
MEDIA RELEASE – 1ST JUNE 2018
An Lanntair launch event for The Year of Young People Las!/Ignite! Festival.
Calling all young curators, programmers, designers, filmmakers, musicians and those planning a career in the arts. We need you!
The Las! / Ignite! Festival is being organised by young people for young people and will take place between 20th and 25th October 2018 at An Lanntair. As part of the Year of Young People, this exciting festival will celebrate creative young people (under 27) from the Outer Hebrides.
The newly appointed Las! / Ignite! Festival festival coordinator, Ella Macaulay, is planning a diverse programme of events for the festival including a creative industries symposium, exhibitions, open mic nights, theatre, talks and music. The coordinator is supported by the An Lanntair youth board (Board not Bored); a group of young people under 27 who will steer the direction of the project. They played an active role in interviewing and appointing Ella as Festival Coordinator (also under 27) and researching and shaping the programme. Through the Festival Coordinator and Board not Bored, An Lanntair will support local young people to come together in a project team to deliver the festival.
Over the course of the festival, young people will be given the ‘reins’ of An Lanntair and will have complete control over the programming of the organisation.
To begin the Las! / Ignite! programme, An Lanntair is holding a launch event on Saturday 9th June at 12pm to introduce our existing Board not Bored members and to reach out to more keen, young islanders who would like to get involved in planning the festival. The board are being given the opportunity to use all the spaces in An Lanntair to produce gigs, plays, films as well as putting on exhibitions, talks and workshops over the course of a week-long festival. They will also be responsible for curating and programming the spaces and for marketing, design, promotion and stewarding. This launch event is a great opportunity for any keen volunteers and aspiring artists between the ages of 16 and 26 to join Board not Bored or set up specific sub-committees that they are interested in. There will be groups for Young Curators, Young Programmers, Young Designers and Young Filmmakers to gain new skills and help to organise specific events in the run up to the festival.
During the launch event, the Project Space will be open for visitors to explore our Apple Mac stations and the range of software available to Board no Bored members. The event will also include our first Open Mic session featuring Niamh Smith and the Nicolson Ceilidh Band which is free and open to people of all ages to attend. This platform will give local, young musicians an opportunity to perform in the main gallery every fortnight.
The Las! / Ignite! Festival has its own website and blog which will be updated by the Festival Coordinator and Board not Bored so that the local community can keep up to date with their progress as the festival approaches. (https://www.las-ignite-festival.com/)
Ella Macaulay, Festival Coordinator said, “I’m hoping to meet lots of creative young islanders at our launch event who are keen to get involved with the Las!/Ignite! Festival. It is such a great opportunity for young people to gain experience in the creative industries and to let us know what events they would like to see happening in their community.”
Elly Fletcher, An Lanntair CEO said, ““This project is the real deal. An genuine opportunity for young people from our islands to get a taste of what the creative industries can offer. And what an incredible chance for us all to attend exhibitions, gigs, theatre, dance and more, all produced and performed by young people from our community. I can’t wait to hand over An Lanntair to see what this fabulously talented team of youngsters will bring us.”
The festival is supported by the Year of Young People 2018 event fund, managed by EventScotland, part of Visit Scotland’s Events Directorate.
Notes to Editor:
- Follow us on Twitter: @anlanntair
- An Lanntair is a multi-disciplinary Arts Centre in Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis in The Outer Hebrides.
- An Lanntair welcomes over 200,000 visitors each year to celebrate the unique Gaelic culture of the Outer Hebrides.
- An Lanntair is supported by Creative Scotland, Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, Point and Sandwick Trust and Highlands and Islands Enterprise.
- For more information email Head of Marketing Kathryn Lamont Smith at Kathryn@lanntair.com or visit lanntair.com
- A global first, YoYP 2018 is a part of the Scottish Government’s themed-year programme which focuses on celebrating Scotland’s greatest assets.
- A year-long programme of events and festivals are taking place across the whole of the country for all ages to enjoy, led by EventScotland part of VisitScotland’s Events Directorate. More information atvisitscotland.com/yoyp2018
- Las!/Ignite! Festival is supported by the Year of Young People 2018 Event Fund, managed by EventScotland, part of the VisitScotland Events Directorate. EventScotland is working with the events and festivals sector to develop an exciting portfolio of Year of Young People 2018 public-facing events which provide opportunities for young people to express themselves through a wide range of activity.
- Local authorities, schools, youth groups and organisations are running their own YoYP 2018 activity. Search #YOYP2018 on Twitter for the latest news.
- Young people co-designed the Year. A group of young leaders, Communic18, lead on all key decision making. More than 500 Ambassadors based across every local authority are championing activity.
- The Year is delivered in partnership between the Scottish Government, VisitScotland and EventScotland – part of the VisitScotland Events Directorate, Young Scot, Scottish Youth Parliament, Children in Scotland, YouthLink Scotland and Creative Scotland.
- More information can be found at yoyp2018.scot, searching @YOYP2018 #YOYP2018 on Twitter or by emailingyoyp2018@gov.scot