PRESS RELEASE
Glasgay!, one of Scotland's leading Arts Festivals, celebrates the major success of its 2009 festival today with the release of the attendance figures for this year's smash-hit programme. The festival took place between 3 Sep-8 Nov 2009 in Glasgow, Scotland.
Despite the most significant credit crunch of the last century the Glasgay! festival played to sell-out audiences and its exhibitions and some performances made headlines internationally, hitting nearly three-quarters of million websites and blogs worldwide. The festival doubled its audience on prior years and received four and five star critiques for its top quality Commissioned Productions, the most popular of which was a total sell-out smash hit, THE MAW BROON MONOLOGUES by Jackie Kay.
In an excellent programme that was both popular and edgy it generated a huge amount of social commentary and continued to highlight prejudice, discrimination and inequality. Glasgay! remains one of the most vital engines for social justice and equality and this year was exceptional in its ability to galvanise support for its events.
As a truly international celebration of the strength of LGBT community Glasgay! enjoys the support of a broad audience, not just LGBT. Glasgay! puts Glasgow and Scotland on the map as a vibrant and safe destination for international visitors - a mission, which over the next five years, as the city heads towards the Commonwealth Games, cannot be underestimated or undervalued.
As actor, Alan Cumming, said of the festival "Being part of the gay population is great: you're part of a legacy of amazing creativity and revolutionary cultural achievements. But you're also in a minority that is still struggling to show to those outside it what your experience really is, and gain their respect for it. That's where Glasgay! comes in: a festival to celebrate and encourage gay artists and make their work more visible to the mainstream and gain their respect for it. A chance for gay people to come together, and for straight people to enjoy what all the fuss is about. And it all happens in Glasgow, the city where everyone has a voice, everyone has an opinion and everyone has a laugh."
GLASGAY! RESULTS
• Audience attendance was 36,207 attenders. This was more than double the previous year (14,890 in 2008) • 168 days of performances at 78% of capacity • Four and Five star reviews four all of our top Commissioned product. (see selected press quotes below) • TV, Radio, blogs and international coverage of our events reaching nearly three quarters of a million websites worldwide • Press Coverage at £0.5million in advertising equivalent value • Turnover approaching £225,000k • Increased sponsorship and donations • 60% attenders from Glasgow, 15% adjacent, 9% rest of Scotland, 14% overseas; 3% England. A significant rise in out-of-town and international visitors.
Selected press quotes from 2009 ....
“The work here is strong enough to be seen anywhere.” Public Art Scotland
“a festival to celebrate and encourage gay artists and make their work more visible to the mainstream and gain their respect for it.” BNET UK
“Glasgay is one of the most well-regarded LGBT arts events in the UK.” Pink News
“Glasgay! Festival gets bigger and better every year.” The List
“It's why festivals like Glasgay! are so good. It's why the city itself is so fine.” Scotland on Sunday
“Glasgay is one of the most well-regarded LGBT arts events in the UK.” Pink News
“THINK OF Glasgay! – Glasgow's annual celebration of queer culture – and lots of things come to mind: visual razzle-dazzle, cutting-edge performance art, and passionate reworkings of classic texts by gay writers.” The Scotsman
“Glasgay!, still has the radical energy that has made the festival worth talking about since its advent. Fortunately, its the UK's leading LGBT festival" The Skinny
“If Maw Broon stood for prime minister, how refreshing would that be? We would have a different Britain altogether.” The Times
“Glasgay! Is an increasingly huge force on Scotland’s cultural scene.” The List
“Glasgay!, Scotland’s annual celebration of queer culture, returns this year with a brimful of top-notch entertainment and thought provoking delights for all those north of the border.” Attitude
“Glasgow is celebrated the world over. Its a city where it hipsters, fashion designers and muso types prance around in skinny jeans with silly haircuts. Its why festivals like Glasgay! are so good” Scotland on Sunday
“A Child Made Of Love-commissioned by Glasgay! Is raw, clever and disturbing, and we will be hearing much more of it in years to come” The Scotsman
“Louise Welsh’s new play Memory Cells, co-commissioned by Glasgay! Festival offers a tremendous, tragic vividness.” The Scotsman
“It could only be Glasgay! Scotland’s LGBT arts festival, and this year it is bigger and more ambitious than ever” Scotland on Sunday
http://www.glasgay.co.uk
Next Festival Dates 7 Oct - 7 Nov 2010
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