The countdown to the 44th Shetland Folk Festival is now on as organisers have launched the visiting artist line-up for 2026.
From 30th April to 3rd May, a mixture of fresh and familiar faces will grace Shetland stages with fifteen visiting acts representing nine different nations.
2026 will see a large contingent of bands coming from across the Atlantic and representation from USA, Canada and Mexico (quite fitting in this World Cup Year!).
One band destined to be a hit in Shetland are Jake Vaadeland and the Sturgeon River Boys with their foot stomping and high energy performances. Only in his early 20s, Vaadeland (from Saskatchewan, Canada) just won a coveted Juno Award in his home country and is already solidifying his status as a rising star in the music industry, with his distinctive fusion of traditional country, 50s Rockabilly, and Bluegrass.
The Onlies are part of a powerful new generation of string band music. Multi-instrumentalists and vocalists, Sami Braman, Riley Calcagno, and Leo Shannon formed the band in Seattle as youngsters, bringing in celebrated guitarist/singer Vivian Leva 10 years later. With fiddles, banjos, guitars, bass, autoharp, harmonium, electric guitar, and four-part vocal harmonies they seem a perfect band for Shetland Folk Festival audiences to witness.
The Foreign Landers are an acoustic folk and bluegrass duo composed of the husband-and-wife team – mandolinist David Benedict (from South Carolina) and Tabitha Agnew Benedict (from Northern Ireland) who plays banjo and vocals. They are known for blending the musical styles of their respective homelands, along with moving songwriting and virtuosic instrumental work. Rooted in bluegrass and Celtic tradition, the band creates their own sound with reflective songwriting and enchanting singing shaped by lives lived across borders
Something very different but completely immersive and bound to go down well in the isles with its blend of vintage country, folk, blues, warmth and humour is The Complete Recordings of Hezekiah Procter (1925–1930) – a distinctive live music experience created by acclaimed Montreal songwriter Li’l Andy. The project brings the sound and spirit of 1920s Americana vividly to life through song, storytelling and period style. Anchored by Li’l Andy’s resonant baritone voice and engaging stage presence, it also features a superb band of roots musicians, including Sam Allison and Brian Sanderson (who will be familiar to Shetland Folk Festival audiences from their 2016 appearance with Sheesham Lotus & Son) alongside Amy Alvey – a country and roots fiddler from Nashville.
Los Vega is a family-based ensemble from Vera Cruz, Mexico with over 20 years of experience performing the traditional music known as son jarocho. Known for their strong cultural roots, refined musicianship, and dynamic stage presence, the group has become a standout name in the world of traditional Mexican music. They have performed at major cultural festivals and venues across Mexico, as well as in the United States, Canada, China, and Colombia while their music has also been featured in film and received Oscar nominations.
As well as brand new music to Shetland, this year will see the return of highly regarded gypsy jazz exponents, Les Fils Canouche. The French quartet blew local audiences away in 2019 with their inventive take on jazz and world music and their atypical mix of accordion, clarinet, guitar and double bass.
Another welcome return will come in the form of world renowned string ensemble, Tim Kliphuis Trio – who draw onclassical, gypsy jazz and Celtic traditions. Award-winning Dutch violinist Tim Kliphuis, guitarist Nigel Clark and bassist Roy Percy will be celebrating their 20th year of touring in 2026, and they return to Shetland after an eight year gap.
Kliphuis will also perform his classical music suite, The Stirling Queen to Shetland audiences for the first time. This was inspired by his last time in Shetland and hearing the story of Queen Margaret of Denmark and the historic ties between Shetland, Orkney and Scotland. It tells the story of Margaret’s life using various Nordic and Celtic styles and will be backed by local young musicians as part of the festival’s continuous focus on inspiring the next generation of talent.
