Blas Festival goes all-online for 11 straight days on November 20th

The annual Blas Festival of Gaelic culture is going all-online beginning on November 20th for 11 consecutive days with an impressive line-up of some of Scotland’s best-loved traditional musicians and singers.

Blas – Gaelic for “taste” or “sample” – will feature some great piping, including performances by Highland pipers Brìghde Chaimbeul, Duncan MacGillivray and James Duncan Mackenzie, as well as a plethora of some of the greatest Highland and Islands of Scotland and international talent through a mix of ticketed and free live-streamed and pre-recorded concerts; cèilidhs; workshops; daytime song sessions; talks on various aspects of Gaelic culture, drama performances and film.

The Blas Festival is organized by Fèisean nan Gàidheal in partnership with the Highland Council and was started in 2005 to have a festival that would match Cape Breton’s Celtic Colours.

The Blas Festival will culminate with a St. Andrew’s Night concert of performances of “newly composed Gaelic songs inspired by Scotland’s Coasts and Waters” and a performance by the Hebridean band, Beinn Lee.

A few of the venues at which performances will be captured include Dunvegan Castle, Braes Hall and the Sligachan Hotel on Skye and the Eden Court Theatre in Inverness.

“In what has been a challenging year for musicians and communities, we are very much looking forward to bringing an online Blas Festival to people’s homes and to extending the festival’s reach through digital means,” said Arthur Cormack of Fèisean nan Gàidheal. “We are grateful to our funders, particularly The Highland Council, for continuing to support Blas and look forward to an 11-day celebration of Highland culture.”

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