Scotland’s burgeoning festival scene is set to expand still further this summer, despite the recession. Organisers say that ticket sales are booming as a result of the growing number of people holidaying at home, combined with a strong dollar and euro.

The country is gearing up for a packed programme of events in the Year of Homecoming, including the world’s largest Clan Gathering, the internationally-acclaimed Stena Line Wigtown Book Festival and the new Kelburn Garden Party — as well as stalwarts such as T in the Park and the Edinburgh International Festival and Fringe.

Jamie Semple, director of The Gathering, which takes place in Edinburgh at the end of July, said that the strength of the dollar and euro against sterling had helped to sell about 7,000 two-day tickets. “People asked me what the big meltdown has done. Well, for us, there was a sudden great pause when nothing happened and then we picked up a huge amount of sales,” he added.

But Mr Semple said that the economic downturn had affected festival sponsorship, with the big banks “notable by their absence”.

Trusts, once major sponsors of the arts, are seeing their income dwindle as a result of the drop in stocks. And, in the case of book festivals, publishers may be unwilling to meet the travel costs for their authors.

However, the Stena Line Wigtown Book Festival, which this year has Iain Banks, Roddy Doyle and Ali Smith among its early signings, is so confident that it is expanding.

Organisers have added an extra event — Whisky and Words — charting the relationship between writing and Scotland’s national drink, and forming part of this year’s Homecoming programme.

“I think that perhaps ties into the idea that people are holidaying at home,” said Adrian Turpin, the festival’s director. “If you are giving people what they want I think you can still get an audience and shouldn’t be too gloomy.”

Some festivals have been hit by the economic downturn, including The Outsider, in Rothiemurchus, which is organised by Pete Irvine’s firm Unique Events, which manages some of Scotland’s best-known spectacles.

Mr Irvine said that he believed the market had become saturated, but the niche events, which appeal to a specific audience, as well as the large, corporate festivals, would survive.

“There are so many. We all seem to live in a festival world and that wasn’t true ten years ago,” he added. “The big festivals financed by major corporations, like T in the Park and Rock Ness, will be fine. Long-established events will continue. But in this climate, new events may find it difficult, as we did, because we were too new and inventive”

Alice Boyle, organiser of the Garden Party pop festival at Kelburn Castle near Largs, said: “We’ve not been disheartened by the cancellation of other festivals. People still want exciting events to go to, and we’re confident in the strength of our line-up.”

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