The Edinburgh Fringe Festival is now well under way – and it’s got me wondering if Dundee should be getting in on the action.
Edinburgh’s popular arts and culture programme is the largest festival of its kind.
It has been delighting locals and tourists from across the world for 75 years.
But Dundee has been catching up with Edinburgh in recent years when it comes to international recognition.
And that’s why I believe it’s time to start thinking about holding our own international arts festival.
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe brings massive social and economic benefits to the capital.
It’s been suggested the average visitor, performer or supporter spends £195 while they’re in the city.
Some estimates say the event is worth £1 billion to Scotland as a whole.
And of course, there are locals who criticise the disruption that it brings.
But there is no question the festival has put Edinburgh on the international cultural map.
Edinburgh, Rio, Dublin, Dundee?
It’s not the only city in the world to have an international festival of course.
You only have to look at the success of events like the Carnival festival in Rio de Janeiro, the Mardi Gras in New Orleans and various other cities around the US and even the St Patrick’s Festival in Dublin to see what host cities can get out of putting on such a major event.
Here in Dundee, we’ve had some very successful, smaller-scale festivals over the years, from the Discovery Film Festival and the Dundee Flower and Food Festival to the Dundee Science Festival and, of course, most recently, the Dundee Summer (Bash) Streets Festival.
We’ve also got Opera Festival Scotland coming to the city next month.
And festivals aren’t just for the tourists.
The Dundee Summer (Bash) Streets Festival was a fantastic opportunity to enjoy and learn more of our city’s comic book heritage.
I visited the Dundee Food and Flower Festival many times when I was younger.
My brother Ross made it to the final three of the Desperate Dan-wich competition one year and we all went and cheered him on.
It was a brilliant experience and a reminder of how much fun festivals can provide if you throw yourself into them.
Festival would be a symbol for a confident new Dundee
Dundee is beginning to step away from the shadows of the past.
🤩🏴👍 NEW FEATURE: Great to see Dundee be featured in @MetroUK where they describe the city as a 'feisty competitor' to Edinburgh when it comes to the arts, citing the community projects, cultural venues and regeneration of the city being reasons why we're a city on the up. pic.twitter.com/p4JEm9ytu6
— Dundee Culture (@DundeeCulture) August 19, 2022
Its museums and attractions are winning praise the world over.
An international festival, much like the one in Edinburgh, would be another way for the city to declare itself on the international stage.
We could even bring a number of events together under the banner of a wider Dundee International Arts Festival, much as Edinburgh has done with the book and film festivals that run alongside the Fringe.
What about a video game festival?
We’ve already hosted this kind of event in THIS Festival in 2017 and the Summer of Games in 2019.
With the city gearing up for a new Esports arena, why not host our own annual international Esports tournament?
We could bring thousands of spectators from across the world to Dundee to watch the best teams on the planet compete in video games.
Dundee is already punching above its weight culturally.
The recent Summer Streets Festival in Dundee perfectly demonstrated the potential for an event that tailors to locals and visitors alike.
An international arts festival for the city would give Dundee a new focus – and maybe even give Edinburgh a run for its money in the future.
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