Elephant Sessions to headline Braemar Folk Festival
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Tickets have gone on sale for the 2023 Braemar Folk Festival, with the high-octane Elephant Sessions announced as Saturday night headliners.
The award winning indie-folk band from the Scottish Highlands are known for their incredible live shows, combining the very best of trad, funk, electronica and dance music.
Powerhouse all-female string group Kinnaris Quintet top the Friday night billing, with some of Scotland’s finest dynamic fiddle and string players creating uplifting traditional music drawing from Bluegrass, Scandinavian, Appalachian and classical influences.
Supporting these top Scottish bands are some seriously talented up-and-comers, including the mesmerising voice of 2022 Scots Singer of the Year Beth Malcolm and the crunchy fresh riffs of Low Light Listening Lounge.
The mainstage concerts are interspersed with informal pub sessions throughout the village for anyone to join in, workshops for beginners and improvers with some of Scotland’s best young trad talent and even a guided walk into the hills for a truly unique fireside concert in a mountain bothy.
Braemar Folk Festival takes place in the upper Deeside village from October 6- 8 with events centred around St Margaret’s Braemar — a former church, now finding new purpose as a leading performance, arts and heritage venue.
The Festival launched in 2021 and has hosted some of the world’s biggest names in the trad music scene in previous years, including legendary ‘Caledonia' singer Dougie MacLean and the ‘Queen of Folk’ Peggy Seeger, alongside some of the freshest new talent.
In 2022, Braemar Folk Festival was a finalist for ‘Event of the Year’ at the BBC Trad Music Awards.
Full weekend tickets are on sale at £56 and available now at braemarkfolkfestival.com
A new festival bus is available this year, to ferry passengers to and from concerts from right across the Deeside area.
Looking ahead to this year’s Braemar Folk Festival, organiser Fergus Mutch said: “We are so excited to unveil an incredible line-up, once again, for the Braemar Folk Festival.
“We are truly spoiled for choice this year, with Scotland’s top young trad talent descending on Deeside for what’s set to be an amazing weekend of music.
“Friday night’s all-female line-up is not to be missed, with Scots Singer of the Year Beth Malcolm giving new voice to traditional-style songs and the energy of Kinnaris Quintet assured to bring the house down.
“On Saturday, we’ve got the raw vocals and lush indie rock vibes of the Low Light Listening Lounge, before the party really gets going with must-see-live festival favourites Elephant Sessions.
“From Friday to Sunday you’ll barely be able to escape the sound of music and song, with Braemar coming to life with informal jam sessions in all the pubs, workshops for those who want to hone their own talents and even a guided walk to an intimate bothy concert in the hills — making this a truly unique, highland festival.
“For a festival in only its third year, we were absolutely delighted to be a finalist for Event of the Year in last year’s trad music awards.
Now the standard has been set, we’re determined to build bigger and better — and this year’s festival will take things up a gear once again.
