Five major UK cultural festivals, including the Edinburgh Fringe, have been cancelled this year amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
The Edinburgh International Festival, one of the world's major arts festivals, was cancelled for the first time in more than 70 years on Wednesday, along with the Fringe, Military Tattoo, Edinburgh Art Festival and Edinburgh International Book Festival.
The August festivals see around 4.4 million tourists come to Edinburgh every year, as well as more than 25,000 artists, writers, and performers from up to 70 different countries taking part in more than 5,500 shows.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon called the cancellation "heartbreaking, but the right decision".
Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop said the festivals would be "missed greatly".
"But in taking this difficult decision now, everyone involved in the festivals, from staff to spectators, will be able to fully focus on their health and wellbeing which is critical during this time of great uncertainty," she said.
"I am committed to looking into support for seasonal staff who will suffer some of the greatest impact.
Hyslop pledged to ensure that the festivals can return in 2021.
Shona McCarthy, chief executive of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, described it as a "heartbreaking" decision but "the only appropriate response".
"Our thoughts today are with the doctors, nurses, health and social care professionals on the front line, as well as all those affected by this dreadful pandemic", she said.
"Our sympathies too are with the thousands of artists and participants directly affected by today's decision - we will do everything we can to support you over the coming months".
— Jai Sharma (@FrshPrynsOBrsdn) April 1, 2020
Fergus Linehan, the director of the Edinburgh International Festival, said that the Festival was "born out of adversity - an urgent need to reconnect and rebuild".
"The current crisis presents all at the festival with a similar sense of urgency. Work begins straight away on a 2021 festival season that will boost both our spirits and our economy", he said.
The Edinburgh International Festival began in 1947, in the aftermath of World War Two, in an attempt to bring people back together through art.
The Fringe began the same year when eight theatre groups turned up without invitation to perform on the fringe of the main festival.
— Paul Gudgin (@PaulGudge) April 1, 2020
The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo goes back to 1950, attracting 220,000 visitors each August, and is watched by millions around the world.
The Edinburgh International Book Festival brings writers from all over the world to exchange ideas and discuss issues and began in 1983.
The Edinburgh Art Festival was founded in 2004 in order to bring together galleries, museums and independently-run events by international and British artists.
