A FIFE festival fit for a king has brought a princely sum into Dunfermline’s coffers.
A new report has revealed that Dunfermline’s Bruce Festival supported by The Courier brought a £400,000 gross impact boost to the local economy.
Last August’s event, celebrating one of Scotland’s greatest kings, Robert the Bruce, took place over one weekend and saw thousands of visitors descend on Scotland’s ancient capital.
Based in Pittencrieff Park, the weekend offered visitors a huge range of free entertainment including a medieval village, storytelling, jousting, battle re-enactments and access to a varied range of local products and businesses.
It got under way with a spectacular sword parade, forging a symbolic link between Dunfermline’s past and present.
At the helm was an exact replica of Robert the Bruce’s massive sword, which was ceremonially offered to Lord Charles Bruce, the son of the Earl of Elgin, and his young son Benedict.
Local business improvement district organisation Dunfermline Delivers organised the event with the support of the Alfred Stewart Foundation, Event Scotland, and Fife Council, and an independent economic impact evaluation report shows that it was a great success for local businesses and tourism.
Gifford Bruce, the managing director of the Alfred Stewart Property Foundation, said that the figures presented in the report were very encouraging.
“The Bruce Festival is one of Scotland’s best free events and it has a huge impact on Dunfermline, drawing thousands of visitors to the town each year.
“The Alfred Stewart Property Foundation carries out work which will benefit the community and we were delighted and proud to support an event which has such a positive economic impact on the town and its businesses.”
While the festivities at the eighth festival took place primarily in Pittencrieff Park, it appears from the survey that just under a third of visitors 30% ventured into the town centre, many taking advantage of the choice of cafes, restaurants and retail outlets on offer.
As a legacy of those who attended the event, 41% reported that it made them more likely to buy food and drink from a Dunfermline or Fife-based company.
Dunfermline Delivers chief executive Maggie Mitchell said: “We were delighted with the results of the report as it highlights the true business benefit that events like the Bruce Festival have for both our BID members and other local businesses and individuals.
“Staging and planning the Bruce Festival is a major component of Dunfermline Delivers’ annual calendar of events to support our business community, so it very pleasing to see the results of the survey. Large-scale entertainment events bring people into the city, but they can’t make them spend money, so it is testament to the quality of produce on offer in Dunfermline that visitors spent such a substantial amount.
“And not only did visitors enjoy the event itself, they also came away with a great impression of Dunfermline, as well as a positive impression of Fife as a whole, which helps to create a positive and lasting legacy.”
The long-term impact of the event to Dunfermline’s success as a tourist destination was highlighted when 77% of visitors reported that the event inspired them to learn more about Dunfermline and Fife’s history and heritage.
It is envisaged that this year’s Bruce Festival will be even better and will include added elements of street theatre and other events located outwith the park and in the town centre itself.
leclark@thecourier.co.uk