New venues help festival mark its 21st

EDINBURGH'S International Science Festival will next year celebrate its 21st birthday by expanding to two new venues.

The city council has already stepped in with a £150,000 rescue package for the festival and is known to be unimpressed with the financial handling of the event.

Organisers were forced to sign an agreement that forbids them asking for any future money outwith their regular £180,000 annual grant.

The event has run up a budget deficit over three years, despite attracting more than 50,000 people last April.

The festival features hundreds of talks, tours and exhibitions for children, families and adults. It also stages the popular Wonderama event – an interactive science experience aimed at youngsters.

The full programme for next year's festival will be launched in January, and will include events at the City Arts Centre and Edinburgh Zoo for the first time.