From oysters to music festivals, events in Dumfries & Galloway are set to benefit in the latest round of EventScotland’s National Programme Fund.
Announced this week, a total of three events in the region have been awarded a share of £133,030 from EventScotland, part of VisitScotland’s Events Directorate, from Round 38 of the National Programme Fund.
Electric Fields, Stranraer Oyster Festival and Kirkcudbright Festival of Light are represented in the latest round of funding. The grants will help to support event delivery, and to further develop Scotland’s wide-ranging and varied events portfolio.
Electric Fields Festival – in the grounds of the stunning Drumlanrig Castle on 30 August to 1 September – is set to receive £15,000 as it return for its fifth year with Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds included in the line-up of more than 100 artists across the four stages in the stunning grounds of Drumlanrig Castle. As well as the exciting music on offer, there is plenty of entertainment for children with games, face painting, crafts and dedicated kids discos. The funding award is made to Electric Fields for the purpose of additional marketing & PR including social media content creation and targeted advertising, print poster campaign, advertising.
Stranraer Oyster Festival, which returns for its second year in September, will receive £16,000. The festival will run from the 14th September – 16th September and will entice small local and regional specialist craft, food and drink producers to celebrate the festival by having a stall at the festival market. Celebrity chefs will inspire visitors to experience unusual and exciting sea food combinations and indulge in the tastes of native oysters, wines, ales and plenty of local produce and craft stalls. Family audiences will enjoy celebrated hospitality, foodie talks and tasting prospects, amazing children’s activities, live music all topped off with and a family fun gala event on the Saturday night creating a party atmosphere. The funding will support the event in its strategic marketing and PR efforts.
Kirkcudbright Festival of Light – taking place in October – will receive £16,475. The festival will include inspiring light installations and music, alongside a programme of events at the new gallery. The funding is going towards additional programming to secure orchestra and international soloist and support artists commissions.
Paula Ward, VisitScotland Regional Leadership Director said: “I am delighted to hear that these events in Dumfries & Galloway have received funding from EventScotland’s National Programme Fund so they can continue to showcase why this region, and Scotland, is the perfect stage for events.
“These awards provide invaluable support for regional events and create an even more attractive proposition to attract spectators – which in turn boosts the area’s reputation. The National Funding Programme plays a vital role in maintaining Scotland’s reputation as a great destination for events that celebrate our culture and heritage whilst delivering real economic benefits to their local communities.”
Lesley Garbutt, Chair, Kirkcudbright Development Trust: “The Development Trust is absolutely delighted to have been awarded this funding for the Kirkcudbright Festival of Light. The Festival will reflect the artistic and creative elements of our town and this award will make a huge difference.”
Nick Roberts, Electric Fields Festival Co-Director said: “We are incredibly exited for our fifth edition of Electric Fields. The whole team have been working really hard to make big changes to the site to make it an even better experience, with a huge new family campsite, a new main stage position and a whole new dance area in the woods. We wouldn’t be able to do what we do without the amazing support of our team and those around us including EventScotland. This year EF will also take place over 3 days for the very first time, so even more music, entertainment and good times – it’s going to be great!
Stranraer Development Trust Chairman Romano Petrucci said: “It seems quite surreal that this year’s Stranraer Oyster Festival is only the second one. The success of last year, and the resultant depth of pride, excitement and community that has swept through the entire area since makes it feel like it has been around for a long time. As one visitor said about last year’s incredible event it was “The weekend Stranraer fell back in love with Lochryan” One things for sure- it’s here to stay.
“None of this would have been achievable without the great and varied funding support of many, including EventScotland. Now our job here in Stranraer is to go bigger and better. That covers a lot of aspects because, right from the start, our remit was quite clear- to create an event sympathetic to the hard working community that it was for. Young and old, foodies and non, babies, children, oyster lovers and not. Last year’s numbers is testimony we delivered – with the fantastic and greatly appreciated support of EventScotland and others, we look forward to delivering it all again and much, much more besides.”
EventScotland’s National Programme Fund supports the strategic development of events which occur outside of Edinburgh and Glasgow, with the aim of driving domestic tourism, delivering economic impact for local communities and generating media profile for Scotland.
The full list of events receiving support from Round 38 of EventScotland’s National Programme Fund is:
| Event Name | Start Date | End Date | Amount | Local Authority Area |
| Aberdeen Mela – One World Day | 29/07/2018 | 29/07/2018 | £11,000 | Aberdeen City Council |
| Scottish National Sheepdog Trials and Country Fair | 02/08/2018 | 04/08/2018 | £6,750 | North Ayrshire Council |
| Electric Fields | 30/08/2018 | 01/09/2018 | £15,000 | Dumfries and Galloway Council |
| BOWFest | 07/09/2018 | 09/09/2018 | £6,000 | Argyll and Bute Council |
| Stranraer Oyster Festival | 14/09/2018 | 16/09/2018 | £16,000 | Dumfries and Galloway Council |
| East Lothian Battle Weekends: Prestonpans 2018 | 15/09/2018 | 16/09/2018 | £9,000 | East Lothian Council |
| Jura Music Festival | 21/09/2018 | 23/09/2018 | £8,000 | Argyll and Bute Council |
| Quest for Oz | 03/10/2018 | 28/10/2018 | £6,000 | East Lothian Council |
| Midlothian Fire & Light Walk – Vogrie Country Park | 24/09/2018 | 28/09/2018 | £6,305 | Midlothian Council |
| EWS Continental European Rnd 4 – WEMBO World 24hrs Solo Championships | 20/10/2018 | 20/10/2018 | £5,000 | Highland Council |
| Kirkcudbright Festival of Light | 05/10/2018 | 14/10/2018 | £16, 475 | Dumfries and Galloway Council |
| Illuminight | 24/10/2018 | 18/11/2018 | £22,500 | East Ayrshire Council |
| NEoN Digital Arts Festival | 06/11/2018 | 11/11/2018 | £5,000 | Dundee City Council |
The deadline for the next round of the National Programme is 5 October 2018 and this applies to eligible events taking place from May 2019 onwards. Guidelines for entry are available on www.eventscotland.org.
For more information on Electric Fields, visit: http://electricfieldsfestival.com/
For more information on Kirkcudbright Festival of Light, visit: http://www.kirkcudbrightlight.com/
For more information on the Stranraer Oyster Festival, visit: http://www.stranraeroysterfestival.com/
The three events have also received funding from Dumfries and Galloway Council, which has an active Major Festivals and Events Strategy 2018-2021.
