Organisers of a Perthshire music and arts festival are trying to raise £20,000 to safeguard its future.
Bosses insist this year’s Solas Festival will go ahead as planned at Errol Park on June 22-23.
But they say they need to raise additional funding to give the event a secure foundation for future years.
The campaign has already received a £10,000 donation.
And a £10,000 online appeal has been launched to gather the remaining money from supporters.
In a video for the Crowdfunder platform, Solas Festival director Kirsty Hughes says the team is aiming to raise £20,000 by the end of April.
And she warns a combination of factors is threatening the event’s future.
“Festivals across Scotland are struggling to survive,” she says.
“Rising costs, post-Covid challenges and shrinking public funding mean the future of Solas is at risk.”
Solas Festival secure for 2025
Now in its 16th year, Solas Festival was previously held at Blackruthven, to the west of Perth.
It moved to its current home at Errol Park in the Carse of Gowrie as part of its 10th anniversary celebrations in 2019.
It’s run by a not-for-profit charity. And its focus on creativity, inclusivity, and community has earned it the reputation of “a wee Woodstock” in the Scottish countryside.
Previous big name acts have included Ricky Ross, King Creosote and Shooglenifty.
But in addition to the music, Solas features a mix of spoken word events, discussions, workshops, yoga and family-friendly activities.
The theme of this year’s festival is “Rest and be thankful”.
And there’ll be lots happening around wellbeing, including mental health and spaces for neurodiverse people.
Solas Festival marketing manager James Coutts assured The Courier everything is in hand for 2025.
“We’re confident it’s going ahead,” he said.
“This is about making us stronger for future years.
“There is some funding available for festivals. But with a lot of it you don’t find out until quite close to the festival date.
“Having this money of our own will just help us to plan.”
Perthshire festival scene has already seen casualties
Another Perthshire festival bit the dust last summer.
Mugstock at Strathallan Castle was cancelled for the second year in a row.
Organisers blamed rising costs when they announced: “This will be the end for Mugstock as a festival” in June 2024.
Conversation