Organisers have put together another wonderful programme of traditional music and entertainment on 7, 8 and 9 July in venues throughout Newton Stewart and Minnigaff.
Festival Director, Nathon Jones has collated a highly impressive festival line-up and worked with businesses and venues in the town to take forward its development.
Nathon said;
“The festival has gone from strength to strength since we started in 2014, and with the support we’ve received this year from Dumfries & Galloway Council’s Major Events Strategic Fund and Awards for All from the Big Lottery Fund we have been able to develop another fantastic programme of events, as well as introduce some new initiatives that aim to make our event sustainable for future years.
We welcome, as we have done every year, the winner of the BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year award with the 2017 winner, Scottish fiddle player Charlie Stewart accompanied by Scottish harpist Becky Hill, performing on Saturday 8th July at the McMillan Hall. Charlie and Becky will also be facilitating fiddle and harp workshops on Saturday afternoon.
We also have a BBC Radio 2 Folk Award 2017 nominee for best album, Jarlath Henderson, for his album ‘Hearts Broken, Heads Turned’, performing on Saturday night with his band and support from one of the world’s most respected and talented guitarists, Tim Edey from England. It really will be a night to remember at the McMillan Hall.”
Local representation features the outstanding Scottish singer Emily Smith from Thornhill accompanied by the superb all-round musician Jamie McClennan. Husband and wife duo Emily and Jamie are celebrating 15 years on the road this year so we’re delighted that they’ve made time to perform in Minnigaff.
Emily and Jamie will headline at the Festival Marquee, Creebridge House Hotel, on Friday 7 July and they will be supported by ATLAS, an outstanding duo from Limerick in Ireland, as well as an exclusive performance from the Festival Association Band.
This year the festival has introduced new venues to its programme. The Acoustic Café at the Belted Galloway in Newton Stewart will feature 7 acts from 12noon until 5:30pm on Saturday 8 July with performers from across Dumfries and Galloway and beyond, entertaining audiences all day.
Audiences will also have the chance to experience the new gin distillery at Newton Stewart with a concert from 3pm on Saturday 8 July that features local singer/songwriter and musician Darcy DaSilva and the fantastic Failte Band from Northern Ireland.
Regular visitors to the festival will also be aware of the tune and song sessions which take place all weekend. These are free to attend and musicians and singers are encouraged to bring their instruments and voices and join in.
Councillor Adam Wilson, the Council’s Events Champion said:
“The Festival Programme that has been put together by Nathon and his colleagues have put together is highly impressive. The Traditional Music Festival, imbued with the best of Celtic traditional music, is a unique event which is putting Newton Stewart and Minnigaff firmly on the festivals map.”
The Festival is one of 18 major events being funded by Dumfries and Galloway Council this year, through its Major Festivals and Events Strategy, 2014-2018. The Strategy is unique within Scotland and has led to spending of £17.6m in Dumfries and Galloway in the period 2014-2016. The Strategy has helped to grow major events such as Wigtown Book Festival, Spring Fling, Tour of Britain, the Eden Festival, Dumfries and Galloway Arts Festival, Big Burns Supper and many more.
Tickets for the Newton Stewart and Minnigaff Traditional Music Festival are on sale now at www.tradmusic.com or from the box office on 01671 404924 / 07762 064 298.
