The Aberdeen International Youth Festival will have a much-reduced programme this summer as the curtain comes down on the long-running event.
The trust which deals with the festival, which has been taking place since 1973, has contacted the Scottish Charity Regulator, asking for advice on how to wind it up.
Stewart Aitken, the event’s artistic director, confirmed yesterday it was “unlikely” there would be an AIYF of the scale of previous years in 2018, even though several groups are still planning to travel to Aberdeen.
Tens of thousands of participants have appeared in the north-east from all over the world during the last 44 years.
But Aberdeen City Council withdrew funding for the festival last November, deciding instead to approve £100,000 towards the Year of Young People programme.
The charity regulator, OSCR, said yesterday: “We received a commuunication asking for information about the regulations and requirements with regards to the winding up of the Trust and disposal of the residual funds.
“We responded to Councillor [Marie] Boulton, a charity trustee of AIYF, on March 15 to advise her of the steps which would be required.
“To date, we have not received an application to wind up this charity.”
Questions had been raised over the old-fashioned nature of the organisation, whereby trustees are subject to personal liability. Attendances at many of the shows have also diminished in recent years.
But there was anger yesterday from north-east SNP politicians at the imminent collapse of the festival, which is scheduled this year for July 27 to August 4.
MSP Kevin Stewart said: “I am very disappointed to hear that the AIYF is to be wound up.
“I cannot believe that Aberdeen’s Labour, Tory and Independent councillors voted to withdraw funding in this, the Year of Young People, leading to the demise of this internationally-respected festival.”
However, Cllr Boulton responded that the event had been left “in limbo”, with councillors – including SNP members – refusing to become trustees and she was therefore “seeking clarification” from the regulator on how to proceed.
She added: “We are just trying to do everything by the book. It is a sad time, but the aim now is to salvage the best parts of the festival.”
The organisers are in talks with Castlegate Arts and Aberdeen Performing Arts to allow those who still want to come to the city to perform as part of a scaled-down event.
