As the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on peoples and countries across the world continues to grow, the Edinburgh International Culture Summit has taken the difficult decision, in tandem with Edinburgh’s Summer Festivals, to announce that the 5th edition of the Culture Summit in August 2020, cannot now proceed, as originally planned.
All the Summit Partners – the British Council, the Edinburgh International Festival, the Scottish Parliament and the Scottish and UK Governments – are extremely grateful for the enthusiastic support that this unique cultural event continues to enjoy, following its launch in 2012.
We all continue to advocate strongly for the power of culture to unite peoples and to transform lives and societies, even in the most challenging of circumstances. We look forward very much to reconvening the Edinburgh International Culture Summit at the Scottish Parliament when circumstances permit us safely to do so.
We believe that the Summit’s role to bring culture ministers, artists and leading thinkers from around the world, to share ideas, expertise and best practice, with the purpose of encouraging positive change in cultural policy and practices, is more important than ever. With this in mind, we are actively pursuing, with Summit partners, exciting opportunities to deliver intermediate events including a Special Edition 2020, which will help sustain and nourish this important international conversation. Our hope is to reconvene a full Summit in August 2022 to coincide with the celebration of the 75th anniversary of the Edinburgh International Festival.
We look forward very much to sharing our plans with you in the very near future.
On behalf of all the Summit partners, please accept our very best wishes for your safety and wellbeing at this time of uncertainty.
Sir Jonathan Mills Programme Director
Edinburgh International Culture Summit Foundation