture 2025 to be announced imminently, four academics outline their recommendations for the future of evaluation studies of Cities and Capitals of Culture. 

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