Beltane Festival looks set to stay

Published on Thursday 6 May 2004 01:00

THE Beltane Fire Festival is set to become an annual fixture once again on Calton Hill after council chiefs declared they were happy with how the revived event was staged this year.

Officials have praised organisers for the smooth-running of the open-air extravaganza, which attracted 8000 revellers to the beauty spot last Friday night.

The crowds who flocked to the event complied with a controversial 1am curfew which had been imposed by the council, with no arrests or injuries reported.

The event had been surrounded by controversy for more than a year since the 2003 festival was axed by the Beltane Fire Society following a dispute with the council about conditions it wanted to put on the event.

An admission fee was imposed by the organisers for the first time this year in a bid to help pay for the estimated 20,000 costs of staging what is believed to be Europe’s biggest fire festival. The organisers had to agree to a number of conditions over health and safety, security and ticket sales before being granted a licence.

However, a condition banning the consumption of alcohol on the hill was scrapped by the council at the last minute in the wake of a threat of legal action from Beltane activists.

Event producer Peter Renwick today said he "couldn’t have been happier" with how the festival had gone and said he was keen to see how the society could work with the council in future to boost the four events the group stages in Edinburgh every year.

He added: "This year we proved that we can keep the energy and celebration that is Beltane on Calton Hill, while addressing noise disturbance issues and maintaining public safety. We hope the council will welcome us back next year."