This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Festivals simply the best - First Minister
12/08/2003
Edinburgh's Festivals are simply the best programmes of cultural events in the world, thanks to the tremendous efforts of the organisers, said First Minister Jack McConnell today.
He was speaking at a Bute House reception for organisers and participants of Edinburgh's Festivals, where he thanked them for their important contribution to the cultural and economic life of Edinburgh and Scotland.
He said:
"There is nowhere in the world quite like Edinburgh in August. Since 1947, when the founders of the International Festival had the courage to believe that Scotland could be home to the world's greatest celebration of arts, Edinburgh has been the place to be in August.
"Every year the Festivals just get better and better, and this year they look set to break the one million ticket barrier. Last Sunday 200,000 people, many of them local, delighted in the sunshine and fun of Fringe Sunday - and the Tattoo sold out before the first performance.
"I have already enjoyed some of the best the Festivals have to offer and I am looking forward to another two weeks of exciting events. But none of this could happen without the people who spend all year round organising the Festivals. It is their dedication, their expertise, and their passionate commitment that makes Scotland's capital city the world's capital of culture every August. We owe them a huge debt of gratitude."
The First Minister Jack McConnell hosted the reception on Tuesday 12 August at Bute House to say thank you to representatives of the Jazz and Blues Festival, the Film Festival, the Book Festival, the International Festival, Mela, the Tattoo, and the Edinburgh Fringe. Other invited guests included the Rt Hon Lesley Hinds, Lord Provost of Edinburgh, James Boyle, chairman of the Scottish Arts Council and Dr Gordon Rintoul, director of the Museums of Scotland.