Council statement on the future of the dlr Festival of World Cultures

Council announces a series of summer festivals for 2011 with planning to start for 2012 Festival of World Cultures.
  
After stating that it would not proceed with the 2011 Festival of World Cultures, the Council is pleased to announce that it will be organising a number of smaller family-friendly festivals for Dún Laoghaire over the summer months from August to September of this year. However, planning will begin shortly for a Festival of World Cultures in 2012, the detail of which will be announced later in the year.
 
“The Council will be concentrating over the next 12 months on implementing the detailed recommendations of the Festival Review Group, which will involve taking a step back from holding the event in 2011, recruiting appropriate personnel and taking the time to prepare a more robust and sustainable model for 2012 – one that we can continue well into the future,” said Richard Shakespeare, Director of Environment, Culture & Community.
 
“We acknowledge the disappointment of businesses, residents and those further afield in relation to the recent business decision to defer the Festival of World Cultures for 2011” said Richard Shakespeare, who confirmed that the smaller budget “Festival of Festivals” will commence on the August Bank Holiday weekend.  “We are now progressing some exciting events for this summer, which should provided entertainment for everyone within the budget that we have available to us” he added.
 
The festival will kick off with a 10Km Road Race (Dun Laoghaire –Dalkey –Monkstown-Blackrock-Dun Laoghaire), followed by a French Festival (working title – Les Bateaux) to celebrate the Solitare du Figaro Ocean Race from the 11th –14th August. A Chalk Festival on Saturday and Sunday 20th & 21st of August will be followed by the Dublin Bay Taste and Music Festival from the 26th –28th of August. The third Mountains to Sea dlr Book Festival will be presented from the 6th to 12th of September.
 
The Council is very conscious of the importance of the Festival of World Cultures to the image and identity of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown and to the town of Dun Laoghaire in particular and of the very many benefits it has brought – not least of which has been its role in fostering a new sense of pride and cultural awareness both locally and nationally. A huge amount of work has been put in by the Council over the past 10 years in developing the Festival to the extent that it had become a premium event on the national and international Festival calendar.
 
It has been clear for some time that the model on which the Festival was based was simply not sustainable. In some respects the Festival is a “victim of its own success”. The report of the Review Group confirmed that significant changes would be required to the structure, financing and content of the event if it is to be sustainable for the future. Whilst the consultation and analysis undertaken by the Review Group confirmed the outstanding success of the Festival, “its phenomenal growth over the last ten years has brought with it corresponding production, health and safety and event control costs, which have contributed to the ever-increasing Festival budget.” said a spokesperson.
 
“These costs, together with the decline in available grants and sponsorship, have put serious financial pressure on the Council in recent years. This lack of support is compounded by the very significant reductions in grant funding provided by the Arts Council and by Failte Ireland in 2010”, he added. The increasing pressure on the Council’s finances was also a factor in the decision to suspend the Festival of World Cultures.
 
ENDS
Further information:
Communications Office
Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council
DD: 01 2047090
e-mail: commsoffice@dlrcoco.ie

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