Everything you need to know about Tiree Music Festival

Tiree Music Festival is an island adventure and a must-do on the Scottish festival bucket list.

Thanks to its glorious white sands and world-famous surf, Tiree is often dubbed “The Hawaii of the North”.

Keeping it small and intimate, tickets to the 2,100 capacity event are in high demand and always sell out quickly. So whether you are going this year or planning a future trip, here is all you need to know.

What is it?

A home-grown idea, Tiree Music Festival is the brainchild of islander and musician Daniel Gillespie of the band Skerryvore. For many years, he found himself performing at festivals around the world thinking how great it would be to have a similar event back home.

One day, he and fellow Tiree local Stewart MacLennan decided to create exactly that.

A celebration of Scottish folk music was born. It takes place in July. Music is Friday to Sunday, with a warm up party on Thursday night.

There is an open air main stage, a marquee-housed community village stage and an indoor ceilidh stage.

You can go camping, glamping or even take a motor home.

How do I get there?

The majority of festival-goers travel to Tiree Music Festival by CalMac ferry from Oban. The picturesque West Coast sailing takes around four hours and books up very quickly.

You can also fly from Glasgow or Oban. Private charter companies operate boat trips.

A shuttle bus runs from the ferry terminal at Scarinish to the festival site at Crossapol. The trip is five miles. A return ticket is £12.

There is a bike and car hire service on the island.

What does it cost?

A weekend ticket for Tiree Music Festival is £95 plus a booking fee.

Don’t forget to take into account the cost of getting there.

Camping prices depend on whether you bring a tent or a campervan, or fancy staying in the luxury of one of the beach-side glamping pitches.

You could always choose to stay in one of the island hotels or B&Bs.

Who plays it?

This year’s line-up

Naturally, Skerryvore are a festival mainstay.

Another popular local trad act, Tide Lines, had their first gig there.

Sandi Thom headlined back in the early days, and returned for the tenth Tiree Music Festival in 2019.

The Fratellis have also been in on the act. In 2022, Newton Falkner is taking centre stage.

What else can you get up to?

The festival always includes a packed program of fringe events to allow the crowd to really make their most of the time on the island and enjoy an extended holiday.

Events include tours and tastings at Tyree Gin’s open day. In 2022 for the time ever – the festival has teamed up with the Tiree Fèis (Fèis Thiriodh). The island’s annual week-long summer school is running classes in traditional music and Gaelic song.

On Thursday evening, the Tree Music Festival big top will host a special family music and dance extravaganza in partnership with the Fèis.

As part of Scotland’s Year of Stories 2022, TMF will also be part of Tìr Ìseal nan Òran – an island-wide project celebrating Tiree’s stories, heritage, culture and Gaelic language.

Local artists, young people and the wider Tiree community are being invited to take part in exploring and re-telling stories through a mixture of traditional music and song, film and photography, theatre and writing, and Gaelic and English.

Fascinating facts

The festival has a Thursday night warm up party. There is a fancy dress theme – in 2022 it is “Under the Sea” – and the best costume will win a special Tiree Music Festival prize!

It is ethical. In 2022 all waste is being taken off the island to be recycled. Paper cups replace single-use ones at bars and vendors across the site. More bike racks are installed to encourage people to bring their bike and use this to get around the island.

Up and coming acts new to the music industry are a regular feature. As are bands from across the world.

An abundance of local produce is served up by the food stalls. And the local tipple is available to sample.

Wellies – while it would be awesome if Tiree’s sunshine was guaranteed, make sure you pack for all eventualities. Bring plenty of warm and waterproof clothes.

A wee bit of history…

The first Tiree Music Festival took place in July 2010 and was attended by a capacity crowd of 600. Bands performed from the back of a lorry trailer.

It has since flourished with an increased 2100-strong capacity. In fact, the crowd size is three times the population of the island.

Selling out year-on-year, the festival has contributed £6.4million to the island economy in the last 10 years.