Inverness city traditional music festival The Gathering announces next year's line-up

THE Gathering Festival is set to return to The Northern Meeting Park in Inverness for its second outing on Saturday, May 30 next year with a line-up aiming to showcase the best traditional music, food, drink and crafts from the Highlands and across Scotland.

The family-friendly one-day festival will feature a line-up including legendary Scottish trailblazers Peatbog Faeries who have created a glorious mixture of traditional sounds and dance-floor grooves that have been embraced worldwide.

Drawing upon a myriad of influences from jigs and reels through dance music, jazz, African, and more, they will bring the sound of Scotland fresh-faced and breathless to The Gathering.

Also joining the bill and making a very overdue return to Inverness are a Celtic rock band which needs no introduction, Wolfstone. Next year will see the band celebrate 30 years in the music business. What began as a traditional dance band playing the village halls of the Highlands evolved into a folk rock extravaganza, crossing musical, cultural and age boundaries.

Other acts appearing on the main stage include the world’s most famous bagpipe band The Red Hot Chilli Pipers; one of the 2019 festival’s highlights Torridon; one of the world’s most prolific fiddle groups and ‘The Led Zeppelin of the folk world’ Blazin’ Fiddles; Trail West who are leading the thriving scene of Gaels in the city of Glasgow, RhythmNReel who are guaranteed to get any festival in full swing and final act for the moment The City Of Inverness Youth Pipes & Drums. Still to come is a full range of suppliers, full stage two and children’s entertainment line-ups are still to come plus an expanded fringe programme with some special events in the pipeline.

Promoter Dougie Brown, said: “We are delighted to unveil the line-up for The Gathering 2020.

“We were completely blown away by the response to the first outing of The Gathering last May and can’t wait to welcome everyone back to Inverness next summer for round two!

“We have an incredible array of talent in the Highlands and Scotland from musicians to food and drink suppliers and crafters and it is wonderful to bring them all together and celebrate the very best we have to offer.”

The inaugural Gathering Festival took place on Saturday, June 1 this year and sold out over six weeks ahead of the event. The line-up featured The Vatersay Boys, Tidelines, Elephant Sessions, Ho-Ro amongst many others.

Tickets are available now from Eden Court, The Ironworks and Cafferys (Inverness).