EIF 2023: Where do we go from here?
It would be remiss to not also shine a spotlight on the Edinburgh International Festival, not least because without it there would be no Fringe Festival, and most particularly this year because it is Nicola Benedetti’s inaugural Festival in the driving seat.
As Festival Director, Nicola Benedetti oversaw the entertainment of over 120,000 audience members under the banner theme Where do we go from here?
Across 24 days, 2,500 artists from across 50 countries strove with two-thirds of their performances being rewarded with four and five-star reviews. And rightly so given the caliber of their cohort which included 130 Grammy-nominated artists, 33 Grammy Award-winners, 14 Brit Award-winners, 6 Olivier and 3 Venice Golden Lions Award-winners.
In addition to live events, EIF digital content was viewed 4.8 million times, up 63% from 2022. Of course, one wonders how many would have hoped in-person footfall would rise as much as online viewing. Of the EIF bookers 69% were based in Scotland against 13% international bookers, albeit that is an increase of 3% on 2022.
11,000 free tickets were available for Festival events: of these, 500 went to NHS workers and 631 were distributed through the Young Music Pass scheme, with more going to local schools and others. There was an uptick of 46% on last year for the £10 on the Day ticket offer (available to people eligible for concessions).
Other initiatives under the EIF programme included the first BSL Culture Club hosted by Deaf Action and performances to audiences in NHS settings.
This year’s EIF also focused on broadening of the audience experience, with the offer of 30 audio introductions heard by 25,000 people and contextual demonstrations in addition to the usual pre- and post-show discussions, as well as adopting more intimate performance environments. 32,000 people read blog articles whilst others attended free talks and debates.
Amongst the opportunities for artists, twenty-two young Scottish dancers were able to train with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and perform in Memoria, twelve Scotland-based dancers joined 34 others from 14 African countries in a collaboration on Pina Bausch’s The Rite of Spring and five pre-professional musicians were invited to an audition judged by Benedetti.
Another arm of the EIF is the Edinburgh International Film Festival promoting independent cinema. Running for six days (18 to 23 August) it attracted audiences of 10,277 to its 75 cinema screenings, 10 outdoor screenings and five discussion events. An enviable 71% of cinema screenings sold out bringing cinema occupancy to 82%.
The Film Festival showcased homegrown work and work from Argentina, Brazil, China, Denmark, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Japan, South Korea and the United States, with each screening introduced by a member of the programme team and presented with BSL interpretation for screenings that offered Descriptive Subtitles.
As she surveyed her work, Benedetti said, “I dreamt of a festival that felt truly open and welcoming, creating a shared ownership and pride over the future of our Festival and its profound contribution to Scotland’s culture and conversation. The response from artists and audiences has been resoundingly uplifting, filled with a tangible energy pulling us closer together. We asked, ‘where do we go from here?’—and we heard from thousands of people, sharing different perspectives from around the world. Now, we are confident in forging our path and deepening next year’s conversation together.”