Sixteen festivals today (02 February 2011) received a share of over £400,000 to help attract more visitors to Scotland during 2012: the Year of Creative Scotland.

The One Step Further investment programme aims to enhance the programmes of existing festivals and events during 2012, with a focus on cultural tourism.

Andrew Dixon, Chief Executive of Creative Scotland, said;

“Scotland is a year-round festival nation, with an exciting programme of world-class events, festivals and culture for all to enjoy.

“Today’s announcement is one step further in attracting more tourists to Scotland to enjoy our rich cultural programme and ensuring that Scotland is recognised as a leading creative nation.

“With exciting additions to festivals such as St Anza, Scotland’s leading poetry festival, which takes on a new photography exhibition and a musician in residence and Piping Live! will bring piping to new audiences and new locations across Scotland.

“Tantallon Castle , set on cliffs on the Firth of Forth, will shine during Lammermuir Festival with a spectacular new music, sound and light event and the 2012 Mountain Bike World Cup will be supported by a showcase of Scottish music, art and design.

“There are over 380 festivals taking place across the country during 2012, all of which can be found in the Guide to Scotland’s Festivals 2012, free with February’s List Magazine.

Grab your copy and you’ll be left with no doubt that Scotland truly is a Festival Nation.”

Mike Cantlay, Chairman of VisitScotland said;

“Scotland is unquestionably one of the most creative countries in the world and these festivals will help showcase that vibrant creativity to new audiences. Our culture is one of our greatest assets and a major draw for visitors – that’s why this programme is so important – it’s providing opportunities for visitors as well as local communities right across Scotland.”

One Step Further Investment includes:

Aberdeen

Aberdeen Jazz Festival will expand the scale and reach of the five day event of Scottish, European and international jazz musicians, by developing their digital profile and a marketing programme to increase visitor numbers. (£20,470)

The 8th annual Sound Festival of new music will include a focus on opera. A programme of site specific commissions, masterclasses, discussions and other operatic events will look at how the boundaries of opera can be pushed beyond their current limits, and will seek to inspire more people to enjoy this artform. (£54,106)

Dumfries and Galloway

Wigtown Book Festival takes on a stargazing theme this year as it delivers a series of author talks and activities in conjunction with Galloway Forest Dark Sky Park, an international initiative to bring astronomy tourism to the UK’s least light-polluted region. Book-lovers will also be encouraged to become artists through a new initiative ‘Audience as Artist’. (£17,550)

Edinburgh

Traquair Medieval Fayre will transform into the Traquair Shakespeare Festival, a unique contribution to the World Shakespeare Festival and the Cultural Olympiad, in a celebration of the life and times of Shakespeare with a programme of Shakespeare related productions, workshops and master classes. (£5,000)

The Lammermuir Festival will light up Tantallon Castle in September with a thrilling music, sound and light event to draw new audiences to East Lothian: Beautiful Music, Beautiful Places (Lamp of Lothian Trust – £53,938)

Fife

The streets of St Andrews will be filled with poetry during St Anza, Scotland’s leading poetry festival, as innovative poetry sound installations and panels are erected across the town, and food and drink branded with poetic works inspired by Scotland’s Year of Food and Drink will be found in cafes. The 2012 programme will see poetry webcast from Sweden, and a new photography exhibition and musician in residence. (£12,471)

The 2012 Inside Out festival will see international choreographer Errol White create a dance performance specifically for the festival, a Parkour performance spectacle and an extended musical programme alongside street theatre and strategic tourist marketing for the festival. (Byre Theatre – £38,700)

While chamber music is at the heart of the acclaimed East Neuk Festival, One Step Further will enable it to extend its activities with several new initiatives including a new performance venue; outdoor performances by young musicians from Live Music Now; Pilgrims, an exhibition and labyrinth evoking St Andrews in the middle ages; and Littoral a programme introducing internationally renowned writers inspired by nature and the environment. (£45,000)

Glasgow

Multi-artform festival Behaviour, based at the Arches, will develop a body of off-site work connecting Glasgow’s public spaces and history to the performances allowing the audience to see the city in new and interesting ways. (The Arches – £37,640)

This year’s Merchant City Festival will deliver site specific work linked to city centre transport hubs and routes around Hampden and the Merchant City will operate as a ‘Live Site’ for Olympic ticket holders, encouraging increased visits to the Festival. (Glasgow Life – £30,000)

The week preceding the main festival Glasgow International Piping Festival, Piping Live! will tour historically significant castles and locations across Scotland that have a link with piping to bring this music to new audiences. (Glasgow International Piping Festival – £25,950)

Shetland Highlands & Islands

Award winning Shetland Folk Festival presents the best folk music from around the globe to the local community and visitors alike, investment will allow them to programme high-profile acts for the 2012 festivals attracting even more visitors. (£7,150)

Tiree

Tiree Music Festival, a two-day annual music festival featuring a variety of music and entertainment on the Isle of Tiree, will use the investment to integrate the festival with the community and the existing tourist industry on Tiree, improving marketing to attract more audiences from further afield. (£22,406)

Perthshire

The Callander Jazz & Blues Festival will focus on increasing the number of international performers and establish a show case for emerging musicians. This year emerging musicians will enjoy a youth jazz and blues music workshop and offering Jump-jive dance workshops. (£9,000)

Inverness

The biggest sporting event in the Highlands, the Mountain Bike World Cup, attracts more than 17,000 visitors to Fort William annually. This year spectators will enjoy a showcase of Scottish music, art and design alongside digital workshops. (Rare Management – £50,645)

The Insider Festival 2012 will be a tongue in cheek celebration of the Olympic spirit of yesteryear. This year’s event will see an enhanced musical line-up and development of performance and audience spaces to offer a broader scope of cultural activities, including spoken word, theatrics and crafts and skills workshops. (Backwoods Productions – £9,000)

Source: Creative Scotland