That the Parliament congratulates Dumfries and Galloway Arts Festival, which will celebrate its 45th anniversary in May 2024 by staging a 10-day packed programme consisting of 43 events across 24 venues, featuring leading Scottish and UK companies and artists, including Scottish Opera, A Play, A Pie and a Pint, Valtos, James Rowland, The Willow Trio, Connor Burns and Anne Wood, as well as the region’s home-grown talent, such as poet Chris Salt MBE, the Galloway Consort, Aaron Jones, Rachel Walker, Emily Smith and Jamie McLennan with Cairn Chorus and Kate Kyle; understands that it has all been made possible after being supported by £67,000 from the National Lottery in the latest round of Creative Scotland’s Open Fund awards; acknowledges the reported comments from festival director, Simon Hart, who said that it was important to maintain its track record of delivering performing arts of the highest quality and ambition to communities large and small across the rural region by enriching the lives of local residents through performing arts, and wishes the festival every success when it begins on 23 May 2024.