Blas Festival 2025 to light up the Highlands with stellar music line-up and community celebration

 

Thursday 10 July 2025, One of the most anticipated events in the Highland cultural calendar, Blas Festival, returns this September with an electrifying programme of traditional music, Gaelic celebration, and community events across the Highlands and Islands.

 

Running from 5th-13th September, the 2025 edition of Blas will feature some of the finest traditional musicians from Scotland and Ireland, including acclaimed artists Julie Fowlis, Duncan Chisholm, James Duncan Mackenzie, Lauren MacColl, Mischa Macpherson, Norrie MacIver, Gaelic supergroup Dàimh, and the internationally celebrated Flook, among many others. A world-first will also feature in the festival finale; Aon Ghuth / One Voice, the first Gaelic Makaton youth choir, will take to the stage alongside some of Gaeldom’s finest Gaelic singers, Arthur Cormack, Jenna Cumming and Ruairidh Gray.

 

Organised by Fèisean nan Gàidheal in partnership with The Highland Council, Blas, now a cornerstone of the Highland cultural calendar, is a dynamic celebration of Gaelic culture, bringing world-class performances to local venues, from village halls to arts centres, ensuring communities of all sizes can take part in this rich cultural experience. This year, the festival will host around 25 concerts and cèilidhs, with a strong focus on collaboration and partnerships with small arts organisations throughout the region.

 

Calum Alex Macmillan, Chief Executive, Fèisean nan Gàidheal, commented: “Blas Festival 2025 continues our proud tradition of celebrating Gaelic language, music, and heritage across the Highlands. From Ardross to Ardgour, and Strathy to Staffin, we’re bringing people together through cultural connection, music and creativity.”

 

Since its modest beginnings in 2004, with just three venues in Strontian, Clashmore, and Strathpeffer, Blas has delivered over 1350 events featuring 5,550 performers and welcoming an audience of more than 130,000. It has contributed at least £8.4m to the local economy since it began.

 

A standout event in this year’s programme is An Treas Suaile, presented by Highland fiddler Duncan Chisholm and renowned Gaelic singer Julie Fowlis. This moving performance shares the stories of those lost in the Iolaire tragedy, combining music and visuals in a powerful tribute. An Treas Suaile gives the audience a powerful insight into the disaster, when in the early hours of New Year’s Day 1919, more than 200 servicemen returning from the First World War drowned when their boat sank at the entrance to Stornoway Harbour. Originally commissioned by An Lanntair in Stornoway to mark the 100th anniversary of the disaster, this poignant work will be performed in Ullapool and also in Kyle, a community closely linked to the tragedy.

 

Julie Fowlis said “Working on creating a commemorative piece about the Iolaire tragedy has been the most profoundly moving project for both Duncan and I. Since the original commission of An Treas Suaile (The Third Wave) in 2018, ahead of the 100 year commemoration, we have continued to research the stories of the men who were onboard the Iolaire, the ship which sank desperately close to Lewis shores in the early hours of January 1st, 1919.

This event will be an evening of conversation with music and song from our original production.”

 

Celebrating the cultural bridge between Scotland and Ireland, Irish musicians Bláithínn MhicCanna, Piaras O Lorcain & Lauren Ni Nèill will join Lauren MacColl for special concerts in Dunvegan and Arisaig, after joining Lewis piper James Duncan Mackenzie in Ardross and Carrbridge. Festival favourites Dàimh will energise audiences in Tomatin and Glenelg, and Flook will bring their virtuosic sound to Resolis and Golspie. Members of the popular band, Trail West, will help celebrate the 25th anniversary of Fèis Air an Oir in Strathy and Blas 2025 will also feature cèilidhs, tradition bearer celebrations, and birthday tributes, plus musical and drama visits to local primary schools, making it a festival for all ages and tastes.

The 21st Blas Festival will be wrapped up with a spectacular celebration of Gaelic music, song, and heritage. The finale features renowned Gaelic singer Arthur Cormack, performing with his sons Ruairidh and Iain, alongside vocalists Jenna Cumming, Alice Macmillan and Ruairidh Gray, in what will be a powerful showcase of Gaelic song.

 

They’ll be joined by a stellar house band led by Musical Director Ingrid Henderson, with Iain MacFarlane, Angus Nicolson, and Eamon Doorley, plus a string quartet led by Lochaber’s Helena Rose. Opening the evening will be Aon Ghuth / One Voice, the world’s first Gaelic Makaton choir, blending Gaelic song with Makaton signs to empower individuals with additional needs through music. The not-to-be-missed final concert will also feature the first live performance of Mike Vass’s 2020 Blas Festival commission, Air Falbh ann am Bàta, originally created during lockdown and now brought to life by a group of young Fèis musicians, using material from the Tobar an Dualchais archives.

 

Calum Alex continues: “This year’s programme highlights our commitment to youth engagement, with a Blas Festival first from ‘Aon Ghuth / One Voice’ and several Fèisean participant performances. Many will be performing in a professional setting for the first time, showcasing the talent and passion of the next generation.”

 

Cllr Drew Millar, Chair of Highland Council Gaelic Committee, said: “The Blas Festival is a key annual feature of the cultural calendar, and The Highland Council is delighted to continue supporting it.

 

“Gaelic and traditional music are not only important socially and culturally, but also economically - the festival has made a tremendous contribution to Highland communities over the years, and the 2025 event will build on the success of previous festivals.

 

“Once again we’ll see the best of Gaelic traditional music, reflecting the huge amounts of talent we have and the work that goes in to provide opportunities for musicians throughout Highland. Audiences across the area will enjoy an excellent programme of events and I wish all involved every success.”