Celtic Connections given green light to access Edinburgh Festival funding
long-running winter music festival is to receive Edinburgh Festival funding for the first time to help some of its biggest shows to also be staged in the capital.
Ahead of the launch of the 25th Celtic Connections, organisers have been told it is now be eligible for a share of the Scottish Government’s Festivals Expo Fund.
It has funded some of the highest-profile productions which have been staged in the capital over the past decade, but has traditionally only been open to the Edinburgh festivals themselves.
Several productions have appeared at Celtic Connections and the Edinburgh International Festival in recent years, including Karine Polwart’s Wind Resistance, Martin Green’s Flit,a live recreaglasgow’s tion of Martyn Bennett’s final album and King Creosote’s From Scotland With Love.
Scottish culture secretary Fiona Hylsop said: “The Expo Fund has made a massive contribution in cementing Edinburgh’s reputation as a world-leading festival city.
“Celtic Connections is renowned as a world-leading international music festival and to mark its 25th anniversary, to recognise its status and its power to support the development of talent internationally, I’m delighted to announce that it will now be able to access the Expo Fund.
“Celtic Connections will be able to apply for up to £100,000 from the 2018-19 budget to support performers from Scotland to make the most of their career opportunities.
“Celtic Connections has grown into one of the world’s largest winter music festivals, boosting Scotland’s culture, economy and tourism sectors.
“The Scottish Government believes that culture must be at the very heart of Scotland’s development and engagement with the world.”
Donald Shaw, artistic director of Celtic Connections, said: “Our festival is constantly striving to create unique and exciting collaborations for home-grown talent to deliver a real legacy for our country’s musical landscape.”