This September’s programme of 38 concerts across 15 locations in East Lothian presented 300 internationally acclaimed musicians including the ensemble Concerto Copenhagen, choral group Tenebrae, Scottish Opera and American pianist Jeremy Denk, and attracted more audiences from both the local area and further afield to the Lammermuir Festival.
The festival is rooted in the community and supported by a loyal and engaged audience, many of whom return annually. In 2024 the festival welcomed over 7,000 attendances, an increase of 13% on 2023 and the most visitors in its history. 72% of this audience came from Edinburgh and the Lothians and 28% from elsewhere in Scotland, rest of UK and abroad, showing a slight increase in the proportion of bookers travelling to the festival.
Consequently, the economic benefits to East Lothian increased as the county welcomed more people to stay overnight in paid accommodation, supporting the hospitality sector and contributing to an overall economic impact of £1.1million. This increase in impact of 23% on 2023 is a staggering result given the current financial challenges faced by many.
In 2024 Lammermuir Festival also offered its broadest range of ticket prices and offers to date including free tickets for 7 – 18 year olds, half price tickets for anyone aged 16+ in full time education, and 100 tickets for local secondary school children to experience performances up close through its new initiative to bring more young people into concert going, Front Row, in partnership with East Lothian Instrumental Service and supported by SCOPS Arts Trust.
Through Front Row, the festival worked with schools across East Lothian to reach young people aged 13-17 studying music, inviting them to attend events, meet artists and see behind the scenes. 52 young people from eight schools attended the festival, bringing greater diversity to the festival’s audiences and exceptional experiences for those involved.
James Waters, CEO and co-Artistic Director said: “We are absolutely delighted to confirm that the economic impact of this year’s festival for East Lothian and for Scotland was so much higher than in 2023. We could sense the huge show of support and turn-out at concerts, but to learn the scale of spend it brought in benefits to the area is fantastic. We are already in advanced planning for our 2025 festival which opens on Thursday 4 September, and we hope that audiences will return, bring friends with them, and continue to spread the joy and benefit of this festival to many.”
The festival met an incredible critical response too garnering consistent five star reviews from local and national publications.
The 2024 Lammermuir Festival was made possible by the generous support of many benefactors, friends, and donors, and partners, trusts and foundations including Foyle Foundation, McInroy & Wood and the Stevenston Charitable Trust, The National Lottery through Creative Scotland and EventScotland.
Muir Russell, Chair of Lammermuir Festival said: “This year’s festival programme was our strongest yet. Thanks to the generosity of our benefactors, donors and friends, and Creative Scotland and Event Scotland’s contributions, we provided another unique, rich cultural experience of the kind that Lammermuir has become famous for and which benefits this area so strongly.”
Rebecca Edser, Head of EventScotland, said: “Scotland is one of the best places in the world to experience events and EventScotland was proud to have supported Lammermuir through our National Events Programme. Events play an important role in our communities by providing us all with the chance to connect, enjoy and share memorable experiences. The success of Lammermuir Festival and its record-breaking year is testament to this with its exciting programme of 38 concerts delivering a wonderful experience for everyone who attended.”
Several concerts from this year’s Lammermuir Festival were recently broadcast on BBC Radio 3 and can now be found on BBC Sounds.
Related
![V&A_Dundee_(600×300)[1]](https://eventsbase.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/VA_Dundee_600x3001.png "V&A Dundee generates £304 million economic impact for Scotland")
![APBCO_(600×300)[1]](https://eventsbase.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/APBCO_600x3001.png "ABPCO set for a successful year with six additions to Executive Board during virtual AGM")
