Edinburgh gala organisers call for council to review licensing and support for community events
Last-minute difficulties fuel organisers’ concerns
Organisers of a long-established Edinburgh gala are calling for a review of council red tape surrounding community events in the Capital.
The volunteers behind the Corstorphine Fair, which is held every two years in St Margaret’s Park, say they faced extra charges, increased fees, new rules and changing requirements as they prepared for this year's event.
And despite months of planning and extensive engagement with council officials, there were still issues unresolved on the eve of the fair last weekend.
Now they want the council to review its community event licensing and make changes and improvements to the way community events are supported and regulated.
Ewan Irvine, chair of the Corstorphine Fair Committee, said: "Before this year's fair we warned that increasing costs, bureaucracy and inconsistent processes were putting community events under pressure.
“Ultimately the 2026 fair went ahead successfully and attracted thousands of visitors. But what happened in the final 24 hours before the fair strengthened our concerns.
“Volunteers found themselves dealing with licensing issues, payment requests and legal documents whilst physically setting up an event due to open the following day.”
Mr Irvine said this year the fair organisers were forced to launch a GoFundMe appeal, and order a smaller stage because of the increased financial and operational pressures.
And looking ahead, he warned that some future Christmas events and community activities may need to be scaled back unless the financial and administrative pressures facing volunteer organisations are addressed.
He said: “Representatives from the fairs and galas met with licensing officials two years ago and we were told they would sort it, but it was worse than ever.”
One example of their concerns is what they say is differing advice being provided to community events about Market Operator Licence requirements and which stalls should be counted for licensing purposes.
Mr Irvine said: “Community events bring people together, support local organisations and create opportunities for residents of all ages.
“We will be working with councillors, MSPs and other event organisers to seek meaningful improvements so that future volunteers can focus on delivering successful events rather than navigating avoidable uncertainty in the final hours before they take place."
A council spokesperson responded to the call for a review by saying: “Corstorphine Fair is now a large public event which we appreciate is valued, bringing together the local community each year.
“We advise applicants to send us information at least three months ahead of any event to ensure a smooth process. The application was late and to help resolve some matters which arose quickly, the applicant was asked to attend a meeting of the Licensing Sub Committee. Unfortunately, they were unable to attend, but we managed to issue the documentation needed to allow for a successful event to take place safely.”