Angus Council is set to contribute £50,000 towards a major tourist attraction at Glamis Castle next summer.
The Spirit of Glamis event is intended to showcase the best of Scottish art and culture.
The organisers intend to approach the RSNO, Perthshire singer-songwriter Dougie MacLean, authors Alexander McCall Smith and Ian Rankin and whisky expert Charlie Maclean to appear at the event.
It is also hoped the V&A will showcase Scottish designers and that Dundee Rep might perform an open air performance of Macbeth. There are also plans for piping, Highland dancing and a Highland Games.
The event is scheduled for July 5-6, the weekend after the National Trust’s 700th anniversary re-enactments of the Battle of Bannockburn, to try to appeal to tourists attracted to that event.
Spirit of Glamis has already attracted £50,000 in EventScotland Homecoming funding and now seeks a similar amount from Angus Council, which will be used to secure the services of an event management company.
Angus Council’s strategic policy committee will meet to discuss the application.
In a report to councillors, chief executive Richard Stiff stated that the council’s support will be dependent on the word Angus being included in the name of the event.
He said: “The event organisers have stated that council support, including a financial contribution for this initiative, is essential to its success.
“A contribution of £50,000 to match the Homecoming grant has been sought along with in-kind officer support towards determining the event organisers brief and to work with the organisers to bring about a successful event.
“Officers have been negotiating the terms of any council contribution and it has been agreed that the event will be renamed to include reference to Angus.
“One suggestion is Spirit of Glamis in Angus but further discussion is required with the chosen event organiser to agree on the most appropriate title.
“It was also agreed that further marquees be included to celebrate products made in Angus and to cover outdoor activities. Where appropriate, all of the marquees will feature Angus-based product/success.”
Mr Stiff warns in his report that a risk of funding is that the event’s success will depend on securing “significant” private sector sponsorship.
He stated that without enough sponsorship it would not be able to run at the scale proposed by the organisers Strathmore Estates.
He continued: “An event of reduced scope is less likely to prove as attractive to visitors and would bring less economic benefit to Angus.
“It is, therefore, essential that the appointed event organisers have the right experience and can demonstrate success in organising events of similar scale.
“It is also important that the council commits to supporting the event. As the majority of work to develop this event will occur over 2013/14, Glamis Castle will require the council funding support over this financial year.
“That timescale fits with the funding period of the ERDF East of Scotland Rural Tourism Business Support project, from which an additional 40% contribution can be levered out, meaning a net cost to Angus Council of £30,000.
“However, this pre-payment poses a risk to the Council if commercial support is not realised by Glamis Castle and the event has to be downsized.”
If the event is commercially successful, then the council would, after repayment of the ERDF grant, share any profit equally with Strathmore Estates.
Meanwhile, Angus Council also applied for funding from EventScotland for an extended Tartan Day Festival next year, with a focus on events around Arbroath Abbey.
This application was not successful in the first funding round but council staff have continued to liaise with EventScotland in an effort to secure funding support.
If successful, a report will be brought to committee on this initiative in due course.