Events cancellation prompts Highland Council to probe safer alternatives
Money saved from the cancellation of Inverness’s winter events programme due to coronavirus could be ploughed into staging safer alternative entertainment.
Members of Inverness City Committee will consider on Thursday the creation of a new Riverlights Project and the setting up of a “Covid safe” performance hub in the city’s Northern Meeting Park.
Riverlights would see eye-catching light shows and projections mounted at key city buildings and city centre locations.
Highland Council’s city manager David Haas said: “There has been discussion in the past about the potential to hold a sustainable light project.
“We are now in a position to advance the benefits noting the significant potential of it uplifting footfall and vibrancy to the city centre.
“Subject to the development of a social distancing route around the projections, it would be proposed to transform Inverness Castle, Abertaff House, Inverness Town House, St Andrew’s Cathedral, Inverness Museum and Art Gallery, Northern Meeting Park Grandstand, Ness Bridge, and Eden Court Theatre.”
Mr Haas said Riverlights would revitalise the city centre, make Inverness more attractive in winter, attract more tourists, enable local artists and students to display their art, bring additional business/retail use to the town centre, and support the marketing and promotion of Inverness.
City committee members will be asked to agree that Inverness Events and Festivals Working Group reallocate up to £140,000 from the 2020/21 Inverness Common Good Fund events and festivals budget toward the cost of replacement events for the Winter Festival period.
Proposals would also see the Northern Meeting Park used as a base for other safely staged events in a partnership including High Life Highland, Eden Court Theatre and the University of the Highlands and Islands as well as current park users,
Council events manager Gerry Reynolds said: “Despite the contribution that outdoor events make to the UK economy, there is a widespread concern that they are too often ignored by government at a national and local level in favour of conference, exhibitions and meetings which are seen as providing more tangible benefits. There is a need for a better grasp of this complex industry and the contribution that it makes to the Highland economy.”
Related article: Multiple events cancelled – including Hogmanay, bonfire and Halloween – due to coronavirus
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