Ticket Availability
Tickets for the 2013 Orkney Folk Festival are NOW ON SALE.
Whilst a number of events have sold out, there is still good some availability across the weekend. We currently have tickets remaining for:
FRIDAY
- Sanday Soulka Ceilidh - 7.30pm (requires overnight stay)
- Song Club - 10.30pm
- Academy Club - 10.30pm
SATURDAY
- Talk - Orcadians in the Sub-Arctic:
Musical Exchanges with the James Bay Cree - 11:00am
- Lunchtime Club - 12noon
- Saturday Family Concert - 2:00pm
- The Isles Gathering - 7:30pm
- Harray Ceilidh - 7:30pm
- Rousay Ceilidh - 7:30pm
- Song Club - 10.30pm
SUNDAY
- Sunday Supplement - 2:00pm
- Fiddlers' Rally - 2:00pm
Most of these events are down to their last handful of tickets, so we would advise booking as soon as possible. Alternatively, head to the programme page to browse the full event listings and snap up the last remaining tickets.
There are also a handful of free events, as well as sessions - both instrumental and song - pretty much all weekend, although these do die down during the concerts.
See you soon!
Travelling to Stromness by ferry
Serco NorthLink Ferries' MV Hamnavoe, which sails between Scrabster and Stromness and was expected to be out of service until Friday 24th May due to an engine failure and subsquent repair work, will now be back in service three days earlier than anticipated - on Tuesday 21st May.
If anyone who had made alternative plans to get to Orkney now wishes to rearrange these, to arrive in Stromness, we advise contacting Serco NorthLink Ferries direct, on 0845 6000 449
Please note that the festival cannot answer any individual travel queries - please contact Serco NorthLink direct.
Fiddlers' Rally
A mainstay of every Orkney Folk Festival since our very first, in 1983, the Fiddlers' Rally brings together musicians from throughout Orkney and further afield for massed performances of traditional tunes. Hosted by the West Mainland Strathspey and Reel Society, the rally is open to all - not just fiddlers!
Download this year's music (here), and head along to Stromness Academy for a rehearsal on Sunday morning, and you're in the band.
Hello there! Come away in...
Here we are folks – Orkney Folk Festival number 31! It seems like no time at all since we were celebrating (and recovering from) the big 3-0, and we’re delighted to now reveal what we have in store for the 2013 event.
Once again we have some big names coming north to join in the fun in May, and from the ceilidh bands to the almost indie strand, we have brought together a broad mix of artists that we hope appeals to everyone’s interpretation of the increasingly expansive folk genre.
We are also excited to be working on some new and collaborative events within our four-day programme, more of which will be revealed in the New Year.
As ever, our local traditions and musicians – both established and emerging – will be centre stage alongside those visiting the festival. You would be hard pushed to find another festival throughout the country that has such a strong home representation, and it is one that we are hugely proud of.
Times are tough, but everyone needs a break. May 23-26. Orkney. It’s the place to be. See you all soon!
Bob, Colin, Craig, Diane, Eileen, Elaine, Elma, Gavin, Gemma, Jo, Kate and Kenny
– The Orkney Folk Festival Committee
Future Festival Dates
Whilst we're still counting down to the 2013 event, some folks who haven't been able to make it this year have been asking for the 2014, and even 2015 festival dates. Please note the following few years' dates:
2013 - May 23-26
2014 - May 22-25
2015 - May 21-24
2016 - May 26-29
Do you want to perform at the festival?
Please note that the 2013 Orkney Folk Festival line-up is now full, and so we are no longer accepting applications for the festival programme. Thank you all for your overwhelming interest in the Orkney Folk Festival, however please do not send any further CDs or speculative emails as we will be unable to hold these on file. We will be accepting applications for the 2014 festival from June 2013.
Orkney Folk Gather in Glasgow!
The festival's acclaimed showcase project, Orkney Folk: The Gathering, had its heralded mainland Scotland premiere at the 2013 outing of the world-renowned Celtic Connections festival in Glasgow. Over twenty-five Orcadian musicians and singers took to the stage in the city's Old Fruitmarket on Saturday, February 2, selling the venue out, in what was billed as "a resplendent example of local music attaining global calibre". After the 90-minute show, the 700-strong audience rose to their feet in a rapturous standing ovation, prompting one reviewer to write "they came, they saw, they conquered"...
The all-Orcadian line-up and repertoire of The Gathering, which premiered at the 2011 Orkney Folk Festival, showcases several generations of the island' richly distinctive folk culture, from teenage rising stars to veteran moothie ace and storyteller Billy Jolly, all brought together in superb style by musical director and fiddler Douglas Montgomery.
A flavour of the 2012 Orkney Folk Festival
Photos by Leila Angus - Orkney Folk Festival Photographer in Residence 2012 • visit her website •
The soundtrack on this slideshow comes from the new Orkney Folk Festival CD, 'The Gathering'.
Reviews of the 2012 festival can also be found via The Scotsman (five stars!) and Northings.
Other than those of the artistes performing at the 2013 Orkney Folk Festival, most of the images used throughout this site were taken by Leila Angus, Photographer in Residence at the 2012 festival. • visit her website •
The Orkney Folk Festival is a registered charity: SCO27280