INVERNESS HOGMANAY - Red Hot Highland Fling: The real reasons why the event was cancelled were Highland Council fears about reputational damage and not making a profit
Highland Council opted to cancel this year’s Red Hot Highland Fling because it feared restrictions on numbers and a lack of ticket sales would not make enough money resulting in “reputational damage” for the local authority.
Minutes from the discussion about the cancellation have just become available showing not just the real reasons behind the axing of the Hogmanay event but how the Inverness committee was concerned about managing the story as it arrived in the media.
They detail councillors discussing how, due to the ongoing work at Bught Park, the number of attendees would be restricted to just 4000 – down from a high of around 15,000 – and that would result in a loss of £48,000.
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And because of “the reliance on ticket income for the success of the event” and the apparent lack of confidence in reaching adequate sales, not just for the reduced number but in general interest it would be better to call it off.
Earlier this year, we revealed that the most recent Fling needed a £100,000 subsidy to break even, despite charging entry for the first time – in what is a key concern for some.
Now Inverness Provost, Councillor Glynis Campbell-Sinclair, who oversaw the much touted rebranding of the event last year as the “biggest Ceilidh in the world” will also oversee a second comeback next year too.
Alongside the initial rebranding was the introduction of entry fees of £12.50 for the first time that some say contributed to the poor turnout of around 5000 for an event that at its peak attracted three times that.
The minutes stated: “The capacity for the event would be restricted to 4000, and that if sales were of a similar level to 2023, this would result in a budget deficit of £48,000.”
The move to cancel was brought forward by Cllr Campbell-Sinclair and was supported by all members of the events and festivals working group while “other representatives present voiced support” for the proposal.
The £60,000 budget surplus from the cancellation will be requested to be ring-fenced for the events programme in 2025/26, or used as a contingency fund for the events programme.
The minutes continued: “Members considered that the financial and reputational risks of attempting to go ahead with the event in 2024 were too great given the circumstances, and that efforts should instead be directed to creating a significant ‘come back’ event in 2025.”
Then the working group agreed that an “appropriate press release be issued” by the council’s corporate communications in consultation with the Provost, the senior community development manager, and members of the Inverness city committee.
It continued that “confirmation of the Bonfire Night event should be included in the press release” - and it was but there was no mention of the potential financial cost of staging the event nor the risk of “reputational damage”.
That press release claimed it was due to the “increased costings for infrastructure” but it made no mention of the risk of a lack of ticket sales nor of the anticipated deficit.
Instead the cancellation – the apparent reason for the press release – was mixed in with other information about Bonfire Night and how Horne’s Funfair would not be part of the traditional November 5 event at the city’s Bught Park.
