Exciting years lie ahead for Gibraltarian culture

Of all of the conceivable reasons to seek out luxury property for sale in Gibraltar, the local cultural scene may not be the most immediately obvious. However, there’s no question of the continuing strength of the British Overseas Territory’s offer to those interested in the arts – and the two to three years ahead look set to bring some especially exciting new developments.

That’s partly because, as reported by the Gibraltar Chronicle, a restructure means that Gibraltar Cultural Services (GCS) will assume responsibility for 99% of this year’s cultural events organised on behalf of the Gibraltar government.

The restructure will see GCS take over events that the Ministry of Culture has previously organised, with the organisation also absorbing three of the Ministry’s staff to deal with the heightened workload. This will leave the Ministry with just six members of staff, focusing on government policy and procedures in relation to culture and the mayoralty.

What do the territory’s culture vultures have to look forward to?

Events formerly under the Ministry of Culture’s banner that GCS is now assuming responsibility for include the Jazz Festival, the Song Festival, the Magic Festival and the Gibraltar World Music Festival. It means that GCS will now be at the helm of some 70 events in all. Furthermore, GCS will also now provide cultural grants, having previously only acted as the secretary.

GCS CEO Seamus Byrne told the Chronicle: “What is important for Gibraltar Cultural Services is now events will be centralised. My vision has been creating much parity between culture and sports in terms of funding, and state-of-the-art facilities and cultural development.”

Among the highlights for Gibraltar’s culture vultures over the coming years will be the creation of the Gibraltar National Theatre, which Mr Byrne said GCS was working on alongside Minister for Culture Dr John Cortes.

Work is set to commence at the John Mackintosh Hall in July 2020, and is expected to be completed between the end of 2021 and early 2022.

Mr Byrne continued: “The National Theatre itself will form part of a wider cultural hub. We hope to have a cultural hub which will not only have an over 900-seater theatre, but will also have an extension to the public library.”

Make Gibraltar your home to experience the best of these developments

With other anticipated upcoming cultural initiatives in Gibraltar including expansion of the amount of studio space available for artists, support for artists applying for the Royal Academy Summer Show, and a rededication of the Mario Finlayson art gallery, it is clear that GCS is determined to make Gibraltar a continued cultural destination for years to come.

So, why not make those crucial steps now to secure your own home in the territory in 2020? BMI Group can source the luxury property for sale in Gibraltar that will perfectly match your preferences and requirements as a prospective resident here, as part of our renowned personally-oriented service. Simply contact our team directly today to find out more.