The first acts for next year’s Hebridean Celtic Festival have been confirmed as the event has been shortlisted for another award.
Tide Lines, Talisk and FARA will be part of the line-up for the 2019 HebCelt which will be held from July 17-20 in Stornoway.
Tide Lines, who appeared in two sold-out shows in Stornoway last night (Wed) and play another in Tarbert, Harris tonight (thurs), will be returning to HebCelt for the third successive year, this time as headliners on the Thursday evening.
Also making a return to HebCelt in 2019 are explosive folk band Talisk who added to their impressive list of awards by securing a Belhaven Bursary for Innovation in Scottish Music at the recent Scottish Trad Music Awards.
FARA bring together four exceptional young musicians from Orkney who are at the forefront of today’s Scottish folk scene.
HebCelt has been named as a finalist in the rural tourism category of the Scottish Rural Awards, which celebrate the enterprise, innovation, dedication and community spirit of those who live in rural Scotland.
Winners will be announced on March 21 and, if successful, it will be the sixth major accolade collected by HebCelt in under a year.
Festival director Caroline Maclennan said: “We are thrilled to be shortlisted for another prestigious award. It gives the whole team a lift as we start preparations for our 24th HebCelt with the announcement of the first three acts.”
The 2018 HebCelt, headlined by Deacon Blue, The Fratellis, Eddi Reader, Roddy Woomble and Skipinnish, was the most successful to date, selling out on all four days.
An independent report on the event underlined its major economic impact and key role bringing visitors to the islands.
Attendances reached nearly 18,000 over the four days, the highest ever number, and the festival directly generated net economic effect of £2.1million, which helped safeguard 38 tourism-related jobs.
