The headline act is Le Vent du Nord, the Quebec-based folk band who close Saturday evening at Troon Concert Hall. The band has been touring for over two decades, won two Juno Awards and recorded 13 albums. Their sound is rooted in traditional Québécois music with a strong Celtic influence and a reputation for live performance that has taken them to four continents. It is their first appearance at Fresh Ayr.
Festival Director Blair Parham MBE said: “Le Vent du Nord are the kind of band you usually have to travel a long way to see. The fact that they are coming to Troon, alongside so much brilliant Scottish talent, feels like a real moment for the festival.”
Friday 14 August
Friday evening opens with Scottish Fish, a Boston-based fiddle and cello group who grew from a young girls’ fiddle school off the coast of Massachusetts. They have since played Celtic Connections and Festival Interceltique de Lorient and built a following of over 400,000 across social media. Old Blind Dogs follow. Formed in Aberdeen in 1992 and inducted into the Scottish Trad Music Hall of Fame in 2020, they bring fiddle, cittern, pipes and percussion to one of the most consistent live acts in the Scottish scene. Heron Valley headline Friday’s main stage. Active since 2014, they blend traditional tunes with country and bluegrass and are known for high-energy sets.
The Vantage Room at Walker Hall opens Friday with Alice Faye and later features Jeremy Levif and Hannah Rarity, BBC Young Traditional Musician of the Year in 2018 and one of the most recognised voices in contemporary Scottish folk. A late session runs at the South Beach Hotel.
Saturday 15 August
Saturday’s main stage sees Lussa open the evening, followed by Eabhal, who have spent a decade building a reputation for Gaelic and English song rooted in the Outer Hebrides, before Le Vent du Nord close the night. In the Vantage Room, the programme features a young trad showcase from KICK, then Erin Hephzibah, Zoe Eliza, Tom Campbell Trio, Laura Silverstone and Robyn Stapleton. Stapleton won the BBC Young Traditional Musician award in 2014 and is regarded as one of the most accomplished interpreters of Scots song working today. A late session again runs at the South Beach Hotel.
Sunday 16 August
Sunday afternoon hosts a schools performance concert and ceilidh at Troon Concert Hall, developed in partnership with local primary schools as part of Fresh Ayr’s ongoing education programme. Tickets for this event are priced low and children are welcome. The Vantage Room evening closes the festival with Alma and Tarran followed by Gary Innes and Friends. Innes is a founding member of Manran and presenter of Take the Floor and Your Requests on BBC Radio Scotland.
Sessions and Free Events
Free sessions run through Troon pubs on both Saturday and Sunday, including a hosted open session on Sunday afternoon. Instrumental workshops run across the weekend as ticketed add-ons. Walker Hall is open throughout as a relaxed space for all ages, with food, drinks and activities for younger visitors.
Tickets
Tickets are on sale now at freshayrfolkfest.com. Weekend passes, day tickets and evening-only options are available. The Supporter Weekend Pass is limited to 30 and priced at £135. Children’s tickets are available across all ticket types.