A POPULAR Scottish festival has been cancelled for 2024.
The Aye Write book festival, which has been held in Glasgow since launching in 2005, has been called off this year due to a lack of funding from Creative Scotland.
The Scotsman reported that Aye Write had applied for a £77,500 grant from the industry body – but a rejection meant it had to be called off.
In 2023, the second year back as an in-person festival after the Covid pandemic, guests at the festival included former first minister Nicola Sturgeon in conversation with Scots comic Janey Godley.
Other famous faces to make an appearance were crime writer Val McDermid, comedian Frankie Boyle, and bands including Orange Juice and Aztec Camera.
GlasgowLife runs the festival, but it said doing so is dependent on additional funding. The charity also confirmed that the kids Wee Write festival has been cancelled.
However, GlasgowLife said that there would be some “pop-up events” in place of a full festival.
A spokesperson said: “The Aye Write and Wee Write book festivals celebrate the joy of reading, writing, and books, bringing audiences and authors together.
"Their delivery is dependent on securing external funding and while bids for funding support continue to exceed monies available, especially during the current difficult economic climate, some events will inevitably miss out.
“Aye Write and Wee Write have developed and grown over the years thanks, in part, to support through Creative Scotland.
"Our 2024 funding application to Creative Scotland was not successful so Aye Write and Wee Write will not be able to take place as festivals this year. We appreciate this will cause considerable disappointment.
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“Glasgow Life will organise some pop-up Aye Write events during 2024 and will develop an application for multi-year funding starting in 2025, which if successful, means a return for the festivals next year.”
A Creative Scotland spokesperson said Aye Write should consider applying elsewhere for funding.
They said: “We recognise the significance of Aye Write to audiences and the literature sector and understand that this is disappointing news.
“The National Lottery open fund for organisations remains available to Aye Write to apply for further funding, and we welcome future applications.
"As demand for these funds continues to increase, Creative Scotland also continues to advocate for more resources to support culture and creativity across Scotland.”
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