20th August, 2008
Rt. Hon Alex Salmond, MSP, First Minister of Scotland today (Wednesday20 August) celebrated the role the Edinburgh Festivals play inScotland’s cultural life and looked forward to the Festivals’participation in next year’s Homecoming celebrations.

Speaking at an event for the Directors of the Festivals in Edinburgh,the First Minister applauded the Festivals’ plans for HomecomingScotland 2009 and highlighted the importance of their place in thisNational cultural programme. The Homecoming Scotland programme featuresover 100 events taking place across the length and breadth of Scotland.

Homecoming Scotland 2009 is a year long celebration of Scottishculture, heritage and some of the many great contributions Scotland hasgiven the world. Created and timed to mark the 250th anniversary ofScotland’s national poet, Robert Burns, Homecoming Scotland 2009 willencourage people of Scottish descent, Scots, and those who simply loveScotland to ‘come home’ in 2009 and join the celebrations.

Plans to take part in the national Homecoming celebration werehighlighted across The Edinburgh International Festival, EdinburghInternational Book Festival, Edinburgh International Science Festival,Edinburgh International Film Festival, Edinburgh Winter Festivals;Edinburgh Military Tattoo and Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

The First Minister also took the opportunity to announce that theScottish Arts Council has pledged an additional £250,000 to furtherenhance the Homecoming Scotland 2009 programme to create furtherinnovative cultural activity which extends the appeal and legacy ofthis national celebration. These new programme elements will beannounced around St Andrew’s Day.

The First Minister urged Scots, those of Scottish descent, and thosewho love Scotland to ‘come home’ and join the celebrations in 2009. Healso encouraged Scots at home to extend the Homecoming invitation tofriends and family.

Rt. Hon Alex Salmond, MSP, First Minister of Scotland, said:

“Homecoming Scotland 2009 embraces the whole nation. In Edinburgh wehave a fantastic range of world class festivals and it’s great that somany of these festivals are already gearing up for next year’sHomecoming celebrations. Every year the Festivals delight and engagethousands of Scots and visitors, and in 2009 we hope the Homecomingmessage will encourage even more of our global family to join us, enjoythese outstanding events and celebrate Scotland’s contributions to theworld.”

Ends

Contact for Homecoming Scotland 2009
Leon Thompson, 0131 472 2312 or 07778 163 085, email: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Notes to Editors:

Edinburgh Festivals Plans for Homecoming Scotland 2009

Over 100 organisations all over the country are currently planningspecial Homecoming events and activity throughout 2009. The EdinburghFestivals are planning some significant and exciting contributions tothe celebration.

• Edinburgh International Film Festival (June 17 – 28, 2009)
The renowned Edinburgh International Film Festival will present anenlightening programme of films of all shapes and sizes, drawn fromevery corner of the world and from every facet of the artisticimagination. In 2009 Scotland’s international filmmaking Diaspora willshare their knowledge, expertise and life stories with audiences at theEdinburgh International Film Festival.

• The Edinburgh Military Tattoo (August 7 – 29, 2009)
In celebration of Homecoming, The Edinburgh Military Tattoo, one ofScotland’s most iconic events, will embrace some of the world-renownedworks by the poet Robert Burns in an emotive performance of pride andpassion. Demonstrating the Tattoo’s commitment to showcasing the bestof Scottish talent, the 2009 show will feature specially commissionedarrangements to create a key vignette within the Burns themedproduction. In addition, the Edinburgh Military Tattoo will extend itsreach beyond the spectacular setting of Edinburgh Castle in a series of4 satellite events across central Scotland. These new events, createdto mark the Homecoming year, will be free to the public. Venues arecurrently being confirmed and will be announced at the end of the year.

• Edinburgh International Festival (August 14 – Sept 6, 2009)
The 2009 Edinburgh International Festival programme will include thethemes of Homecoming and the Enlightenment and set them in contemporaryand often surprising contexts. The programme will highlight Scotland’sinfluence on some of the world’s great artists and artistic endeavours,and will reflect on that extraordinary moment in Scottish history thatwas the Enlightenment.

• Edinburgh International Science Festival (April 6 – 18, 2009)
The 21st Edinburgh International Science Festival will showcase thegreat contributions Scots have made to scientific and technologicaladvances, both at home and abroad, in the past and present. For 2009the programme will be even bigger and better with some stunning sciencefor all ages including fun packed workshops, shows and interactiveexhibitions as well as a programme of presentations, talks anddiscussions on the hottest and most intriguing areas of science andtechnology.

• Edinburgh International Book Festival (August 15 – 31, 2009)
The Edinburgh International Book Festival, the world’s largestcelebration of the written word in the world will create a series ofspecial events for 2009, providing a unique opportunity to celebrateand debate Scotland’s rich literary and cultural heritage, inparticular the importance of Burns and the Scottish Enlightenment.

• Edinburgh Winter Festivals
Illuminated Art Car Parade (November 28th): Be part of thespectacular cavalcade that will celebrate Scotland’s history ofinvention and culture as part of Edinburgh’s winter festivals. See andelectrifying, illuminated art car parade featuring such sights as aRobert Burns Poetry van, a Burke and Hare barrow, a golf car, a whiskytruck and a bagpipe truck!

• The Edinburgh Fringe Festival (August 7 – 31, 2009)
The Edinburgh Fringe is unique, as the largest arts festival on theplanet and brings thousands of performances to over 240 venues acrossScotland's capital city. It has launched innumerable careers and been acelebration of ambition and creativity for over 50 years. In 2009 theFringe Office will be working closely with Fringe venues andencouraging them to develop the Homecoming theme across theirprogrammes; August will provide the perfect opportunity for Scots, andthose with a passion for Scotland, to come home and join the party.

Homecoming Scotland 2009
The Homecoming Scotland programme features more then 100 events andfestivals, taking place throughout the year and across the country.Programme information can be downloaded fromwww.homecomingscotland2009.com.

Homecoming Scotland 2009 aims to engage Scots at home as well asmotivate people of Scottish descent and those who simply love Scotland,to take part in an inspirational celebration of Scottish culture,heritage and some of the many great contributions Scotland has given tothe world, and to come home in 2009.

2009 marks the 250th anniversary of the birth of Scotland's nationalpoet, Robert Burns, with the programme's design guided by Scotland'sgreat contributions to the world as the home of Burns himself, Golf,Whisky, Great Minds and Innovations, and Scotland’s culture andheritage which lives on at home and through Scotland’s global family.

Homecoming Scotland is funded by the Scottish Government and is managedby EventScotland www.eventscotland.org the national events agency inpartnership with VisitScotland www.visitscotland.com, the country’snational tourism agency. Homecoming Scotland 2009 will be delivered inpartnership with a wide variety of organisations all across the countryranging from community groups, to professional events and festivalscompanies to Public Bodies.

The budget for Homecoming is £5 million and the target is for an 8 to 1return on investment i.e. £40 million revenue additionality.

For more information on Homecoming Scotland and to register for programme updates please visit: www.homecomingscotland2009.com