Latest Updates

Rachel, Julian and the team at the George will be serving drinks and food, providing session space and hosting a stage at the back of the café, with daytime programming by Up Yer Airts, a local organisation led by young people, empowering young people to curate vibrant cultural events and refine their craft as arts and creative industry professionals in Dumfries and Galloway. 

Please keep the main bar space clear for quick service – sessions are welcome in the café and riverside room.

Please don’t light fires on the ground in the campsite – this is part of a working family farm during the rest of the year. Barbecues are fine, as long as they are raised off the ground.

Catering will be on offer at the George, from Piccola Italia, at Jade’s pop up café in the Institute and you can buy supplies from Watson’s shop. Keep an eye out for breakfast rolls being sold by Moniaive Primary Parent Council on Saturday and Sunday in the camping field.

If you need first aid, please come to the Festival information stand at the back of the George.

Did you know the festival was a response to the foot and mouth crisis of 2001? The folk festival played a key role in helping the village recover, keeping businesses open and attracting new people who wanted to come and live in the village. Special acknowledgement to Hugh Taylor and Sue Grant who played a big role in establishing this event. The festival is really important for our rural village economy so please make use of our local businesses and donate to the festival!

Dogs are welcome but they must be kept on a lead and may not be permitted in all venues. Please bring plentiful poo bags and clear up after your canine.

Donations: there are no ticket sales — the festival operates on a suggested donation basis for camping and performances. It's not a free festival though, and donations are completely essential to ensure it can continue.

Jeezo, C’s a popular one....

Cash! There is no ATM here – the nearest one is in Thornhill about 20 mins drive away. 

Camping is available in the field at the back of the George. A donation of min £10 a night is recommended for this. Last year the site was full so a) please set up considerately and b) keep an eye on the Facebook page for updates before you travel. The campsite will not open until 4pm on Thursday and closes at noon on Monday. Please no fires, no dogs off leads, no peeing in the burn (the homes on the other side can see you, and don’t want to) and please keep the noise down after midnight. Stick to these rules or we will kindly but persistently ask you to leave.

There will also be a Craft Fair in the Institute 11-3 on the Saturday. Take cash!

Although the Craigdarroch is not in use this year, don’t worry, the George will be open as usual, as well as a marquee bar in the camping field at the rear of the George, and a bar in the Masonic. The field bar and Masonic will be opening Friday late afternoon and 12-12 Saturday and Sunday.

If you’re missing Tim, you’ll find him in the Institute running the bar there (open from Friday late afternoon and Saturday 12-12). All the bars are run by local folks. Look out for Legs Miserables, who are running the camping field bar as a fundraiser for village outdoor gym equipment.

So many amazing live acts! Highlights include Los Chicanos, Gravedancer, Malin Lewis Trio, Sal Tonn, Och Vey, Darach, the Water Chorus, Heather Cartwright and Sam Mabbett , Guillaume Tiberghien , Swelkie, Henry Parker,  Alula Down , Jeri Foreman and Ruth Eliza , Colin and Cat Train, and loads of others, including home grown talent from the village and local young performers on the Up Yer Airts stage. You can view the whole programme right here on the website. Gigs are not ticketed - donations are encouraged.

Welcome to our newest addition to our new website – the latest news page. As there are 26 days to go to the festival, we thought we’d do an A-Z (we might live to regret that decision). But before we go for letter A - first of all, we’d like to draw your attention to the information page and ask you to have a read . We know things will be a little different this year; you might have heard that one of our principal venues, the Craigdarroch Arms Hotel, is currently closed, so we have arranged for other venues to host live music, workshops and session spaces. This year’s music spaces will be the George; the Masonic Hall (opposite the George), the Institute and the church. Don’t worry about session spaces – there will be session spaces and when we get to ‘S’ we’ll tell you all about it.

Which brings us to….