After a two-year hiatus Tiree Music Festival returned for a three-day spectacular with over 30 performances across the weekend, alongside a host of family-friendly activities to keep all ages entertained.
With sand, sea and (mostly) sunshine, the magical inner Hebridean festival delivered on all fronts for its 11th edition with world-class music and picture-perfect beaches.
Returning for the first time since its epic 10th birthday celebrations in 2019, this year’s event welcomed an exhilarating line-up of local, Scottish and international talent.
Singer-songwriter sensation Newton Faulkner played TMF for the first time on Friday, braving a three-hour rib journey across the Atlantic Ocean to make it to the festival on time for his set after his flight from Glasgow was cancelled due to low lying clouds. The TMF audience showed their appreciation by turning out in the droves to sing along to hits, including Dream Catch Me.
Homegrown talent Skipinnish and Skerryvore headlined the festival on the Saturday and Sunday night while renownedAmericana talent Jill Jackson, Scottish pop star Callum Beattie and Swedish trio Baskery amazed TMF audiences with their incredible performances. US band Betsy Ade & The Well Known Strangers, who were finalists of The Voice!, also made their UK festival debut.
The incredible emerging talent we have in Scotland also took centre stage with appearances from Edinburgh pop duo The Eves, electro-trad newcomers Valtos, up-and-coming folk group Eabhal, TikTok singing star Nati Dreddd and singer-songwriter Cammy Barnes.
This year’s festival also included a packed programme for the youngsters to enjoy with dancing and drama workshops, music lessons, stories, film screenings and Gaelic Book Bug.
There was also a host of fringe events which allowed festival-goers to make the most of their time on the island and enjoy an extended holiday. These included tours and tastings at Tyree Gin, alongside the festival teaming up with the Tiree Fèis (Fèis Thiriodh), Tiree’s annual week-long summer school running classes in traditional music and Gaelic song, for the first time.
Having joined Creative Carbon Scotland’s Green Arts Initiative, this year’s festival had a renewed focus on sustainability. All waste is being taken off the island to be recycled and more bike racks have been installed to encourage people to bring their bikes to get around the island.
The inaugural Tiree Music Festival took place in July 2010 and was attended by a capacity crowd of 600. The annual event has since flourished with an increased 2100-strong capacity – an attendance that is three times the population of the island. Selling out year-on-year, the festival has contributed £6.4 million to the island economy in the last 10 years.
The Island of Tiree is often dubbed “The Hawaii of the North” and with picture-perfect white sands and world-famous surf, a trip to Tiree Music Festival is a real Island adventure, often described as one of the most stunning festival locations in the world.
Daniel Gillespie, Artistic Director for Tiree Music Festival, said: “It’s been a long time coming but getting to celebrate the 11th edition of the festival has been incredible. Travel disruptions and unexpected infrastructure changes have both brought their challenges but the spirit, commitment and positive attitude of the TMF audiences, artists, staff and volunteers never ceases to amaze us and I just can’t thank everyone enough for making this weekend such a special and memorable event.”
For more information on Tiree Music Festival please go to www.tireemusicfestival.co.uk
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