A north-east boating festival which attracts thousands of visitors to the area every summer has teamed up with a regional body to further enhance its profile.
The Scottish Traditional Boat Festival has been held in the Banffshire village of Portsoy for more than 20 years.
It brings as many as 16,000 people from around the world to the tiny community for a weekend and generates significant income for the local economy. The event aims to promote the boat-building skills of the region.
Now, organisers have struck a deal with Aberdeen Festivals to join the umbrella organisation. Established in 2014, the organisation promotes a diverse range of events in the region and is committed to bolstering its cultural sector.
Other festivals which are overseen by the group include Spectra, Aberdeen Jazz Festival and Aberdeen International Youth Festival.
Roger Goodyear, co-chairman of the boast festival, said: “Joining Aberdeen Festivals has been on the festival’s horizon since the collective was formed in 2014.
“We have since watched the success of Aberdeen Festivals through its facilitation of collective marketing and collaborative efforts to profile the cultural offerings of Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire.”
Mr Goodyear said that although the boat festival already has a well-established audience “there is always room for growth” and that the team are looking forward to collaborating with other events.
Steve Harris, chairman of Aberdeen Festivals, said: “Aberdeen Festivals has made substantial strides in its three years of existence.
“The addition of the Scottish Traditional Boat Festival to the collective, with its well-connected, high profile festival and large international audience, will bolster this success of Aberdeen Festivals further in profiling the north-east as a top cultural tourism destination.”
The Scottish Traditional Boat Festival will take place on June 24 and 25 and will bring together heritage vessels, traditional music performers, a wide range of crafts and cookery demonstrations.
