Cultural programmes should be ‘better integrated with national events’, says report

Around two thirds of the British pubic want arts activities routinely programmed alongside major national events, a report looking into the legacy of the Cultural Olympiad has found.

The investigation revealed that 62% of respondents in the UK wanted cultural works to become an integrated part of major events, with the same proportion of people agreeing that an artistic programme enhanced sporting events.

However, the report – entitled Beyond Performance; A cultural enquiry into major events and culture – found that there is a “disconnect” between arts practitioners and event managers. It said that the two did not have a full understanding of each other’s activities.

In her introduction to the enquiry, cultural advisor Fran Hegyi said that more needed to be done so that the arts were included in the planning of future major UK events.

To ensure that London 2012 Olympic Games and its cultural programme was more than an “unforgettable one-off”, Hegyi warned that the “time to act is now”.

She said: “We found that the space in which sport, arts and culture come together in major events is a hugely powerful one which can create real benefit, yet it is not well understood, managed or shared. This disconnect is creating a missed opportunity for the event industry and communities around the UK.”

The report calls on the government to oversee the creation of a consortium that would research how to carry out and assess the impact of integrating cultural work with national events.

The consortium should use upcoming major events such as the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and the commemoration of the First World War next year to carry out its work, added the document.