The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Feast of folk draws crowds and keen campers to Kinross
Ceilidhs, concerts and workshops at 40th annual Glenfarg event
A folk music institution, which has kept alive one of Scotland’s quirkiest contests, drew crowds to Kinross this weekend.
The 40th annual Glenfarg Folk Feast marked its ruby anniversary with a packed programme of ceilidhs, concerts, workshops and sessions.
The fun, held across various venues including Backstage at the Green, got under way with a ceilidh concert on Friday night with the Sensational Jimi Shandrix Experience fronted by star accordionist Sandy Brechin.
Over the weekend, there were fiddle workshops, informal sing-alongs and a Sunday morning chat with globally renowned musician Cathal McConnell, who shot to fame in the 1960s when he became the first All-Ireland flute and whistle champ.
One of the most unusual events on the line-up was also one of the most popular. The World Puff-a-Box Championships, now in its 32nd year, is designed for competitors with strong sets of lungs.
Inhaling deeply and then furiously blowing out, hopefuls lined up to “puff” their matchbox’s inner tray across a bar room.
The festival also boasted a Saturday night concert with music by the Boys of the Lough, a Celtic band which has been touring in various shapes and forms since the late 1960s.
Also on the bill was John Doyle, described as an “impossibly in-demand” Irish singer and “guitar wizard”.
The gig further featured Mairearad and Anna, two of Scotland’s most revered multi-instrumentalists.
The festival was brought to a close with the final fling concert featuring the James Brothers and Emily Smith, multiaward winning singer-songwriter Richard Digance and Pauline Alexander and Sandy Stanage.
The three-day event was hailed as boost for the local area, with fans from all over the country staying and camping throughout the weekend.
A spokesman for organisers Glenfarg Village Folk Club said: “The Feast is the highlight of the folk club’s very special 40th birthday celebrations, having formally opened our doors in Glenfarg in 1978.
“The committee has spent many happy hours finding some of Britain and Ireland’s very finest artists to grace the Backstage at the Green and to provide all attendees with stellar entertainment.”
The Feast is the highlight of the Folk Club’s very special 40th birthday celebrations