Edinburgh Festival and Hogmanay party are cultural assets our politicians need to value – Scotsman comment

The world’s biggest arts event is a cultural asset we should cherish

As the Edinburgh Festival, in all its forms, gets underway, news comes that the city’s world-renowned Hogmanay party may become a shadow of previous years’ festivities. The street party and fireworks could go, with live music possibly also scaled back because soaring costs are not being matched by increased public funding.

Complaints have also been made about the amount of government money available to the August festivals, as well as theatres and the arts sector in general. Stark contrasts have been made with the kind of taxpayers’ cash typically given to other events that sell millions of tickets – such as the Olympics, for example.

While countries tend to push the boat out when bidding for international games or the football World Cup, Scotland – twice-blessed with both the world’s biggest arts festival and the best Hogmanay party, held every year in our capital city – risks taking them for granted.

Edinburgh is a relatively small city on the western fringe of Europe and many others would love to steal its crown. If we continue to undervalue our cultural assets, we may lose them.