Less far travelled but just as eagerly anticipated will be Orcadian supergroup, The Chair. The ultimate party band will mark their 6th appearance with the inclusion of an even bigger sound in the form of their very own brass section (known as the Skatehorns). They will perform a special ‘Islands’ themed showcase celebrating what island communities bring to the national stage, alongside local favourites folk rockers, The Revellers and another Festival debutant, Tumbling Souls. Hailing from the Isle of Lewis, the country/indie influenced outfit are led by singer-songwriter, Willie Campbell and made up of members from Face the West, Astrid and previous Festival faves, Hò-rò.
Scottish-based talent is also represented by four brand new acts to Shetland. Acclaimed Singer-songwriter and former BBC Young Traditional Musician of the Year, Hannah Rarity, will make a long overdue appearance in the isles alongside her band with her blend of traditional and contemporary songs. Will Pound & Jenn Butterworth are regarded as one of the most exciting trad duos in the UK just now with Pound’s dazzling harmonica and melodeon playing alongside Butterworth’s stunning guitar and songs. Both highly regarded musicians in their own right and nominated for various accolades in the UK folk scene, they excel in collaboration and off the cuff live performance – something audiences won’t want to miss!
World Champion piping powerhouse, Ross Miller will also set foot in Shetland for the first time. As well as being a member of the Red Hot Chilli Pipers and former finalist of the BBC Young Trad Musician of the Year, he showcases his own infectious passion and flare with accomplished band members: Charlie Stewart (Fiddle), Rory Matheson (keys), Graeme Armstrong (Guitar), Rory Grindlay (Drums) and Ruairidh MacLean (Bass).
Isla Ratcliff is a fiddle player, singer and composer from Edinburgh whose work sits at the meeting point of Scottish traditional music, classical repertoire and contemporary composition. Her appearances will centre on showcasing her 2025 album release, The Scottish Four Seasons, a bold Scottish trad reimagining of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, released last year to mark the 300th anniversary of the work’s original publication.
Like last year, the festival will also link with other traditional music hotbeds around the world to demonstrate the rich potential of traditional talent in our various communities. Finnish music is represented again by Huippu – a 6-piece new-generation Nordic folk powerhouse, blending contemporary folk with influences from Nordic and Irish traditions and the melodic sensibility of pop. Formed in Finland in 2023 by six close friends, the band’s sound is driven by tight grooves, infectious melodies and a light, joyful energy
Donegal’s Fiddle tradition will also be celebrated through the inclusion of Irish fiddle champion champion, Megan McGinley. Hailing from Gaoth Dobhair, a region renowned for its Irish-language culture and distinctive fiddle style, she is an Ulster Senior Fiddle Champion and All-Ireland Fleadh finalist. She will be joined by another young fiddle player and singer from the North-West Donegal Gaeltacht and a leading voice of her generation, Nia Byrne and completing this trio is Marty Barry, from Banbridge, County Down. The highly respected guitarist, banjo player and singer is a familiar face to Shetland Folk Festival audiences through his previous appearances with The Friel Sisters and The High Seas.
The full programme will be announced in the coming weeks. As usual, over a hundred local performers will play over the four days with acts such as Maggie Adamson, The Revellers, Shetland’s Heritage Fiddlers, Kansa, Barry Nisbet and all-female youth band Laldy confirmed at this time. While the festival club will be based again in Islesburgh Community Centre, concerts will happen across the isles as in previous years.
The Four-day music extravaganza kicks off on Thu 30th April and organisers are keen to keep encouraging young and old players and audiences to get involved, whether as a performer, audience member or volunteer.
Memberships will go on sale on 1st February.
Louise Jamieson (Folk Festival Publicity Officer) hopes audiences will be excited by the variety again this year and the range of performances on offer: “The breadth and quality of acts this year is as great as ever and we’re so excited for folk to hear so many of these acts for the first time in our islands. Equally it is so much fun seeing artists return especially when they were so well received in the past here.”
“From bigger scale standing sprees to intimate and immersive experiences, we strive to make the event as accessible to everyone and connect local talent with what’s happening across the world. It will be really exciting to see The Stirling Queen take shape with young musicians sharing a stage with world class classical and folk artists and telling a story so wrapped up in Shetland’s history and culture.”