Published on : Thursday, June 5, 2014
Historic Fyvie Castle will provide the stunning backdrop to a four-day festival of music, ancestry, culture and celebration to mark Homecoming Scotland 2014.
Fyvie Homecoming Festival, from 28-31 August, will see the small Aberdeenshire village come alive with a programme of activities and entertainment, with a strong emphasis on music and culture.
Events taking place during the Festival include Fiddlers Feast with Paul Anderson, the Garioch Fiddlers, Ken Slaven and others; a Burns Supper; a Folk Concert with Drever, McGuire & Young; various local exhibitions; a Ballad Bus Tour with Fyvie Folk Club; a family ceilidh; a Special Service of Praise; a Homecoming Gala and a family history centre at the Castle as part of the gala on Sunday.
The programme will build on the success of 2009 but with an extra day, the first event being the Fiddlers Feast fiddle concert at Fyvie Castle, to be opened by the Laird, Sir George Forbes-Leith. Solo fiddlers Paul Anderson and Ken Slaven will entertain, alongside the Garioch Fiddlers, and it is hoped members of the audience will take along their fiddles and join in with some of the items on the programme too.
As in 2009, the Festival hopes to attract not just those with links to the village but also expatriate Scots from all corners of the globe, as well as others who either know and love Scotland already, or who will be visiting for the first time and want to sample Scottish hospitality at its best.
The Festival is being supported by Aberdeenshire Council and the National Trust for Scotland at Fyvie Castle and is an official Homecoming partner of VisitScotland.
On Sunday, August 31, Fyvie Castle opens from 11.30am with a special discounted price for entry. The gala will be officially opened at 2pm and takes place on the lawns in front of the castle and the family history centre is in a building close by, also at the castle. The Gordon Highlanders will be in attendance at the gala, when they will perform Beating the Retreat as part of the finale to the four-day programme.
Chair of the organising committee, Anne Iravani, said: “Our festival in 2009 proved very successful, with over 4,000 people visiting the village over the weekend and we are aiming for something even bigger and better this time! Although only a small village, Fyvie is historically important and is right in the heart of an area of Scotland which is also rich in music of various types, and there will be plenty to sample from local musicians, singers and dancers.
“Fyvie Castle will provide a wonderful backdrop for our gala on the Sunday afternoon and we look forward to welcoming as many people as possible to join in the celebrations.”
Philip Smith, VisitScotland Regional Director, said: “Fyvie Homecoming Festival is one of almost 40 Homecoming events currently listed on visitscotland.com for Aberdeen City and Shire. Homecoming is the opportunity for all communities to celebrate all that’s great about our country and place the spotlight on our greatest assets and icons. This festival has something for everyone – whether local or visitor to the area – and promises to be a phenomenal event on the Homecoming 2014 calendar.
“In this, the year when Scotland welcomes the world with a global line-up of events including the Glasgow Commonwealth Games and The Ryder Cup, it is imperative that everyone gets involved in making events like this a success, so our visitors will want to return time after time.”
Homecoming will showcase hundreds of events across the country – from mass participation to small community activity – and will be supported by a £5.5m major events and worldwide marketing programme which will showcase Scotland around the world.
Source:- VisitScotland
Tags: Homecoming Festival, VisitScotland
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