MSPs back Edinburgh-led petition to Holyrood to save Scotland's community fairs and galas
‘This is clearly a major challenge to the sustainability of our community fairs and galas’ - Q Manivannan MSP
Campaigners fighting to save Edinburgh’s community fairs and galas have won the backing of MSPs for their petition asking the Scottish Parliament to help cut the red tape they say threatens their events.
Organisers of the Capital’s Corstorphine Fair have linked up with teams from fairs and galas in other parts of Scotland to urge Holyrood politicians to call for a Scottish Government review of what they say are the increasing licensing, regulatory and financial burdens faced by volunteer-run events across the country.
Ewan Irvine, chair of the Corstorphine Fair committee, has said increasing bureaucracy, inconsistent licensing decisions, late documentation, and rising costs threaten the future of such events.
Now Scottish Lib Dem leader and Edinburgh North Western MSP Alex Cole-Hamilton and Edinburgh and Lothians East Green MSP Q Manivannan have both thrown their weight behind the plea.
Dr Manivannan said: “Community fairs and galas like the Corstorphine Fair are an essential part of what makes Edinburgh such a great place to live.
“I share the concerns that Ewan Irvine raises about the impact of current regulations and guidance on these small events. Shortly after I was elected, I visited several volunteer-run community events where organisers raised these exact hurdles.
“This is clearly a major challenge to the sustainability of our community fairs and galas. Ewan and his network of gala organisers have my full support in working to improve the proportionality and bring common sense to these regulations.”
And Mr Alex Cole-Hamilton said: “We have to remember that a lot of these organisation are made up of volunteers giving freely of their time. But they are constantly being asked to jump through hoops, sometimes at a cost that makes their events less sustainable.
“The council must act consistently. Obviously they have to keep an eye on health and safety, but they have to recognise these are volunteers working for the community and they are finding it increasingly difficult to put on these much-loved events.”
The petition was launched after a series of problems encountered by the organisers of this year’s Corstorphine Fair. Mr Irvine described the event as "successful but challenging".
He said: "Like many similar events across Scotland, we faced significant last-minute licensing and administrative difficulties in 2026, despite extensive early engagement with authorities.”
The petition calls on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to review the increasing licensing, regulatory and financial burdens placed on volunteer-run community fairs and gala days across Scotland.
And it says: “Volunteer-run community fairs and gala days play an important role in bringing local communities together. However, organisers are increasingly concerned that rising costs, growing bureaucracy and complex licensing requirements are placing these events under significant pressure.
“In areas such as Edinburgh, organisers report increasing financial and administrative demands associated with requirements from the local authorities, including market operator licences, public entertainment licences, park occupation charges, reinstatement bonds and extensive compliance documentation.
“Organisers fully support appropriate public safety measures. However, there is growing concern that the current system lacks proportionality for volunteer-run community events organised for community benefit rather than commercial profit.
“There are also concerns regarding inconsistent interpretation of licensing requirements, changing guidance and increasing unpaid workloads for volunteers.”