THE popular Big Burns Supper (BBS) has been postponed until 2025 after funding for the 2024 event was withdrawn.
The winter festival, organised by the Electric Theatre Workshop, has been running for 12 years, bringing the best of live entertainment to Dumfries in a celebration of community and the arts.
But the organisers’ dreams for 2024 have been dashed after they were told in early October that attempts to secure funding from EventScotland, the Scottish Government’s event agency, had been unsuccessful.
They were informed their plans for 2024 fell short of the target in visitor tourism, due to a hotel room shortage in Dumfries.
Commenting after the festival’s announcement on social media, chair of the BBS board Rachael McDougall said: “The loss of half our public funding compromises the quality of the events we present and places significant strain on our volunteers and on our voluntary capacity which forms the heart of our festival.”
Founder of Big Burns Supper, Graham Main added: “This isn’t a decision we have taken lightly. We feel the people of Dumfries and Galloway deserve more than they are currently being offered and will stand by our decision until local funding is matched nationally.
“It is disappointing as there doesn’t appear to have been any assessment on the impact this would have, or a desire to engage with us to try and help us move forward.
“We are incredibly grateful to our loyal audience who have supported us over the last 13 years, and we know they will understand why we are doing this.”
Meanwhile, South Scotland MSP Colin Smyth has slammed the funding decision and says it puts a question mark over the government’s commitment to funding culture in this region.
He said: “It is disappointing that the Big Burns Supper has gone from being part of a government-backed Winter Festivals event to not actually qualifying for any national funding at all.
“When you look at the paltry level of funding from Scottish Government and their agencies, such as EventScotland, to the culture sector in our region, you do have to question their commitment to having an inclusive approach where every part of Scotland, not just the Central Belt, is supported.
“I have written to the Culture Secretary asking why so few events in the region secure Government support given how important they are to communities and the local economy.”
