The Hebridean Celtic Festival (

Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic (, ; Endonym and exonym, endonym: ), also known as Scots Gaelic or simply Gaelic, is a Celtic language native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a member of the Goidelic language, Goidelic branch of Celtic, Scottish Gaelic, alongs ...

: Fèis Cheilteach Innse Gall) or HebCelt is an international

Scottish music Scotland is internationally known for its traditional music, often known as Scottish folk music, which remained vibrant throughout the 20th century and into the 21st when many traditional forms worldwide lost popularity to pop music. Traditiona ...

festival A festival is an event celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, Melā, mela, or Muslim holidays, eid. A ...

, which takes place annually in

Stornoway Stornoway (; ) is the main town, and by far the largest, of the Outer Hebrides (or Western Isles), and the capital of Lewis and Harris in Scotland. The town's population is around 6,953, making it the third-largest island town in Scotlan ...

Lewis Lewis may refer to: Names * Lewis (given name), including a list of people with the given name * Lewis (surname), including a list of people with the surname Music * Lewis (musician), Canadian singer * " Lewis (Mistreated)", a song by Radiohe ...

, in the

Outer Hebrides The Outer Hebrides ( ) or Western Isles ( , or ), sometimes known as the Long Isle or Long Island (), is an Archipelago, island chain off the west coast of mainland Scotland. It is the longest archipelago in the British Isles. The islan ...

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

. Headliners to date include

Runrig Runrig were a Scottish Celtic rock band formed on the Isle of Skye in 1973. From its inception, the band's line-up included brothers and songwriters Rory MacDonald (musician), Rory MacDonald (bass, vocals) and Calum MacDonald (musician), Calum ...

Van Morrison Sir George Ivan "Van" Morrison (born 31 August 1945) is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and musician whose recording career started in the 1960s. Morrison's albums have performed well in the UK and Ireland, with more than 40 reaching the UK ...

Deacon Blue Deacon Blue are a Scottish pop rock band formed in Glasgow in 1985. The line-up of the band consists of vocalists Ricky Ross and Lorraine McIntosh, keyboard player James Prime, drummer Dougie Vipond, guitarist Gregor Philp and bassist Le ...

The Fratellis The Fratellis ( ) are a Scottish rock band from Glasgow, formed in 2005. The band consists of three unrelated members, who perform under pseudonyms: lead vocalist and guitarist Jon Fratelli, bassist Barry Fratelli, and drummer Mince Fratelli ...

The Levellers The Levellers were a political movement active during the English Civil War who were committed to popular sovereignty, extended suffrage, equality before the law and religious tolerance. The hallmark of Leveller thought was its populism, as sh ...

and

KT Tunstall Kate Victoria "KT" Tunstall (born 23 June 1975) is a Scottish singer-songwriter and musician. She first gained attention with a 2004 live solo performance of her song "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" on ''Later... with Jools Holland'', and h ...

. Many other acts take part in the event, including visiting international artists, solo artists and local musicians. The festival regularly attracts over 16,000 attendees and provides significant economic and cultural benefits for its host area. The main arena is situated on the Castle Green, in front of

Lews Castle Lews Castle (Scottish Gaelic: ''Caisteal Leòdhais'') is a Victorian era castle located west of the town of Stornoway, Isle of Lewis, Scotland. It was built in the years 1844–51 as a country house for Sir James Matheson who had bought the who ...

. Other events take place in the

An Lanntair An Lanntair () is an arts centre in the town of Stornoway in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. The centre is home to a cinema, and art gallery. Previously located in the Town Hall, An Lanntair moved to its current new building overlooking the harb ...

arts centre and elsewhere in Stornoway. There are also concerts in the villages of Borve and

Breasclete Breasclete () is a village and community on the west side of the Isle of Lewis, in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland. Breasclete is within the parish of Uig, and is situated adjacent to the A858. History Breasclete has several stone circles, as we ...

in Lewis, and Northton in

Harris Harris may refer to: Places Canada * Harris, Ontario * Northland Pyrite Mine (also known as Harris Mine) * Harris, Saskatchewan * Rural Municipality of Harris No. 316, Saskatchewan Scotland * Harris, Outer Hebrides (sometimes called the Isle ...

