PICTURES: St Duthac Book And Arts Festival looks back and plans 2023 event
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The dates for this year's St Duthac Book And Arts Festival have been confirmed by the committee as running from September 11 to 18, a week earlier in the month than in 2022.
Though the committee has been working on plans for this year’s event since the 2022 one finished, there is nothing to share yet, says chairman Catherine Williams.
But Catherine says there are already “irons in the fire” regarding this year’s guests.
“Planning started as soon as the last one finished,” she confirmed.
The first thing Catherine wants to do is get the committee’s thanks out there, to everyone from the people who supported the event, funders and all the volunteers to the venues – including the owners of Tain’s Royal Hotel which hosted this year’s festival nerve centre, the pop-up bookshop and gallery.
Catherine said: “In our first year we were very much constrained by just emerging from Covid. We were advised by each of the venues about how many people we could have and that was very limiting. We had to be distanced, we had to wear masks and have hand sanitisers and everything. Our audiences were more constrained because of that.”
This year the festival numbers were no longer limited and attendances seem to reflect that.
The festival hosted 16 guests in 2021 and in 2022 that increased to 22 authors, poets and storytellers, 546 tickets sold online, 324 orders for tickets plus ‘walk-ups’ on the door at events.
“And we were delighted this year to get some funding from Museums And Galleries Scotland and the Year Of Stories 2022,” Catherine said.
“VisitScotland put a link to our festival and that helped us and we collaborated with Balnagown Estate and they linked with our website. And hotels and castles in our area said they had all benefited from our event, things like people coming for an early meal before a bookfest event, or staying over somewhere rather than heading home at 11 after an event.
“We definitely had a kick-on to the local tourism market in the locality.”
Catherine picked out some event highlights, from Sunday Times Young Writer Of the Year Cal Flyn to Roving Poet Hamish MacDonald, Mark Bridgeman’s event at Tain Sheriff Court where the audience were the jury who gave their verdict on what had been a real-life case to City Jazz packing the Ancient Collegiate Church in Tain. Broadcaster James Naughtie’s talk on US politics was a sellout and Paul Murton’s last night event made a relaxed climax.
The festival was planned to be accessible to all, for different tastes across a wide variety of venues and showcasing Highland and local talent across the Easter Ross Peninsula.
Catherine said of the support the event has had so far: ’We’re bowled over! I think this area was ready for something and along we came!
"And as chairman, I have worked on many committees over the years, but never before with people so keen and enthusiastic. As soon as you say something needs to be done, one of them will say ‘I’ll do that’."
Catherine revealed how Ullapool Book Festival – which has now said this year's will be the last-ever event – had been a great example to St Duthac starting up.
"I hope people might come forward in Ullapool to keep it going,” Catherine said. “They have been an inspiration to us. We are following in their successful footsteps and wish them the best in the future.”
And this year's success and supportfor St Duthac has also inspired the team.
“We had so many sellouts this year, far more than we could possibly have hoped for,” Catherine said.
“Local people and tourists alike really supported us which is great because then we know we can carry on and do it all next year!”
Festival announcements here: stduthacbookfest.com
