Monumental moment for Lincolnshire's arts scene, as the coast's international, street theatre spectacular, SO Festival, secures prestigious NPO status and crucial funding for the future!
SO Festival – a free, annual, outdoor arts festival, that brings high quality culture from across Europe together in Mablethorpe and Skegness – has been awarded Arts Council England funding and cemented its place as a National Portfolio Organisation (NPO) for the third time running.
National Portfolio Organisations (NPOs) are chosen by Arts Council England as ‘… leaders in their areas, with a collective responsibility to protect and develop our national arts and cultural ecology’ and are financially supported to deliver high quality cultural projects in order to meet these goals.
Since being established by East Lindsey District Council back in 2009, and run by Magna Vitae Trust for Leisure and Culture for the past 8 years, SO Festival has built up a rich legacy as one of the most exciting events in our region’s cultural calendar, well renowned for delivering a vibrant programme of global acts to large audiences in market towns, villages and coastal destinations across East Lindsey.
It is this rich legacy, deep community impact and innovative practise that sets SO Festival apart and earnt the event a place as an Arts Council England NPO for the first time in 2015 and for a second time in 2018.
The arrival of 2022 signalled the time for arts organisations, venues and providers across the country to once again compete for a place on the Portfolio and bid to secure the highly sought-after funding.
Over the course of this year, alongside organising the event’s hotly anticipated return to the coast this summer, the SO Festival team worked tirelessly behind the scenes to write their NPO application, consulting the community and local creatives along the way and devising an ambitious, collaborative plan for SO’s ‘democratised’ future.
The results of this year’s application process were due to be announced on Wednesday 26th October, however, following discussions with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), Arts Council England agreed to delay the announcement, leaving applicants on tenterhooks.
On Friday 4th November, after a nail-biting week, the SO Festival team received the news they’d been hoping for, successfully maintaining their position on the National Portfolio and acquiring a significant increase in the vital funding needed to continue delivering cultural opportunities to our coastal communities for years to come.
Peter Knott, Area Director for Arts Council England, said: “We want creative communities in every corner of the country to have the opportunity to thrive, which is why we’re delighted to be increasing our funding in SO Festival to inspire people, no matter what their background, to enjoy arts and culture. It’ll be great to see SO Festival continue to provide opportunities for artists and arts organisations to develop new work and encourage new audiences to get involved with outdoor arts.”
Peter Helps, Chairman of the Board at Magna Vitae, was overjoyed to hear the good news and praised who have played a key role in SO Festival’s journey over the years. Peter said: “Everyone involved in the SO Festival is delighted that it has been granted another three years of Arts Council funding. Having been heavily involved in establishing the first ever SO Festival in 2009 and having watched it grow over the years, I know personally what an important event it is for the region and its residents.
“Now, as Chairman of Magna Vitae, I am delighted that SO Festival will continue to play such an important role in the lives of local communities, bringing world class creativity and cultural opportunities straight to the pavements, parks and promenades of our coast and fostering our audiences’ love for, and opportunities within, the Arts. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of those who have been involved in SO Festival over the years, and to personally thank Arts Council England and East Lindsey Council for their ongoing and dedicated support.”
SO Festival’s acclaimed Artistic Director, Jens Frimann Hansen, and his creative team at Helsingør Teater in Denmark, also sent their congratulations across the Channel. Jens said: “We are of course extremely happy that the NPO application has been successful.
“In the UK and in Denmark we have, over the years, built up a very efficient infrastructure for the exchange of, not only street theatre, but also ideas and, in a wider perspective, cultural practices and policies. In the years ahead of us, we are very much looking forward to developing this further and seeing not only Skegness and Mablethorpe benefiting from this, but hopefully all of Lincolnshire.”
Back in Lincolnshire, Cllr Graham Marsh, Portfolio Holder for Leisure and Culture at East Lindsey District Council, said: “It is fantastic that National Portfolio Status has been achieved from the Arts Council. This status, and the funding associated with it, puts Magna Vitae and East Lindsey on the map for its cultural and tourism offer across the district.
“The SO Festival is a huge draw, bringing in holidaymakers and day visitors to enjoy the festival each year, as well as providing residents with an opportunity to access entertainment and culture right on their doorstep. The NPO status is a huge achievement for the district and I look forward to seeing the new opportunities it brings to widen our cultural offering in our towns and villages.”
Find out more about SO Festival’s past and its ambitious future plans, discover opportunities to get involved and sign up to the Festival newsletter via its social media channels and the SO Festival website.
