Scottish arts venues on red alert over job losses

The #LightItInRed event will be held at 9pm to raise awareness of the entire live events supply chain and jobs at risk.

Venues in Scotland due to take part include The SSE Hydro, King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut, Barrowland Ballroom, Scottish Opera HQ, Edinburgh Corn Exchange, Edinburgh’s Royal Highland Centre, Edinburgh International Conference Centre and the Theatre Royal in Dumfries.

A number of buildings in Aberdeen will also take part including The Esslemont and Queens Cross Church.

The call to action hopes to raise awareness for over a million people in the industry who are at risk of losing their jobs in the next few weeks, of this number 72 per cent are self-employed freelancers.

Industry experts say the cancellation of Edinburgh’s five arts festivals is the biggest casualty for the events supply chain, and is threatening Scotland’s world-class reputation for events.

Research also suggests that seven in ten businesses in the industry could run out of cash reserves in the next two months.

Organised by leading industry trade association PLASA, the call to action will see over seventeen trade bodies come together in solidarity, with the collaborative aim of saving the UK’s treasured live events industry.

The finale of the event will be taking place on London’s South Bank, where a boat will carry industry players along The Thames to see the city turn red.