Axe falls on Loopallu music festival after 13 years over site dispute
0 Scouting for Girls at the Loopallu festival, which will be staged for the last time in September One of the biggest festivals in the Highlands and Islands is to be axed after this year.
Organisers of Loopallu, which has brought the likes of Paolo Nutini, Franz Ferdinand, Mumford and Sons and Twin Atlantic to Ullapool, will be staged for the last time this September.
The announcement came after the event was forced to relocate from the Broomfield Holiday Park, on the banks of Loch Broom, after a dispute with its owners which left the festival without an official campsite for ticket-holders.
The View, Glasvegas, Hunter and the Bear and Turin Brakes will be among the acts to perform at the event’s swansong, which will be staged at Ullapool harbour.
Loopallu was founded by Ullapool-based promoter Rob Hicks in 2005, with the American band Hayseed Dixie helping to get the event off the ground by headlining the first two festivals. The event, championed by BBC DJS Janice Long, Mark Radcliffe and Vic Galloway, is believed to be the most lucrative of the year for the local economy.
However the relocation to the harbour meant the event capacity had to be cut, with the organisers admitting at the time that “Loopallu as we know it must come to an end.”
The Rezillos, Bombskare, Tide Lines and The Vatersay Boys are among the other acts due to appear in the final event, which will be staged on 29 and 30 September.
Authors Ian Rankin, Malachy Tallack and Mairi Hedderwick will also be appearing as part of the annual collaboration between Loopallu and the Ullapool Book Festival.
A statement posted on the official Loopallu Facebook page said: “With a heavy heart, we’ve decided that our 13th outing is going to be our last.
“There’s no time to be sad, it’s time to celebrate what has made Loopallu so special over the years. Time to celebrate how the little event with a big heart transformed a small west coast village at the end of the season, bringing millions of pounds into the economy over the years, and not to mention the priceless friendships established.
“It’s time to bring back some of our favourite acts over the years,butalsointroducesome new ones too; some established household names and some stars of the future.
“The whole team would like to say a big thank you to all who have come over the years, your support and enthusiasm made the event what it was and what it is. Loopallu may come back in the future in a different guise, but for now let’s have a party one last time.”