Head of Edinburgh International Festival gives the Scottish Government 18 months to save the arts after funding cuts

The director of the Edinburgh International Festival has criticised government ministers for lacking a “bold vision” for Scotland’s art and culture, saying there is a risk of loosing a global asset we will never get back

The Usher Hall is normally one of the main venues used for the Edinburgh International Festival. Picture: Clark James

The Scottish Government is being warned it has just 18 months to save the arts, or risk damaging Scotland’s reputation.

Francesca Hegyi, executive director of the Edinburgh International Festival, says politicians are lacking a “bold vision” for arts and culture, despite the sector contributing billions to the economy.

This comes after the government cut £6.6 million of funding from Creative Scotland back in September.

Speaking to Holyrood Magazine, Ms Hegyi says ministers have 18 months before “we lose a global asset that we will never get back”.

She said: “The sector has been ignored for 15 or 16 years on the basis it will take care of itself.

“I don’t know if there’s a connection [to that being the length of time the SNP has been in government] but one thing that makes me sad is that if you look back over the achievements and investments and really bold things the government has done over those years like free university tuition, free prescriptions, travel, it’s made decisions about what it values for society.

“There hasn’t been the same bold vision for the arts and that makes me sad.”

She also criticised the attitude that appears to view the arts as “nice to have” as this “infantilises what we do”.

The Edinburgh festivals, including the Edinburgh International Festival, contribute £492m a year to the local economy and a further £620m to Scotland as a whole.

Collectively the festivals receive around £11m in public funding each year - something Holyrood Magazine reports is significantly lower than other festivals in Europe.

Ms Heygi added: “When you look at Europe, they get it, absolutely, that’s evidenced by the high levels of investment that go into equivalent types of festivals.

“It’s in a different league.

“We are an outlier in our level of funding, but we don’t just want it to be seen as funding, it’s about investing in Scotland’s future.”