The rest of the music line-up for Falkland’s Big Tent Festival has been announced as organisers confirm one of the event’s biggest and most diverse musical line-ups ever. Karine Polwart, the Treacherous Orchestra and Braebach will take to the festival’s main stage when the event takes place over the weekend of July 21 & 22 this year. Already announced to headline the event is Scottish stars The Proclaimers and red hot Celtic samba band, Salsa Celtica.
Karine Polwart is one of Scotland’s top female singer songwriters whose debut album Faultlines, won the best album award at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards. Since then she has become renowned as an evocative live performer whose roots are set down firmly in the lively folk music scene.
On the back of a hugely successful debut album release this month called ORIGINS, Treacherous Orchestra will take a main stage slot bringing their ‘party band’ show to Falkland Estate’s legendary ‘House stage.’ Recent live appearances at Scotland’s leading winter festival Celtic Connections, have proven that this band will be one of the must see acts over the weekend of Big Tent.
Quality act Breabach are powered by double bagpipes, flute and fiddle and fuelled by the tight groove of double bass, guitar and step-dance. 2011 saw the band nominated for ‘Best Group’ at both the 2011 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards and the Scots Trad Music Awards.
Folk connoisseurs The Paul McKenna Band have also been announced and have been described by the New York Times as “The best folk band to have come out of Scotland in the last twenty years”. Former Battlefield Band frontman Alex Reid has also been confirmed to play and will be joined by vocalist and exceptional guitarist, Rob Van Sante. Other acts also confirmed to appear include; Federation of The Disco Pimp, The Whisky River Boat Band, Flutatious, Man’s Ruin, Horndog Brass Band, Mike Kearney Ka-tet, John Goldie, Jeana Leslie & Siobhan Miller, Mairearad Green & Anna Massie, The Chipolatas, Edinburgh Samba School, Havana Swing, Dennis Alexander Children’s Show, Finn Anderson, Kolonel Schnapps Bierfest Oompah Band, Homecoming String Band, İlhan Barutçu with the Aşk-ı Trio, Coaltown Daisies, Das Contras, Cairngorms Ceilidh Trail, Lion Spirit and The Stag Sessions Band. . Organised by the Centre for Stewardship at Falkland, Big Tent is one of many initiatives pioneered by the organisation that is recognised as the focal point in Scotland for raising awareness of the values and practices of Stewardship. These values are reflected in the Centre’s themes of food and farming, wood and landscape, people and craft Although music plays a huge part in what Big Tent offers festival goers, organisers are keen to underpin the music programme with a series of themed eco-debates that will include many top level speakers.
Big Tent Festival turns up the heat with second big headliner announcement.
The Big Tent, Scotland’s leading environmental festival, has today announced that Salsa Celtica will headline the second night of the event, taking to the main stage on Sunday, July 22. The announcement comes as organisers confirm that ‘winter warmer’ tickets are selling like hotcakes following confirmation that local lads, The Proclaimers, will take headline slot on Saturday, July 21.
Salsa Celtica are one of the UK’s most exciting live acts and mix Scottish and Irish traditional music with red hot salsa to create a unique sound that has topped music charts around the world. A firm favourite with festival fans, over the last 10 years the group has been a hit at major Celtic, jazz, world music and salsa festivals. Confirming a raft of live appearances in the last few weeks the announcement comes as the band take centre stage on January 27 at Scotland’s top winter music festival, Celtic Connections. Salsa Celtica will perform a blistering live set on the closing night of the event on the festival’s main stage in the shadow of the historic ‘A’ listed House of Falkland.
"We are really looking forward to headlining at Big Tent festival in Fife which is held on Falkland Estate and we are delighted to be playing a gig so close to where we grew up in Auchtermuchty". Charlie and Craig Reid, the Proclaimers
Big Tent, Scotland’s leading environmental festival, has today announced its first headline act to the delight of Scotland-wide music fans. Confirmed to take the top slot on Saturday, July 21 are local lads The Proclaimers. As one of Scotland’s most prolific acts, the brothers are returning to Falkland in Fife for a headline performance less than 5 miles from the Fife village of Auchtermuchty where they grew up. The band, who recently completed their 9th studio album which is due for release ahead of their Big Tent appearance next year, will perform on the festival’s main stage in the shadow of the historic ‘A’ listed House of Falkland.
Held in the grounds of Falkland Estate, an outstanding historical landscape in Fife, Big Tent takes place on July 21 and 22. Recognised as Scotland’s greenest festival, the Big Tent is a family friendly affair that hosts two stages of music as well as a range of talks, demonstrations and activities that engage festival goers of all ages with the ecological opportunities and challenges that face society today. Further headline acts are expected to be announced in the coming months as organisers continue to tempt festival fans and environmentalists from across Europe to Scotland’s landmark outdoor environmental festival.
