More Acts Announced For Big Burns Supper

 The full rip roaring programme for Dumfries and Galloways 2017’s Big Burns Supper, the 10 day

Scottish Winter Festival in Dumfries, has been announced. Dozens of established artists have been

added to the bill, as well as a radical new community arts festival which will take place alongside

the main event in neighbourhoods across Dumfries.

NEW ADDITIONS Eddi Reader, Peatbog Faeries, Skerryvore and Dervish

join Lulu, Ukelele Orchestra of Great Britain, Charlie Landsborough, King

Cresote, Seth Lakeman, Nicola Benedetti and Hackney Colliery Band to

perform at this year’s event alongside radical new community arts festival

2017 also sees the festival being extended to ten days in length for the first time, with the addition

of The Sunday Session on Sunday 29th January; a full day party featuring some of Scotland’s biggest

stars, including Eddi Reader, Skerryvore, and The Peatbog Faeries. The day-long event will also

include local bands Skayaman and The Dangleberries. Guests will be able to enjoy all acts for an all-in-

one ticket, with the event running from 2pm.

Retuning this year is the hugely popular Carnival, which takes place on Sunday 22nd January and

includes spectacular shows and events for all tastes and ages. Irish Celtic legends Dervish will play a

special post Burns Night Carnival performance at the Easterbrook Hall on Sunday 22nd January.

Another immensely popular element of the festivities making a triumphant return is Burns Night

Live on Burns Night itself, Wednesday 25th January. This year, the much loved event will be hosted

by double BBC2 Folk Award nominee, Emily Smith, and also event includes over 40 different artists

from across Dumfries & Galloway in a unique show which is suitable for grownups and families

alike. The event will also be broadcast online live through the festival website ensuring that it is as

far-reaching a cultural event as possible.

An essential new element of this year’s festival is Transform Dumfries, a brand-new community

development project that will see eight neighbourhood hubs presenting 35 different events, all as

part of the overall Festival. Events will take place in Lochside, Lincluden, Troqueer, Locharbriggs,

Georgetown, Calside and will include a town centre hub at The Stove, and a children’s hub at the

Theatre Royal. Each area has created its own community programme which is designed to

encourage even more local participation at the Festival.

The Transform Dumfries project created by a team of eight, especially appointed community leaders

who have been working with festival organisers ahead of the Festival. They are exceptionally varied

in content, including everything from a Ghost Tour of Lincluden Abby, to a Pensioners Choir in

Lochside.

Commenting on Transform Dumfries, Executive Producer, Graham Main, said

“Transform Dumfries is about audiences being at the centre of the celebration in their own distinctive

way. It’s all about getting people involved and inviting more people to come and celebrate. The idea

that there are parties and events happening in every nook and cranny of Dumfries, helps to

reenergise Dumfries as a cultural winter destination”

A groundbreaking project, key to the festival’s commitments to making cultural events accessible to

all is Queer Haggis, an LGBTQ special edition of the ever popular Scottish Cabaret sensation Le

Haggis set to will run on Thursday 26th January. Queer Haggis, which will be a South of Scotland

Winter Pride event, will include a host of international queer artists performing alongside the Le

Haggis company in what promises to be the most alternative version of the show to date and a must

see for anyone who wants to be amongst the first to experience this new theatrical phenomenon.
At the heart of Big Burns Supper is the ongoing desire and commitment to make sure cultural

experience is ageless, with events for all generations. Washing Line Project , is a special heritage

project involving over 300 older people who have contributed stories about their memories of the

town. The free public art project will see over 120 pieces of clothing hanging across the town centre

throughout the festival with each piece of clothing represents a memory – a real chance to contrast

Dumfries of old, to the present day

And at the other end of the generational scale, Bairns Day Oot is a special event for children, which

has been created by parents in partnership with Peter Pan MoatBrae and the Theatre Royal. Taking

place on Saturday 28th January, and open to all children under the age of nine, the three-hour event

will see the Theatre Royal transform into a giant interactive playground.

Other key events and activities at the festival include:

• Simply Dylan – John O’Connell’s personal exploration and celebration of the rich and diverse

work of Bob Dylan. The show will include special guests who will be playing their favourite

Dylan songs on Saturday 28th January.

• Paul Foot – Described as a “rare exotic bird” of comedy (Daily Express), Paul first won the

BBC New Comedy Award in 1997, and has since received a slew of other nominations > he

appears regularly on BBC Radio 4. Paul will appear at Theatre Royal on Tuesday 24th January

• Quantum Magic – premiered last year at the Edinburgh International Science

Festival. Shows have received multiple five star reviews, which resulted in a Radio 4

commission and received multiple awards. Quantum Magic plays at the Theatre Royal on

Monday 23rd January

• Festival of Light project – a free event which will run throughout the Festival, from dusk

until dawn, and help to animate parts of the town centre. The project is led by local filmmaker

John Wallace, artist Robbie Coleman and Producer David Smith.

• The 2017 Big Burns Supper includes 145 events which will be performed in 31 different

venues