Image courtesy of Findhorn Bay Arts
The 4th Findhorn Bay Festival will take place from Friday 23 September - Sunday 2 October and will present a journey of exploration and discovery for Scotland’s Year of Stories offering glimpses into the past and hopes for the future, and experiences of nature, culture and adventure.
Communities in Moray and beyond will have a unique chance to celebrate and appreciate Scotland’s stories, heritage, landscape, and people. Set in unexpected spaces and scenic locations, and marking the 10th anniversary of Findhorn Bay Arts, the award-winning producer behind the Festival, the programme boasts an eclectic, vibrant and wide-ranging mix of outstanding Scottish art, theatre and performance, storytelling and live music, alongside family-friendly events and a whole host of open and accessible creative activities.
The music programme kicks off the Festival in style with the opening event, Heal and Harrow, featuring two of Scotland’s celebrated folk musicians Lauren MacColl and Rachel Newton.
Inspired by the 16th and 17th Century Scottish witch trials, this new project pays a humanising tribute to these women while also exploring historical beliefs in the supernatural and modern-day parallels in our society.
The opening day also sees a unique opportunity to see three of our finest folk musicians in one triple bill - Martin Simpson, Findlay Napier and Malcolm MacWatt. Festival favourite Karine Polwart makes a welcome return with her latest project in collaboration with jazz/folk pianist Dave Milligan. Hamish Napier returns to the Festival, this time with his own line-up including Patsy Reid and Innes Watson, when he performs his award-winning album The Woods, winner of the Album of the Year at the Scots Trad Music Awards.
The festival’s music highlights will include several events commissioned for Scotland’s Year of Stories. These include acclaimed composer Gareth Williams with Songs from the Last Page, and a new musical collaboration Sing Me a Story featuring Allan Henderson, Margaret Stewart, Ewen Henderson, Sileas Sinclair, Ewan Robertson and Duncan Chisholm. Calum Stewart will presenta celebration of the legends, landscapes and lore from the North of Scotland with music from his album Tales from the North.
The performance programme includes two premieres with Undertow Overflow, a collaboration between Ben Harrison (the award-winning director behind the 2018 Festival hit The Buke of the Howlat) and multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Amy Duncan. Moray-based dancer, Sharon Took-Zozaya premieres her new theatre and dance piece Finding Petunia Little Tree. Dance North revives its dance show Savage following two sell-out runs at RISE. Magnetic North brings its gig-theatre piece Lost in Music, inspired by the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice.
The Festival will host a range of family-friendly events including circus stalwarts PyroCeltica with Here be Dragons; Rowanbank with Forest Circus, a magical woodland walk meeting fantastical characters along with way; The Cabaret of Misfits, an evening of circus performance, music and installations and Story Wagon, a touring story sanctuary offering traditional storytelling activities. The RSNO have teamed up with leading Scottish children's theatre company, Visible Fictions, to present Yoyo & The Little Auk. It is the perfect introduction to orchestral music and storytelling for 3 to 6-year-olds.
Visual arts play a strong part in the Findhorn Bay Festival and celebrates the wealth of Moray-based artists. In 2021, local artists, Lynne Strachan and Mary Bourne developed an arts project in The Cabrach, an estate and largely depopulated rural community in Moray. This exhibition explores some of the challenges facing this community, telling the story of its past and its present and inviting you to be its future.
On an environmental theme, Land is an exploration of environmental sentiment from Moray’s coastal communities. EcoArt will be running a flag design and making workshop for people who want to send a signal to the world.
In addition, the Combine to Create Collective practitioners will be running pop-up activities throughout the Festival. Combine to Create is a collaborative programme of creative activities supported by Creative Scotland through the Culture Collective Fund.
Keep an eye on the Festival's Out and About programme - events and activities including walking tours, performance art and family events. And lastly, look out for the Festival Markets in Forres and Findhorn on each Saturday of the Festival, selling wares from an abundance of Moray growers and makers.
Kresanna Aigner, CEO/Creative Director, Findhorn Bay Arts said: “We are delighted to welcome the Festival back after a four-year break. Stories are the lifeblood of every community, and this special year of Scotland celebrating the ‘Year of Stories', our Festival is all about connecting us to life and people. We have over 100 events planned over the ten days and with something to suit all ages and tastes, we cannot wait to welcome you to the 4th Findhorn Bay Festival”.
Karen Dick, Head of Place, Partnership and Communities, Creative Scotland, said: “This year’s exciting programme offers unique and unexpected experiences, from traditional music to family-friendly events. It also creates opportunities for Moray based artists to shine, including pop-ups from Combine to Create, supported through Culture Collective.”
Paul Bush OBE, VisitScotland’s Director of Events, said: “We are delighted to be supporting Findhorn Bay Festival as part of Scotland’s Year of Stories 2022. From icons of literature to local tales, Scotland’s Year of Stories encourages locals and visitors to experience a diversity of voices, take part in events and explore the places, people and cultures connected to all forms of our stories. Scotland is the perfect stage for events and this year’s Findhorn Bay Festival will showcase the local area and present an inspiring and diverse programme.”
View the whole programme at www.findhornbayfestival.com.
Background
The 4th Findhorn Bay Festival is presented by Findhorn Bay Arts and supported by Scotland's Year of Stories, Creative Scotland, the Culture Collective Fund and Berry Burn Community Fund.
Scotland’s Year of Stories 2022 will spotlight, celebrate and promote the wealth of stories inspired by, written, or created in Scotland. Led by VisitScotland, the Year of Stories 2022 will sustain and build upon the momentum of preceding Themed Years, showcasing a nationwide programme of major events and community celebrations.
Creative Scotland is the public body that supports the arts, screen and creative industries across all parts of Scotland distributing funding provided by the Scottish Government and The National Lottery. Further information at creativescotland.com.
Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Learn more about the value of art and creativity in Scotland and join in at www.ourcreativevoice.scot.