Orkney Folk Festival has announced its full programme for the 2025 event, with acts from around the world set to perform across the islands between 22 and 25 May.
Leading artists from Canada, the USA, Australia, Ireland, Denmark, Finland, Sápmi, England and throughout Scotland will join home-grown Orcadian musicians as part of the 60 acts appearing at the festival in its 42ndyear.
The event is set to welcome a bumper contingent of islanders in the year Orkney hosts the International Island Games. Audiences can look forward to performances by artists from islands including Shetland; Skye; Arran; the Isle of Man; Ireland; Cape Breton; Prince Edward Island; Australia; and Manhattan.
This year’s festival offers a diverse line up. Audiences can look forward to performances from visiting artists including Canadian celtic superstars Natalie MacMaster and Donnell Leahy, who are appearing as part of their first UK appearances in 25 years.
Canadian representation is boosted with appearances from Cape Bretoners, Rachel Davis and Darren McMullen, with Zak Cormier from Prince Edward Island; esteemed singer-songwriter Buddy MacDonald; and master of the fiddle and piano, Troy MacGillivray and Mac Morin.
Fans of Nordic folk can look forward to seeing Dreamers’ Circus in one of the few Scottish dates in their 16-year career, as well Sámi artist Emil Kárlsen and Finnish folk supremos, Frigg, as they mark their 25thanniversary. Some of the festival’s furthest travelled acts also include Australians, The Maes, and Guy Davis and Natalie and Brittany Haas from the USA.
The programme features 55 events, including concerts, ceilidhs, lounge performances, workshops and family events, at venues across Orkney. It’s been designed to cater for all tastes, to celebrate both local and visiting artists, as well as contemporary and traditional folk music.
While more than half of all events will take place in the festival’s hometown of Stromness, performances are also planned in Birsay, Deerness, Finstown, Harray, Hoy, Kirkwall, Sanday, Sandwick, St Margaret’s Hope, Stenness and Tankerness.
The popular Gathering concert returns, with this year’s event celebrating the similarities and differences of music from Orkney and Cape Breton. Two musically fertile island communities, they’ve long held a mutual love and appreciation for each other’s rich cultural heritage. In the fifteenth year of the Gathering concerts, musicians from both shores unite under the joint musical direction of Douglas Montgomery and Troy MacGillivray, for a 2,500-mile island hop,
There will be further celebrations as the festival marks the 30th year of Hadhirgaan – the prestigious music education project founded by the Scots Trad Music Awards Tutor of the Year, Douglas Montgomery. Past and present pupils will join Douglas, and Orcadian folk acts Fara, Gnoss and Auskerry (which all feature current or former Hadhirgaan members), at a special gala concert recognising the huge impact the group has made on Orkney’s arts and culture.
The 2025 festival also includes its first ever cinema event, with a special screening of Kim Carnie’s multi award-winning film, Kim Carnie Out Loud. From the age of 16, Kim spent six years in a secret same-sex relationship. In the film, she meets other members of the LGBTQ+ community who also hid their sexuality for a variety of reasons. Kim Carnie Out Loud is both an exploration of the challenges faced by people because of their sexuality and a joyous celebration of being gay. Kim will attend the screening to take questions from audience members.
Giving families the chance to enjoy folk music together continues to be at the heart of the festival’s offering. Dragon Song Productions are offering interactive productions featuring puppets, songs and storytelling for children under the age of six.
The popular Family Folkie also returns to Stromness Academy on Saturday afternoon – providing a family-friendly Stomp as well as traditional dancing in the Family Ceilidh. These events are in addition to the long running Orkney Folk Festival school visit programme, which gives local children the chance to experience performances from visiting artists on the Thursday and Friday of the festival each year.
For adults looking to get on their feet, the festival continues to offer its popular Friday and Saturday night Stomps. The Chair is joined by Gnoss for a double Orkney special at the Saturday edition this year, while Project Smok and Mec Lir will get people moving on Friday night. Those looking for traditional dancing can also take the floor at the Stenness or Kirkwall dances or the Sanday Ceilidh.
Festivalgoers looking to get involved in making music throughout the weekend can book tickets for workshops teaching Orkney fiddle, Finnish fiddle, bluegrass fiddle, bodhran, Cape Breton step dance, cello, and songwriting, led by Graham Rorie, members of Frigg, Brittany Haas, Craig Baxter, Mac Morin, Natalie Haas and Findlay Napier respectively. The popular Orkney Festival Choir also returns over the course of the weekend, delivered by Stromness’s Aimee Leonard, with an additional singing workshop being led by The Maes.
Orkney Folk Festival Producer, Craig Corse said: “In the year that Orkney welcomes its largest number of fellow island visitors – most likely ever – we’re delighted to kick things off with a bumper contingent of islander musicians and singers from across the globe.
“As well as islanders, with Orkney proudly taking centre stage once again, among the 60 acts appearing this year, we welcome a number of our Nordic cousins – with some of the most groundbreaking Finnish, Danish and Sámi artists heading our way. They’ll be joined by more gems from Australia, the USA, Canada, Ireland, the Isle of Man, Scotland, and England, while Orkney’s homegrown artists are once again ready to provide the festival’s famed island welcome. Over 50% of artists proudly hail from our home shores.
“This year we also include our first venture into cinema, musical puppet theatre for the wee ones, the annual Family Folkie events on Saturday afternoon, an enhanced workshop programme, and not forgetting the festival’s famed pub sessions running throughout the weekend in Stromness.
“With 55 events, there’s plenty to satisfy the most varied of folky palates – from the traditional, to the furthest fringes of folk fusion – and with all shows individually ticketed, audiences are able to build their own itinerary to suit their tastes and budgets. Whether joining us for one concert or 12, we can’t wait to welcome audiences back to Stromness and across Orkney, and for the festival magic to begin once again.”
Tickets will go on pre-sale to members of Orkney Friends, the festival’s supporter scheme, on Saturday 29 March, ahead of the general release at 7pm BST on Wednesday 2 April.
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