History

The event was first held from 18 to 22 June 1996 and attracted a crowd of around 1,000 people who were mainly drawn from the local area. Acts at the inaugural festival included

Dougie MacLean Dougie MacLean, OBE (born 27 September 1954) is a Scottish singer-songwriter, composer, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer. Described by AllMusic as "one of Scotland's premier singer-songwriters", MacLean has performed both under his ow ...

Wolfstone Wolfstone are a Scottish people, Scottish musical group founded in 1989, who play Celtic rock. Their repertoire consists of both original songs and traditional folk pieces. They have released seven studio albums, the latest, ''Terra Firma (Wol ...

and

Natalie MacMaster Natalie MacMaster (born June 13, 1972) is a Canadian fiddler from Troy, Inverness County, Nova Scotia, who plays Cape Breton fiddle music. She has toured with the Chieftains, Faith Hill, Carlos Santana and Alison Krauss, and has recorded with ...

, and it additionally consisted of lessons in playing the

Celtic harp The Celtic harp is a triangular frame harp traditional to the Celtic nations of northwest Europe. It is known as in Irish, in Scottish Gaelic, in Breton and in Welsh. In Ireland and Scotland, it was a wire-strung instrument requiring gr ...

and singing in

Gaelic Gaelic (pronounced for Irish Gaelic and for Scots Gaelic) is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels". It may refer to: Languages * Gaelic languages or Goidelic languages, a linguistic group that is one of the two branches of the Insul ...

along with performances of poetry. The second event was held from 16 to 19 July 1997 and additionally featured

La Bottine Souriante La Bottine Souriante (LBS) is a folk band from Canada. The band specializes in traditional Québécois music, often with a modern twist. Formed in 1976 by Yves Lambert, Andre Marchand, and Mario Forest, they have toured extensively through Eu ...

Alasdair Fraser Alasdair Fraser (born 14 May 1955, Clackmannan, Scotland) is a Scottish fiddler, composer, performer, and recording artist. Fraser operates Culburnie Records and is a leading artist on the label. He has founded various summer fiddling prog ...

and

Kate and Anna McGarrigle Kate McGarrigle (February 6, 1946 – January 18, 2010) and Anna McGarrigle (born December 4, 1944) were a duo of folk rock and country folk Canadian singer-songwriters (and sisters) from Quebec, who performed together until Kate's death in 2 ...

. The Festival also offers workshops, street arts, Gaelic storytelling, language tasters, and opportunities to explore the rich culture and heritage of the

. In 2002, the

Hothouse Flowers Hothouse Flowers are an Irish rock band that combine traditional Irish music with influences from soul, gospel and rock. Formed in 1985 in Dublin, they started as street performers. Their first album, ''People'' (1988), was the most successf ...

, who were headlining at that year's festival, had to be chartered to

Stornoway Airport Stornoway Airport () is an airfield located east of the town of Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis, in Scotland. History The airfield was opened in 1937, and was then used mainly for military purposes. The Royal Air Force had an air base ( RAF St ...

from

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

following issues with delayed transport and lost luggage, including instruments, which resulted in them arriving late for the departure for Stornoway. The operation required the airport to stay open past regular business hours. In 2007 an inter-island

shinty Shinty () is a team sport played with sticks and a ball. It is played mainly in the Scottish Highlands and among Highland migrants to the major cities of Scotland. The sport was formerly more widespread in Scotland and even played in Northern ...

match was added to the programme, with

Lewis Camanachd Lewis Camanachd ( is the senior shinty team from the Isle of Lewis, Scotland. The club entered North Division Three (shinty), North Division Three for the first time in 2011. This was the first time a team from the Western Isles was ...

and

Uist Camanachd Uist Camanachd is a shinty team from the Western Isles, Scotland. The club is based in North Uist but draws its players from the whole archipelago from Berneray to Eriskay. Roots of shinty in Uist Shinty died out in the Uists in the 1900s due ...

