Festivals raise fresh doubts over return
Edinburgh's f l agship summer festivals have raised fresh doubts over their return this summer amid claims event organisers are facing financial ruin if they are hit by further cancellations this year.
The Edinburgh International Festival and the Fringe have thrown their weight behind a campaign urging the UK Government to underwrite the return of major cultural events to help protect them from incurring heavy losses if they have to cancel again.
S ome f estival operators, i ncluding Assembly, Summerhall, Underbelly, Laughi ng Horse, Greenside, Zoo and Sweet, backed a call from Westminster’s culture select committeeforhelptobeoffered in line with the £ 500 million worth of support made available to the film and TV sectors.
The capital’s main summer events were called off last April in the face of the coronavirus pandemic, which also wiped out the city’s winter festivals.
Fringe venues normally start selling the first tickets for shows in January, while the EIF’S programme launch is normally held in March or April.
Government under- writing is believed to be essential to allow festivals and events later this year to go ahead if the vaccine roll- out is successful.
Some events have warned they may have to be called off within weeks without action from the Government.
Campaigners claim the maximum liability for the Treasury would be £ 1.5 billion if all of this year’smajoreventsendupbeing wiped out again.
The open letter warns that organisers of events will beunable to repeat the losses they sustained in 2020 with help from the Government to allow to them start planning to make a comeback.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak is being being urged to ensure
festivals are able to use Government- backed insurance events.
The letter to the Chancellor states: “Planning for this year’s festivals, live performances and events is taking place now, and while the vaccine roll- out
is cause for optimism, organisers need confidence that this work and investment will not go to waste.
“Central to that confidence is insurance. Without insurance, the events we know and
love simply won’t take place this year— vaccine or no vaccine. Sustaininglosseslikethose we’ve seen in 2020 for another year isn’t an option.”