New Glasgow 850 Festival Fund launched to support local talent and communities

A new £100,000 cultural fund has been launched as part Glasgow's 850th celebrations next year.

Article Source: Glasgow 850
Last Updated: 20 June 2024 14:49

The fund, designed to support and enhance existing established city events and festivals, can see applicants bid for up to £10,000 to include Glasgow 850 themes and activities in their programming for 2025.

Bids are being sought from established festivals and events to add value to their existing festival offerings by including additional programming which can celebrate or showcase the richness and diversity of Glasgow talent, engage children and young people in the city and deliver community outreach activity.

Applications are open from Thursday, 20 June 2024 and close 5pm, Wednesday, 31 July 2024, with successful bidders being announced in September, as part of the Glasgow 850 programme launch.

Full application details including eligibility criteria can be found at www.glasgow850.com

Billy Garrett, Director of Culture, Tourism and Events at Glasgow Life, said: “The Glasgow 850 Festival Fund is a cornerstone of our city programming next year, enabling established events to amplify their impact and reach wider audiences in our local communities. This fund not only aims to highlight the incredible talent we have in Glasgow but also ensures that our communities can participate in and experience the celebrations.”

“The fund supports events that align with the themes of Glasgow 850, to mark the city’s rich heritage, reflect on its transformational growth, and inspire a vision for the next fifty years. It’s also an opportunity for established events to attract and work with new audiences in the city through outreach activity.”

The announcement of the new fund comes hot on the heels of the unveiling of the new Glasgow 850 brand earlier in the week.

The core brand uses recognisable symbols synonymous with Glasgow’s story. More symbols will be developed to highlight the wide-ranging achievements of the city and its people, with a special focus on the past fifty years and a strong emphasis on its future ambitions.

Developed to complement the city’s distinctive and popular People Make Glasgow look, the new brand brings plans for a yearlong programme of activities for Glasgow 850 together under one strong visual identity.

Throughout 2025 Glasgow will mark its 850th birthday by delivering, with partners, a, citywide programme that celebrates and reflects on our recent past, our present and future.

The calendar of signature events and community-based activities is being curated to let those with a connection to Glasgow, at home and abroad, get involved to tell their stories, honouring our rich heritage, reflecting on transformational growth, and inspiring ambitious change for the city’s next fifty years.

The brand, which is based on the idea of badges, will be free to use and made available to businesses, and community groups, to help them show support for Glasgow 850 and get involved. It has been developed in a way that the icons around the core Glasgow 850 image could be changed and customised to make it more personal to groups and individuals with an affinity to the city.

Plans are being made to announce the signature events within the Glasgow 850 programme in September, along with a new website and businesses engagement activity.

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