Organised by the Falkland Centre for Stewardship, Big Tent is one of many initiatives pioneered by the organisation that is recognised as the focal point in Scotland for raising awareness of the values and practices of Stewardship. These values are reflected in the Centre’s themes of food and farming, wood and landscape, people and craft.
Helen Lawrenson, Centre Director at Falkland Centre for Stewardship said: “This is an amazing start to our 2012 festival programme and we are really excited that we can offer our fans an exclusive appearance by one of Scotland’s best ever live acts. “Having taken a year off to take a fresh look at where Big Tent is going we are sure that our fans will agree that this is a great announcement and a very good start indeed. Over the past 12 months we have been able to focus on what really matters to us, our supporters and festival fans and so making sure that we maintain a keen eye on our environmental responsibilities is going to be key to the event. Although music plays a huge part in what we can offer festival fans, making sure that we deliver on our passion on environmental matters and the importance of Stewardship is still at the very heart of everything we do.”
Following the year off in 2011, festival organisers took time out to make improvements to the site, revise the environmental impact of the festival and plan additional infrastructure.
However it is clear that organisers are coming back with a bang . Big Tent started in 2006 and has grown to attracted 10,000 fans during its last outing. Festival organisers have also announced that a limited number of specially reduced priced tickets have been released ahead of Christmas. Aimed at providing a unique Christmas present for music and festival fans across Scotland, these tickets are priced at up to 15% lower than normal passes. The offer is available for a short time only and tickets can be purchased either online or from the offices of Falkland Centre for Stewardship.
We hope you had a great summer! We may have had a year off Big Tent but here at Falkland Centre for Stewardship we've had a great programme of events over the summer including hut building, compost toilet making, a summer school and summer clubs for children. We have still got lots on over the Autumn as part of our Autumn Harvest Programme so visit our events page to check out what's happening. But back to Big Tent....We are starting to plan the programme for next year's event. Big Tent is looking forward to coming back so whilst we plan it you have to put the dates in your diary now!! Anyone wanting to help volunteer, trade or just pitch in with some good ideas, please let us know by emailing . Keep in touch!
Scotland’s leading environmental festival, The Big Tent, today announced its new two year development plan. It comes on the back of a very successful event last summer which attracted more than 11,000 people – the highest number since the festival was launched in 2005. The holistic tent at the event proved to be popular for a quick spa break for a hen party or a birthday treat.
Core to the new strategy is to focus on the next Big Tent, which will be held in July, allowing organisers the time to make improvements to the site in order to further enhance Scotland’s greenest festival. This work will include installing compost toilets and solar showers as well as looking at a range of other ways to reduce the carbon footprint of the festival.
Organisers of The Big Tent, Falkland Centre for Stewardship, stress that there will still be an array of family-friendly activities this summer, including nature club’s for children, summer schools, craft and wood workshops, talks and walks.
David Corner, Chair of Falkland Stewardship Trust, said it has become essential to take time to focus on the site and the overall direction of The Big Tent. “We have almost become victims of our own success - in 5 years we have grown Big Tent to the point where our limited resources are in danger of not being able to deliver the high quality family festival for which we are famed. We will use this year to improve the site infrastructure and to plan a more congruent Festival for next year”.
Started in 2005 as a response to the G8 Summit in Gleneagles ,The Big Tent has grown to become Fife’s largest festival and as the flagship event for the Falkland Centre for Stewardship has been a major force in spreading the environmental message of the Centre.
Helen Lawrenson, Centre Director, said “ We had over 11,000 people attending Big Tent and we were proud to be one of the lead events in Celebrating Fife. As the home of Stewardship in Scotland the festival has allowed us to inform and entertain in equal measure and we now have a bedrock of over 1,000 active supporters and volunteers who we hope will help us shape the future and plan for the 28th and 29th July – the dates of the next Big Tent” Set in the beautiful designed landscape of Falkland Estate The Big Tent has gained the reputation for having the best food on the Festival circuit – and with burgers from Falkland’s own organic beef herd the produce could not be more local.
Neil Anderson, Transitional Steward at Falkland Centre for Stewardship said “ Our focus on local and sustainable food systems is exemplified by the catering at Big Tent and the income generated by our stall holders feeds back into the Fife economy. Big Tent is only part of what we do and so we will use this year to focus on a number of other projects which will help us be even better prepared for Big Tent.