Malt whisky brand to bankroll Edinburgh's new summer festival curtain-raiser

The Macallan will help create new open event

A teaser image has been revealed for a major new opening event for Edinburgh's festivals. Picture: Laurence Winram

One of Scotland’s leading whisky brands is to bankroll an “unmissable” new curtain-raiser for Edinburgh’s summer festivals season.

The Macallan has been unveiled as a headline backer of the Edinburgh International Festival’s official opening celebrations.

The Speyside malt brand, which is described as a new “principal partner” of the 77-year-old festival, will be helping to create a new event responding to this year’s official programme theme of “rituals that unite us.”

Katy Fuller, the creative producer of the new opening event for Edinburgh's festivals, previously worked on the 'Land of Green Ginger' event in Hull.

An official announcement described the new partnership as “a creative union between two iconic Scottish brands, which draws upon a combined heritage, a shared creativity and global reach, all firmly anchored in Scotland."

The creative team for the event will be led by Katy Fuller, who has previously worked on “North of the Tyne, Under the Stars,” an event held across Newcastle, Northumberland and North Tyneside, which featured projections, fire and music, and Hull’s UK City of Culture programme.

Although the exact form and location of Edibnburgh’s curtainraiser are being kept under wraps, Salisbury Crags features in a teaser image.

Organisers are promising a “visually stunning” event drawing on the city’s landscape, as well Scottish mythology, history and cultural heritage.

Katy Fuller, the creative producer of the new opening event for Edinburgh's festivals, previously worked on the 'North of the Tyne, Under the Stars' event, which was staged across Newcastle, Northumberland and North Tyneside.

It is hoped an overall audience of more than 10,000 will “step into” a specially-created world which will showcase different artforms and performers at the event, which will be held on the first weekend in August, when the Fringe and Tattoo also get underway.

The Macallan’s backing of the festival has been announced months after the Scottish Government delayed the roll-out of a controversial clampdown on alcohol advertising and marketing, which could affect major culture and sports events.

Festival director Nicola Benedetti said: “This year’s Edinburgh International Festival will be a momentous celebration of the collective experiences that bind us closer together.

"We share The Macallan’s commitment to artistic innovation and collaboration, and to true mastery. This flourishing partnership will enable audiences to experience festival traditions in new and extraordinary ways.

“Our unmissable opening event will allow us to see ourselves and our history on the grandest of stages, and inspire us to think differently.”

Katy Fuller said: “It is a privilege and a thrill to collaborate with two such iconic organisations to create a new, transformative moment in Edinburgh’s festival calendar.

"We will be drawing on the richest source material as inspiration for the opening event, which will speak to the values of both Edinburgh International Festival and The Macallan to bring a new story and a new ritual to Edinburgh audiences.”

The Macallan’s global creative director, Jaume Ferràs, said: “The Edinburgh International Festival is renowned as the world’s leading arts festival bringing a rich tapestry of Scottish stories to the global stage.

"We look forward to combining our creative talents and connecting local and global audiences with the highest quality of Scottish storytelling through this exciting new opening event for Edinburgh International Festival.”

The EIF has been one of the strongest critics over the possibility of curbs on drinks brands sponsoring festivals, warning it would have a “devastating impact” on arts organisations which are “struggling to survive” the impact of the pandemic, prolonged standstill funding and the cost of living crisis.

It also told the government, one of the biggest funders of the festival, via Creative Scotland, that it was working on “multiple six-figures of partnership value across several alcohol brands” for the next five years.