The organisers of Monsterfest believe Eden Court Theatre could fill the void left post-Ironworks.
The music festival was held for four years at the Ironworks where it started in 2018.
But it moved to Eden Court’s OneTouch Theatre last year due to uncertainty over the Ironworks which closed earlier this month.
Monsterfest will return to Eden Court on November 4 for a one-night Wee Monster event, with plans for a three-night run in 2024.
Who’s playing at Monsterfest 2023?
It has just confirmed its full line-up with headliners the leading Welsh rock act Scarlet Rebels.
The five-piece band saw their 2022 album ‘See Through Blue’, reach No7 in the Official UK Charts.
Josh Townshend, nephew of The Who’s legendary guitarist Pete Townshend, is a member of the band.
Others playing at the Wee Monster include South of Salem, Anchor Lane, SKAM, Maris and the Moths, North Atlas, Kit Trigg and Silent Thieves.
Monsterfest organiser Mark Allison said: “Having Monsterfest in Eden Court last year was a revelation.
“We had an idea of how good it could be, but once we worked with the team at Eden Court to help transform the space in the OneTouch Theatre to more of a music venue, the final result was beyond our expectations.
“This was reinforced by comments from the audience.
“The loss of the Ironworks was a big blow to music fans in Inverness and the Highlands.
“But I think Eden Court is ideally suited to fill the gap left by its closure.”
As well as the main event on November 4, Monsterfest will be holding events throughout Inverness during the build-up.
It also works alongside Developing Young Workforce (DYW) on an education day with satellite events in schools.
What’s happening with the Ironworks?
The Ironworks held its final gig on February 4 when indie folk band Elephant Sessions was the final band on stage.
The search for a replacement is continuing, although the Eastgate Centre has been ruled out.
The site of the popular venue is to become a 155-bed hotel after Bricks Capital secured planning permission last August.
Eden Court chief executive Rebecca Holt said: “At Eden Court, we were really sad to see the closure of the Ironworks as one of our fellow Inverness-based live entertainment venues.
“We know how important it is that there is a space where people can see live music locally, so we’ve been looking at what we can do to fill that gap in our flexible OneTouch Theatre space.”
She said the success of last year’s Monsterfest, and other music gigs, shows it is possible to transform the OneTouch Theatre into a high-quality 300-400 capacity music venue.
“We can’t replace the Ironworks – the capacity there was more than double what we can offer for standing gigs.
“But we can certainly offer music fans a great night out with top quality sound, a brilliant atmosphere and friendly service.”
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