£303K support for Inverness Events and Festivals
A public events and festivals programme organised by High Life Highland on behalf of The Highland Council’s City of Inverness and Area, Events and Festivals Working Group has received a £303,000 commitment for the coming year 2022/23.
Provost and Inverness and Area, Cllr Helen Carmichael said: “I am very pleased with this positive partnership with High Life Highland which has brought a much-needed community boost and exciting refresh to the Inverness Events and Festivals programme.
“Inverness councillors have approved the £303K Inverness Common Good Funding to enable High Life Highland to deliver a safe, well-organised and publicly welcomed events programme that will further help to raise public morale, community spirit and economic recovery. I am very much looking forward to the events programme over the coming year which hopefully COVID circumstances will allow through the agile partnership approach being adopted with High Life Highland.”
Councillors noted the success of the 2021/22 events programme that was delivered during the pandemic since establishment of the partnership arrangement in July 2021.
A new Halloween family themed event - ‘Night at the BOOtanics’ - was attended by over 6,000 people at Inverness Botanic Gardens attracting positive public feedback.
In response to existing COVID-19 restrictions at the time a fireworks night display was delivered from the Northern Meeting Park with high-level fireworks that could be seen across the city. The public viewed the fireworks socially distanced from ‘their own space’. Favourable media coverage highlighted the event to be the only council-managed fireworks display in Scotland.
The traditional Christmas lights switch on was re-invented (to avoid a mass crowd gathering) with the ‘Bellfield Winter Garden’ lights display at Bellfield Park which ran for a month from 3 - 28 December with around 500 people visiting on weekdays and 1800 daily at weekends with over 24,500 social media views of a video of the event. Support was also provided from the Inverness Common Good Fund for the installation of Christmas tree lights on the Highland Hospice Christmas tree at Falcon Square, Inverness for 3 years.
Support was given by councillors for the creation of a programme of events for 2022/23 to be delivered by High Life Highland where and when possible as the pandemic circumstances allow. The coming year’s programme includes consideration of celebrating the 200th anniversary of Inverness Highland Games; Halloween and Winter Lights; Bonfire Night; a New Year’s Celebration and £115,000 investment in city centre and riverside decorative lighting.