competing for the HebCelt Trophy. In 2009 the event was voted 'Event of the Year' at the Scot Trad Music Awards, the annual awards ceremony organised by Hands up for Trad, celebrating Scottish traditional music. The festival scooped the 'Best Large Event' at the Scottish Event Awards in October 2011 and was voted one of the top 10 music global festival by

Songlines A songline, also called dreaming track, is one of the paths across the land (or sometimes the sky) within the animist belief systems of the Aboriginal cultures of Australia. They mark the route followed by localised "creator-beings" in the Dr ...

in both 2011 and 2012. The 2020 event was cancelled due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

with all tickets ultimately refunded after the 2021 event was also unable to proceed. In lieu of that year's festival, HebCelt commissioned local performers to be part of Seisean HebCelt, a collection of performances uploaded to the Internet and a

fundraiser Fundraising or fund-raising is the process of seeking and gathering voluntary financial contributions by engaging individuals, businesses, charitable foundations, or governmental agencies. Although fundraising typically refers to efforts to gathe ...

for the Stornoway-based Bethesda Hospice. The Hebridean Celtic Festival, now in its 25th year, continues to attract a range of visitors. Over the years around ten per cent of the visitors have come from around the world, around forty per cent from other parts of the UK.

Past bands performing at the Hebridean Celtic Festival

The event has featured main acts including

Imelda May Imelda Mary Higham (; born 10 July 1974), professionally known as Imelda May, is an Irish singer, songwriter, television presenter and multi-instrumentalist. She is known for her musical style of rockabilly revival and has also been compared to ...

, The Shires,

Capercaillie ''Tetrao'' is a genus of birds in the grouse subfamily known as capercaillies. They are some of the largest living grouse. Feathers from the bird were used to create the characteristic hat of the bersaglieri, an Italian ace infantry formation. ...

The Red Hot Chilli Pipers Red Hot Chilli Pipers is a Celtic rock band from Scotland. Formed in 2002, the band became popular internationally in 2007 after winning the BBC talent show ''When Will I Be Famous?'' The band's lineup features three highland bagpipers and t ...

Battlefield Band Battlefield Band was a Scottish traditional music group. Founded in Glasgow in 1969, they have released over 30 albums and undergone many changes of lineup. As of 2010, none of the original founders remain in the band. Their last known live per ...

, Lau,

Karine Polwart Karine Polwart ( ) (born 23 December 1970) is a Scottish singer-songwriter. She writes and performs music with a strong folk and roots feel, her songs dealing with a variety of issues from alcoholism to genocide. She has been most recognised fo ...

, The Hot Seats,

The Travelling Band The Travelling Band are an English rock band, formed in 2006 and based in Manchester. The band members are Jo Dudderidge (lead vocals, acoustic guitar, hammond organ/piano, electric guitar), Adam P. Gorman (lead vocal, electric guitar, synth) an ...

, Peat & Diesel,

Tide Lines Tide Lines are a four-piece folk pop band from the Highlands Highland is a broad term for areas of higher elevation, such as a mountain range or mountainous plateau. Highland, Highlands, or The Highlands, may also refer to: Places Africa * ...

, Arthur Cormack & Blair Douglas, Kathleen Macinnes Band, Iain Morrison, The Boy Who Trapped The Sun, Rusty Shackle, Fatherson, Face the West, Rose Parade, The Dirty Beggars et al. The following list includes artists that have featured at the festival *

The Proclaimers The Proclaimers are a Scottish Rock music, rock duo formed in 1983 by twin brothers Craig and Charlie Reid (born 5 March 1962). They came to attention with their 1987 single "Letter from America (song), Letter from America", which reached No. 3 ...

The Saw Doctors The Saw Doctors are an Irish rock band. Formed in 1986 in Tuam, County Galway, they have achieved eighteen Top 30 singles in the Republic of Ireland including three number ones. Their first number one, " I Useta Lover," topped the Irish charts ...

