UK Folk Festivals - Scotland

Massive event in Glasgow, spanning 18 days! If it has a Celtic connection, it's probably on show here. Multiple venues. There's not enough space to describe everything, just settle for knowing there are 2,100 artists, 300 events, 20 venues. - yes, you read that right!

This is HUGE.

Inverness Music Festival is a competitive music festival open to all ages and abilities. Performers are adjudicated on their performance.

It takes place at Inverness Methodist Church March 8th-11th March and 15th -17th March - 26th February and 3rd- 6th March 2023.

A long running Festival of Music, Drama, Literature, Creative & Visual Arts in Lochwinnoch, Renfrewshire.

Not a folk festival, it's a festival of Music, Drama, Literature, Creative and Visual Arts. But it includes Celtic instrument workshops and Scottish singers. So some of you may be interested.

Not a huge amount of info on line, so check with the organisers.

The clue's in the name - it features fidlers.

As always, the Inverness Fiddlers will be joined by special guests for the event.

Not sure if it is folky or just fidlers, but you can always contact them and ask.

21st Anniversary !

Hawick steps back in time to the 16th century and through drama, song, poetry and re-enactments invites visitors and towns-people alike to experience life in this turbulent, often violent, but very colourful period in our history.

A full programme of activities is planned many of which are free and include demonstrations of falconry, archery and horsemanship, a look at craftsmen of the times and dramatic re-enactments. There are also concerts, guided walks, historical lectures and many other activities.

In collaboration with Tunes in the House

Annual Scottish fiddle festival.

A fun-filled weekend of fiddle music and good craic, this very informal festival kicks off on Friday night and celebrates the life of Perthshire's fiddle legend.

The link is to their new website.

Aims to give young, up and coming traditional Musicians and Dancers the chance to perform in a non-competitive environment.

The Festival lasts for four days and nights, consisting of Gigs, Concerts, Sessions, Ceildhs, Workshops and much, much more.

(Listed in Ireland as well as Scotland, as it has a Celtic music bias. Besides, we don't have an Isle of Man section.)

Courses, Concerts, workshops, harp exhibition, sessions, ceilidh.

One for the harp enthusiasts.

10th Anniversary
Traditional flutes and whistles in Scotland.
FluteFling classes, workshops and weekends provide opportunities for people to learn and develop traditional skills on the whistle and flute in a Scottish setting.

Not quite a festival, but for those interested in traditional flute music, it is a big thing.

Scottish (of course), Irish and contemporary music, children's entertainment and the World Puff-A-Box Championship (at which my brother has very consistently failed to win or even get placed.) A warm welcome is ensured.

Note the change in the web address - they have updated their site to use WordPress and Elementor. It's always a good sign when someone takes this much effort with their website.

Multiple venues, appears to be free.
Variety of events and music styles to enjoy over four days of fun in the Inner Hebrides.

A weekend of Scottish music featuring folk-rock bands, fiddle, accordion, dance and ceilidh bands.

The events aren't ticketted, and most are very crowded!

For the 42nd time!

The UK's most northerly folk festival. The Festival prides itself in reaching out to even the most far flung areas of Shetland. Concerts are organised throughout the isles, consisting of some of the best International, British and Shetland music that the world has to offer. In fact, visiting artistes are regularly dumbfounded by the quantity and quality of local musicians that our remote isles have to offer.
Nine locations on the island are holding events.

Edinburgh TradFest - Dun Eideann is a vibrant celebration of folk arts celebrating TradFest will include music, song, storytelling, dance, folk drama, arts and crafts, literature, architecture, film and multi-media in the capital city.

Edinburgh's only multi-arts festival is dedicated to traditional culture and folk arts. Features the very best traditional music from Scotland and around the world.

Scotland's first sustainable event.

Music, verse and story telling
Concerts - Sessions - Open Stage - Competitions - Workshops - Children's Events- Secure Campsite.

Popular Scottish event, promises to be even bigger than last year.

