Edinburgh’s Festivals worth £313m to Scotland

26 Jul 2016 01:28 PM

Capital festivals attract similar attendance as FIFA World Cup

Edinburgh’s festivals attracted combined audiences of more than 4.5 million in 2015, putting them on par with attendances at the FIFA World Cup and second only to the Olympic Games, according to new figures published by Festivals Edinburgh yesterday (Tuesday 26th).

The Edinburgh Festivals 2015 Impact Survey found that the suite of festivals held in the capital generate £280 million for Edinburgh and £313 million for Scotland, representing an increase of 19% and 24% respectively on the previous 2010 study.

Other findings from the survey show that Edinburgh’s festivals:

• Are gateways for year-round audience development, with 68% of those attending the festivals more likely to attend another cultural event
• Create a sense of civic pride with 89% of local festival goers agreeing the festivals increased their pride in Edinburgh as a city
• Deliver quality professional festivals, with satisfaction ratings of 95%

As the 2016 summer festival season begins, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon welcomed the impact survey results. She said:

“Edinburgh can quite rightly be proud of the stage it provides to our world renowned festivals, and the welcome hospitality it provides to visitors, performers, promoters and many, many others through the season.

“These figures show not only are festivals fantastic events, enjoyed by a combined audience of 4.5 million in 2015 alone, they have huge economic impact – last year contributing £280 million to Edinburgh, and £313 million to Scotland as a whole.

“This year we have committed £2 million funding to support Edinburgh’s festivals through our Expo Fund. Festivals provide a platform to showcase our rich culture and exceptional creative talent to a global audience, and as the 2016 summer festival season gets underway I look forward to seeing what we have in store.”

Notes To Editors

Link to Festivals Edinburgh press release: http://www.edinburghfestivalcity.com/about/edinburgh-festivals-2015-impact-study

Link to Edinburgh Festival 2015 Impact Survey: http://www.edinburghfestivalcity.com/about/documents/156-research-reports