Big Country Big Country are a Scottish Rock music, rock band formed in Dunfermline, Fife, in 1981. The height of the band's popularity was in the early to mid 1980s, although they have retained a cult following for many years since. The band's music inc ...

Fiddlers' Bid Fiddlers' Bid are a Shetland based instrumental group known for playing contemporary arrangements of traditional Shetland fiddle tunes. The seven piece line-up consists of four fiddles, acoustic guitar, bass guitar and piano/Clàrsach. The band ...

Salsa Celtica Salsa Celtica are a Scotland, Scottish group that plays a fusion of salsa music with traditional Scottish instruments, including elements of folk music, folk and jazz. History Salsa Celtica was formed in 1995 by Scottish jazz and folk musicians ...

Davy Spillane Davy Spillane (born 1959 in Dublin, Ireland) is an Irish musician, songwriter and a player of uilleann pipes and low whistle. Biography Irish music At the age of 12, Spillane started playing the uilleann pipes. His father encouraged him ...

The Waterboys The Waterboys are a rock band formed in 1983 by Scottish musician and songwriter Mike Scott (Scottish musician), Mike Scott. The band's membership, past and present, has been composed mainly of musicians from Britain and Ireland, with Scott re ...

Moving Hearts Moving Hearts is an Irish Celtic rock band formed in 1981. They followed in the footsteps of Horslips in combining music of Ireland, Irish traditional music with rock and roll, and also added elements of jazz to their sound.Harris, Craig''Movin ...

Peatbog Faeries The Peatbog Faeries are a largely instrumental Celtic fusion band. Formed in 1991, they are based in Dunvegan on the Isle of Skye, Scotland. Their music embodies many styles and influences, including folk, electronica, African pop, rock and jaz ...

Treacherous Orchestra Treacherous Orchestra are a Scottish 12-piece Celtic fusion band. The band blends Scottish traditional music with other influences such as Folk music, folk, Rock music, rock and Punk rock, punk. Instruments used include bagpipes, accordion, ban ...

Julie Fowlis Julie Fowlis (born 20 June 1979) is a Scottish folk singer and multi-instrumentalist who sings primarily in Scottish Gaelic. Early life Fowlis was born and grew up on North Uist, an island in the Outer Hebrides, in a Gàidhealtachd, Gaelic-s ...

Red Hot Chilli Pipers Red Hot Chilli Pipers is a Celtic rock band from Scotland. Formed in 2002, the band became popular internationally in 2007 after winning the BBC talent show ''When Will I Be Famous?'' The band's lineup features three highland bagpipers and t ...

Four Men and a Dog Four Men and a Dog is an Irish traditional band that emerged in 1990 during the Belfast Folk Festival. The band plays Irish traditional music with a mixture of different other genres, including rock, jazz, blues, bluegrass, swing, salsa, polka and ...

Niteworks Niteworks (also known by the Scottish Gaelic ''Obair Oidhche'') was an Electronic Celtic fusion band from the Isle of Skye. The band are known for writing new songs in Gaelic and melding the bagpipes and Gaelic song forms such as puirt à beul ...

Larkin Poe Larkin Poe is an American roots rock band led by sisters Rebecca Lovell and Megan Lovell. The band originated in north Georgia and is based in Nashville, Tennessee. Known for their strong southern harmonies, heavy electric guitar riffs, and stee ...

References

External links

*
Stornoway Gazette Coverage

The Herald on Sunday - How HebCelt festival fights depopulation on Lewis and Harris

BBC News - Lulu headlining festival where 70% of acts female

The Herald - Skerryvore and Eddi Reader inducted into HebCelt 'Hall of Fame'

The Scotsman - The 13 women recognised for contributions to Scottish culture

Stornoway Gazette - Cultural leaders call for gender balance in live music
{{coord, 58.21093, N, 6.39314, W, type:event_region:GB, display=title Tourist attractions in the Outer Hebrides Music festivals in Scotland Folk festivals in Scotland Celtic music festivals Music festivals established in 1996