About the Festival of Politics in 2005
The Festival of Politics is the latest addition to Edinburgh's Festival calendar.
In August 2005 the dramatic architecture of the Scottish Parliament’s Debating Chamber provided the setting for a diverse series of Festival events
featuring a host of nationally and internationally renowned
figures.
Oscar-winning actress Vanessa Redgrave gave her
personal view on the importance of human rights, the BBC’s Andrew Marr examined the relationship
between the media and democracy, and celebrated stateswoman
Shirley Williams discussed the changing face of British
politics.
Audiences were also treated to possibly the first
concert and play to be staged in the Debating Chamber of a
Parliament.
A range of other venues within the Parliament
complex also played host to a series of debates and workshops,
featuring representatives from academic, commercial and
stakeholder organisations.
Festival 2005 Key Facts...
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Nearly 3000 people attended 22 events in
the Parliament over 3 days.
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Approximately 80% of available seats were
taken up by the public.
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The nine centrepiece events held in the
Parliament’s Chamber were simultaneously
webcast, providing potential exposure to a
global audience.
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Of those members of the audience who
responded to an evaluation survey, 95%
rated Festival events as “very good” or
“good”, and 96% indicated they would
attend similar events at the Parliament in
the future.
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The Festival’s dedicated website received in
excess of 136,000 hits in the two months
following the event’s launch in late June
2005.
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The Festival received an “Editors’ Top Ten
Award” from ThreeWeeks - the Edinburgh
festivals' premier review publication.
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Find out more about...
The background to the Festival (pdf file)
The full programme for the 2005 event (pdf file)
Reports and pictures from the Festival of Politics 2005
Video highlights from the 2005 event
Visiting the Scottish Parliament |
The 2005 Festival of Politics was sponsored by:
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