Visit Scotland | Alba
Article published 14/07/2022

Dandelion reveal first line-up of artists and activity for major free festival in Inverness

Our partners at Dandelion announced the first acts for their second and final festival. It will take place at the Northern Meeting Park in Inverness this September, and follows the success of their festival in Glasgow.

 

The incredible line up for Inverness will include:

  • King Creosote - Scottish singer-songwriter
  • Tank and the Bangas - a rock, funk, soul and hip-hop group from New Orleans
  • The Lost Words - a celebration of music, literature, language and art (their Spell Songs project calls us all to reawaken our love of nature and the wild)

 

There will also be performances from:

  • Dallahan -one of the most distinct forces in international folk music
  • Sona Jobarteh - Gambian kora virtuoso
  • Nati Dreddd - singer-songwriter
  • Dreamers’ Circus - Nordic folksters
  • Hannah Rarity - former BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year
  • The Ross Ainslie & Ali Hutton Trio
  • Scott Matthews
  • Hamish Napier - a folk musician whose recent album The Woods is a tribute to the stories and heritage of his native Highlands
  • National Youth Pipe Band
  • Acibreira

 

The organisation will announce some more very special guests ahead of the festival.

The festival is presented in partnership with Celtic Connections. Scottish musician, composer, and producer Donald Shaw curated the music line up. You might know him better as the Creative Director of Glasgow’s world-acclaimed Celtic Connections.

Visitors will see performances across two stages: "Pavilion of Perpetual Light" and "Dandelion". The former, a striking 33-feet-tall art installation, will serve as the main stage. It's made from sixty 3 x 3 feet accelerated growing cubes. These were specially created for the Dandelion programme and form a giant structure with a built-in stage. During the festival, it will acts as a "living" backdrop to performances.

The festival will open on Friday morning with a day of programming dedicated to schools and young people. Family activities include The Nursery area for under 5s.

Locally sourced food and drink will be available from a range of sustainable vendors. There will also be creative activities across the site in the bespoke Dandelion Potting Sheds.

The Hothouse tent, just outside the park at Eden Court, will serve as a venue for talks by leading scientists, chefs, artists and activists. Come to learn more about sustainability, climate action and food poverty.

“We can’t wait to host the second instalment of the Dandelion Festival. The excitement not only within our team but also amongst the general public is very high, especially after the enormous success of the festival that took place last month in Glasgow where we welcomed 44,000 people into Kelvingrove Park.

“As before, all musicians who feature on our line-up have a passion for the values of Dandelion, sharing our beliefs in environmentalism and what individuals can do in the face of the climate emergency. It is such a great way to bring people together whilst also tackling important social and environmental issues.

“We’re really looking forward to illuminating Northern Meeting Park with our ‘Pavilion of Perpetual Light’ whilst educating and entertaining everyone who stops by. It’s set to be another fantastic weekend.”

Music Director for Dandelion, Donald Shaw

“It’s wonderful to see the first line-up of artists and activity revealed for the Dandelion Festival set to take place in Inverness this September. Following the success of the Glasgow festival in June, this presents another fantastic opportunity for both visitors and local communities to come together, explore the free creative programme on offer, and share memorable experiences.

“Scotland is one of the best places in the world to experience live events, and we are delighted to be supporting an inspiring, far-reaching project that not only brings together music and art with science and technology, but that also encourages us to think positively about how we can all play our part in shaping a sustainable future.”

Marie Christie, Head of Development at VisitScotland

“It has been thrilling seeing Dandelion events roll out across Scotland over the past few months and the festival in Glasgow was wonderful, attracting large crowds throughout the weekend in June. The Inverness line-up looks just as good, from the music to the growing activities. With something for people of all ages, it will be a key part of a packed programme of UNBOXED activity taking place around the UK this September.”

Martin Green, Chief Creative Officer for UNBOXED

The festival is part of Dandelion, a dynamic creative programme following the arc of the growing season from April to September 2022. It brings together music and art with science and technology to inspire people to "sow, grow and share" music, food, ideas and stories. Dandelion is part of UNBOXED: Creativity in the UK. It is commissioned by EventScotland and funded by the Scottish Government.

The Dandelion Festival is free to attend and non-ticketed. The full programme will be announced later in August.

More info, including the full Dandelion programme.

Related links

01/04/2022

The Buzz is Back

The return of live events is being showcased in a new campaign.