Tradfest will return with an online programme from 30 April to 10 May 2021, and tickets go on sale at noon on Friday.

The programme will be made up of recorded and live concerts, films and podcasts to be beamed around the world.

Beginning on 30 April at 8.00pm, the programme begins with a specially commissioned event which was originally planned for last year. Shetland Springs is a celebration of the Shetland fiddle tradition. The hour long concert will celebrate the tradition of spring which is the dialect name for Old Shetland dance tunes. The Shetland Folk Festival will co-present the opening night.

There will be performances by Catriona Macdonald of String Sisters, Margaret Robertson, Chris Stout, and Ross Couper.

The main programme will be broadcast daily and presented as nine podcasts presented by Douglas Robertson and Jane-Ann Purdy from Edinburgh Tradfest. Episodes will explore traditional music in Scotland, some of the characters of the Edinburgh folk scene, as well as featuring tracks and interviews from some of Tradfest’s 2020 line-up.

Douglas Robertson and Jane-Ann Purdy, co-producers of Edinburgh Tradfest said: “Taking the Festival online this year was a difficult decision for us. However, we couldn’t be more delighted with how this year’s programme is shaping up, and with all the support we have received from artists, funders and partners keen to see Tradfest stay on the map. We are also excited to be able to reach a wider, international audience who might not have experienced the festival before, and hope that when they can, they will join us in Edinburgh for future Tradfests.”

Edinburgh Tradfest 2021 will run Friday 30 April – Monday 10 May. For tickets and more information visit edinburghtradfest.com  

Creative Scotland and the William Grant Foundation both support Tradfest.

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Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
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