Edinburgh International Festival warns 35k free and discounted tickets at risk amid funding fears
The Edinburgh International Festival (EIF) has warned that it may have to scrap free and discounted tickets for its events as a result of the Scottish Government’s squeeze on arts spending.
Organisers say the event is facing major cutbacks as they revealed they are having to “plan for the worst” for next year and beyond.
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The festival said it was facing more uncertainty over whether it would continue to receive public funding than at any other time in its 77-year history.


This year’s festival saw more than 7,450 free tickets given away to NHS staff, charity workers, local communities and young musicians, while a further 28,000 were discounted for under-18s, and deaf, disabled and neurodivergent audiences.
Chief executive Francesca Hegyi has warned Scotland's festivals and its cultural scene will be "unrecognisable" in future years unless there is a rethink over government support for the arts.
She branded a decision to impose more than £10 million of new cuts on arts agency Creative Scotland – details of which emerged half-way through this year’s festival – as “baffling” and predicted they would “decimate" the sector unless they were reversed.
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Festival director Nicola Benedetti said this year's event had been staged against a "tumultuous backdrop of funding cuts". Protests against the cuts to Creative Scotland’s open fund for artists were staged by performers at two theatre productions – The Outrun and The Fifth Step – over the weekend.
However, Ms Benedetti, who was overseeing her second festival as director, has vowed the event will continue to showcase "the best of Scottish talent" in future.
The EIF has accused the Scottish Government of creating an "environment of confusion and uncertainty" for the arts industry by promising £100m in new investment, while cutting culture budgets and threatening reforms.


Ms Hegyi said: "It’s baffling, to be honest. A £10m cut is not going to sort out the Scottish Government’s finance issues, but it is going to decimate the Scottish cultural sector.
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Hide Ad“I believe the First Minister [John Swinney] knows that and the Cabinet secretary for culture [Angus Robertson] know that. I’m just now sure how the message isn’t getting through. It is difficult to know what more we can say.
"I think the First Minister absolutely understands all the issues and seems sympathetic to the plight of the cultural sector. It’s not difficult to understand the fragility of the situation that we’re in. I just really hope that he is able to uphold the promise that he made, and his predecessor as First Minister made, around that £100m.
"All we are asking is that the Scottish Government keeps its promises. But there has been a long-standing disconnect between what is said and the reality of what is done. That really needs to be resolved.
"All we are asking for with the £100m is 0.17 per cent of the Scottish Government’s budget. If that cannot be found, I am genuinely at a loss, as it will put us at some disadvantage in Scotland compared to the rest of the UK and certainly compared to our European and international partners."
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Hide AdThe EIF is among 281 cultural organisations awaiting decisions on £87.5m worth of long-term funding applications from Creative Scotland. The Government agency has not been given a budget for the critical programme, which was due to be announced in October, but may have to be delayed until next year.
Ms Hegyi said: "Everyone is now collectively holding their breath to see what the outcome of the multi-year funding round is. We are all planning for the worst. That will vary from company to company, and organisation to organisation, but it is not a pretty picture. I know it’s one that nobody wants to see.
"To be clear, our subsidy goes on employing Scottish artists, making our tickets affordable, providing concessions for deaf, disabled and neuro-divergent people, and free tickets for young people. Those are the things that will go.
"We are looking at a scenario where there is a festival scene and a cultural sector which will be unrecognisable compared to what we have known, that so many people have spent decades building up.
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Hide Ad“We are ten weeks away from the start of our financial year and we still don’t know what our budget is. It makes it absolutely impossible to plan. We cannot commit anything to companies around the world or in Scotland to give them certainty about next summer. It puts us in a really invidious position.
“We have never before had a backdrop where we genuinely don’t know if we can rely on public funding or not."
Ms Benedetti said: “Our festival has been an outstanding success this year. Against a tumultuous backdrop of funding crisis, two aspects of our identity were reinforced and strengthened.
"We are deeply rooted in Scotland, and will continue to present the best of Scottish talent alongside our international counterparts. Most importantly, we are making an indelible impact on access to culture for our local community.
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Hide Ad"To present the world’s greatest art to the broadest possible audience is what we are here to do.”
The Government has insisted it is increasing arts funding this year and is committed to investing an additional £100m in the industry by 2028. However, it has warned its budget is facing “significant challenges” as a result of the UK government’s squeeze on public spending.
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