OBAN’S sixth Winter Festival in November raised £1.9 million for the local economy, and £22,000 for charity, according to its annual report.
An estimated 20,000 people overall attended the 10-day festival, which celebrates Oban’s unique culture and community, with 3,000 spectators watching the reindeer parade alone, representing an increase on the previous year. There was an increase in visitors and residents eating out.
The Winter Festival committee are finalists at two awards ceremonies tonight (Thursday March 16), at the Thistle Awards in Edinburgh International Conference Centre and in the Scottish Rural Awards in Edinburgh’s Dynamic Earth.