Festival Cavalcade - 'A parade to be proud of once again'

there are only a few events in Edinburgh which the whole family can look forward to enjoying together across the generations.

And the first to be pencilled into the family calendar for tens of thousands of people is the Festival Cavalcade.

There has been a lot of disappointment at the cancellation of this summer's event, but with the council in full support of a revival there was every expectation this would just be a blip.

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Now however it seems that the pageant might disappear every other year and try to limp on as a biennial event.

There is talk of a parade down the Royal Mile next year followed by festivities in Holyrood Park. That is a promising plan with the potential to combine the best of both the Cavalcade and the now defunct Fringe Sunday.

But make no mistake about it, limping on is what it will be doing if it reverts to just once every two years.

It is all too easy for popular events to lose momentum once they fall from the front of people's minds. It is hard to keep a high profile and remind people to keep a date in their diary for every second year. There are good reasons why so few successful events are biennial.

Public funding is clearly going to be in short supply in coming years.

But if the city truly values this modern institution it must find a way of making it work every year. The alternative could prove fatal for the Cavalcade.

Heart wrenching

quitting Tynecastle would be an emotional wrench for Jambos of all ages - but one that is starting to look inevitable in the best interests of the club.

Supporters are rightly proud of the old stadium, its unique matchday atmosphere and its glorious history as one of Britain's oldest sporting arenas.

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They would be loathe to leave all that behind, but most recognise that it is no longer "fit for purpose" and Hearts need a 21st-century home to fulfil their full potential.

Who knows? That arena might be one which could be shared in some way with Edinburgh Rugby and other sports, as well as being opened up for wider community use.

One thing for certain is that if and when Hearts do move their new stadium it would soon build up its own folklore.

And the fans would be there in their thousands singing "Hearts, Hearts, Glorious Hearts..." even if some of the words would by then be a little out of date.