In its 49th year of existence and still going strong. With a nice redesigned website too.

A country and western festival in Scotland? Well if it's good fun, what's the problem.

If the web link fails (it did for us), go to this facebook page, where we found most of the details.

Keslo C+W

There's also an October event most years.

A nice Scottish Festival, which can sell out quickly due to its popularity.
The first release of tickets last year had sold out by 7th December!

Traditional singing showcased.
Several venues.
CDs of previous events available too.

Described by The Times as One of the coolest villages in Britain.
Moniaive probably has more musical events and festivals (per head of population) than anywhere else in the country. And with a sizeable group of traditional musicians living in the village and surrounding countryside, our pub sessions are amongst the finest.
Sessions, piping competitions, workshops, and more.

A new event for our listings.

Footstompin' bluegrass, soulful americana/folk and outstanding musicianship. Don't miss the 3rd annual SpringGrass bluegrass festival at The Vault Arts Centre.

Concerts, ceilidhs, dances, clubs and sessions.

The Orkney Folk Festival is widely regarded as one of the most prolific and special throughout Scotland, the UK and further afield.

The three venues that are used the most are the Stromness Town Hall, the Stromness Academy Lecture Theatre and the Stromness Hotel's function room. Other events take place in local community centres/village halls.

Uses several locations on the island.

Has it's own website now (previously we linked to a site which regularly talked about it and the island in general).

Mixes folk and whisky on an island wellknown for both. And it's a very pretty island. With Concerts and Ceilidhs, usually.

The World Ceilidh melds together the most ancient roots music with the latest cutting edge sounds. This first truly backwoods upland music fest in Scotland hosts some of the best musicians and performers from across the world. All are invited to journey over hill and dale by rock and stream to our natural greenfield auditorium and to our upland stage to experience the biggest little festival this side of anywhere!

A small but popular festival.

Celebrating its 14th year

Folk at the Salmon Bothy will be celebrating our 14th Haal festival. A weekend of Sessions, Concert, Memories etc.. Great guests lined up and, hopefully, many of you, from whom we haven't heard for a while.

Details on site not fully updated yet.

The folk festival on Scotland's lovely little island.

The festival will feature a weekend of open sessions, concerts and Ceilidhs.

Site not fully updated yet.

And now they have a new website in place, so note the url above.

This is very much a mixture of everything you might find at a festival of some sort - circus, jazz, rockabilly, acoustic, dance, folk. brass, swing.

Spread over four days, you might find something you like. Not your standard folk festival, but family friendly fun.

There are concerts, a dance, competitions, informal sessions and various other events during the weekend. This page will provide more details as events are finalised.
(Site incomplete just now.)

Various locations in Oban.

New to our lists, but website looks promising.

Prices available soon.

Portsoy's annual celebration of our rich maritime and cultural heritage. . . beautiful boats . . . exhilarating skiff races on the open seas . . . maritime and rural craft demonstrations . . . non-stop song and dance . . .mouth-watering food and drink and adventure at the Sports Village (not just for kids!). Not stop song and dance, with an acoustic and Scottish flavour.

Join the many friends who will celebrate our anniversary with us. Always a great atmosphere. Special guests include The Occasionals, The Border Directors, The Spiers Family. Enjoy dances concerts, competitions, hosted singing room, outdoor stage, sessions. Try a workshop with The Border Directors (border songs and tunes), Ailsa Mackenzie (harp/dulcimer), Pete Shepheard (ballads) or Kevin Tilbury (bellows pipes).

Recently launched, Blazin' Fiddles are running an event in Biggar.

A sister fiddle school to the well established Blazin’ in Beauly. This summer the band will launch 'Blazin' in Biggar' - bringing together fiddlers, guitarists and piano players for a weekend of great workshops and music making.

A new event, back for its third year.

Takes place in Ayrshire, Scotland.

A family-run festival in two towns separated by a river.

Music and Dance event.

After those Covid restrictions, we wish them luck for a great event.

