Current status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Angus Robertson on 14 May 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made on the Festivals Strategic Partnership since it began in August 2024.
In August, I launched a Strategic Partnership for Scotland’s arts festivals through an open letter to boost their support and promotion. I’m pleased to announce a new open letter has been published on the Scottish Government website.
This letter, developed with arts festivals and other key partners, reflects conversations across the sector and work undertaken to date. It outlines how the partnership will be pragmatic and solutions focused, drawing upon the expertise across the sector and beyond, ensuring it can be in place for the long term.
The first step of delivery was the Scottish Government’s 2025-26 Budget which delivered the biggest increase in culture spending in the history of this Parliament, after Covid recovery support. For Scotland’s arts festivals specifically, the Budget provides £4 million of additional support to develop and deliver work under this Strategic Partnership.