The small NE Coastal Town of Stonehaven comes alive with a Weekend of Music and song - Concerts in the Town Hall plus workshops, Ceilidh, sessions, late-night concerts, free afternoon concerts, Family show, Aqua ceilidh, World Paper and Comb Championships, Tradition Bearers Concert and more all around the Town.

Think picture-perfect white sands. World-famous surf. Deserted roads lined with lush greenery and wild flowers. Not forgetting more sunshine than practically anywhere else in the UK. It's little wonder that the tiny Hebridean island of Tiree is nicknamed the Hawaii of the North.

Add to this three separate campsites - the main campsite, family campsite and campervan area - and the now famous Community Village with its many stalls and events, and TMF guarantees you an authentic flavour of Tiree. Which, in a nutshell, is the whole idea behind the festival.

This is not a single venue event so you cannot buy one ticket that covers all events. Please choose carefully to make sure you make the most of your festival experience.
There will be a weekend ticket covering the events in the main arena
Features Hebridean music galore

At the end of July, the playing fields on East Street in the Moray town of Fochabers will be home to the 23rd annual Speyfest, three days of the best in traditional and contemporary Celtic music.

Concerts, Ceilidhs and Stomps. Free to enter Craft Fair and Festival Clubs. Some of the biggest names from the world of traditional and contemporary Celtic music.

Yn Chruinnaght Celtic Gathering.

47th year!

Based in Peel, Yn Chruinnaght Celtic Gathering is a celebration of Manx
culture and the relationship between the Isle of Man and the other five
Celtic countries (Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Cornwall and Brittany).

Musicians, singers and dancers!! Concerts, ceilis, sessions, free events and workshops.

As in previous years we are posting this under Scotland and Ireland due to its Celtic theme, as we don't have a separate Isle of Man page.

Describes itself as quirky. Has quite a variety of styles of music, some of which may appeal to you. Large number of acts, including folk groups.
Vote the UK's most popular summer music festival at TripAdvisor, so it's clearly doing something right.

A newish three day festival of music, food and fun that is going from strength to strength. This accessible and hugely friendly family festival all takes places a mere thirty-five miles as the crow flies from Glasgow.
Lots of great bands.
Plus a great variety of foods for you to try.

EDF is working in conjunction with charitable and educational bodies to identify emerging talent on the island and to give them a platform to perform. There will also be opportunities to learn about digital media, the Gaelic language and to listen to local and visiting musicians.

EDF is about a lot more than just the music. We will also be showcasing "Made in the Hebrides" products.

The Festival is a unique celebration, bringing together outstanding traditional singers from Scotland, England, and Ireland. The event is especially for those who like to hear, enjoy, and join in unaccompanied traditional singing. Essentially informal, friendly and non-competitive, it will be just the place to encourage the young and less experienced as well as the old hands. The weekend includes ceilidhs featuring the guest singers, singarounds for everyone who can join in, workshops, craft demonstrations and a talk.

Forget Woodstock, this is Mugstock!

A mixed and varied lineup with music of all sorts, including folk / acoustic music.

Everything I read on their site suggests a great fun event.

A new one for our lists.

It will bring established artists in the Folk, World and Roots scene to perform alongside new and emerging acts, both locally and from around the country.

Not only will the festival have some of Scotland’s finest artists, it will showcase some of the best acts from the rest of the UK and overseas.

A very focused festival, on piping.

Glasgow become the heart of the Piping world with events happening around the clock.

Lots of individual events spread over 7 days and 14 venues.

A mixture of events whick includes a fair bit of acoustic music and ceilidhs, and traditional music.

Satisfying an ambition of the Festival to showcase the very best in traditional and contemporary music worldwide whilst also displaying the region's cultural individuality through the talents of the local musicians of all ages.

On the picturesque Clyde Coast opposite Arran lies Irvine. It's a 30 minute train journey from Glasgow. There are concerts, sessions, an open stage competition, events in schools, community concerts and not forgetting two World Championships - the amazing Whammy-Diddling and the even more amazing Chuckie-Chucking.

Multiple venues within a small area of the town. With a few free events.
Features evening and daytime concerts, sessions, open mics, singarounds and workshops.

Good value for money.

It runs for three days and is priced very reasonably indeed.

Includes workshops, open sessions, craft stalls and Ceilidh.

Site now updated.

Back after a gap of a few years.

Small but perfectly formed intro to Scottish folk music.

Workshop as well.

A great little festival on a great little island - described as a remote Atlantic rock (with 120 people on it).

Support this special event.

Usually about half the tickets are pre-booked, so don't miss out by leaving things too late.

30th Anniversary !

6000 deer. 200 people. 1 Jura Music Festival.

A music festival with a leaning towards traditional music, but other genres as well. A well-established favourite for lovers of the traditional music scene.

PS No need to bring your own deer.

This is the second festival with this name, the other takes place in May.

If you struggle to find the web site (we did !) try the Facebook page, which clearly says this is in October.
OCtober Event

Not a lot on their site when we last checked. But the name gives you a strong clue to what is going on.

Expect full immersion into the music, culture and craic of the Highlands of Scotland, things which Blazin' Fiddles have been championing throughout their many years in the Scottish music scene.

Sessions and tutors.

A unique opportunity to learn from the band and their special guest tutors as well as take part in sessions, concerts, masterclasses and ceilidhs whilst establishing new connections in a stunning part of the country.
Fab for fiddle fans.

An evening only event.

The Wee Fife Folk Festival was originally planned in 2020, but we all know what happened then! 2 years later and with a smaller scope, the inaugural event took place. It may have been wee, but it was such fun, we decided to do it all again.

And it's back for 2024 as well.

Another event featuring flutes and whistles in Scotland. Web site has been updated recently to include prices and performers. And details of the workshops, sessions, talks, performances and more as well.

The Scots Fiddle Festival, sustaining and promoting traditional fiddle music.

Concerts, recitals, workshops, talks, festival club, ceilidhs, open stage, sessions, stalls, free events and lots more

The Highlands and Islands Music and Dance Festival has developed into one of Scotland's major arts festivals, and takes place annually in Oban, Scotland.

It includes new special events and competitions, and now offers over 1100 participants 125 competition classes in twelve disciplines including piping, accordion, fiddle, clarsach, piano, recorder, woodwind & brass, singing, Scottish country dancing, highland dancing and choreography.

One of the finest places to appreciate our rich tradition of music, song, verse, drama and story, and, at the same time, enjoy listening to, or using, the broad 'Doric' language which is still very much alive here in the North East, and enjoy a friendly family atmosphere where contestants have come from a' the airt's and pairt's o' Scotland and sometimes beyond.

A bit like the Irish festivals that are competitions.

New to our lists for 2023.

I don't know much about the event. But it takes place indoors.

Back after a four year gap.

Folk Frenzy is Shetland Arts’ annual celebration of the Shetland fiddle and folk tradition. The week of events runs from Sunday to Sunday, during the first week in August each year, centered on workshops teaching the distinctive tunes and technique of the Shetland fiddle style. An opportunity to learn the secrets of Shetland Fiddle and folk from a range of experienced tutors, explore the thriving musical traditions of our unique and beautiful islands, or simply be part of our Festival Week which is packed with a range of Frenzy Fringe options and Evening Concerts.

Website still has a bit of work required for completion on our last visit.

We always seem to check it before they update it, as we start looking in November of the previous year.

A new festival taking place in and around the Isle of Skye, which we are glad to support in our lists.

It is an nine-day multi-artform winter festival bringing big music to small halls around Skye and Lochalsh with the emphasis on civic celebration - everyone is welcome. Part of the international network of Small halls, it is the first of its kind in Europe.

We bring the best traditional musicians to our remote rural townships, using Scotland's national day - St Andrew's Day - as a reason to celebrate our unique Highland culture in the traditional way.