Full line-up of artists and activity released for free Dandelion Festival in Northern Meeting Park, Inverness

Scottish rock-band Del Amitri and Malian desert blues group Songhoy Blues are the latest artists announced for Dandelion Festival, a major free music and arts festival taking place in Inverness’ Northern Meeting Park, from Friday 2nd – Sunday 4th September.   

Further new artists joining the line-up include Kefaya & Elaha Soroor, Cala, Goitse and Siobhan Miller. The musicians join a rich line-up of Scottish and international talent  including King Creosote, Tank and the Bangas, The Lost Words, Sona Jobarteh, Dreamers’ Circus, Dallahan, Scott Matthews and many more.   

The Friday line-up will conclude with one of Scotland’s best-loved bands Del Amitri, performing old favourites plus material from Fatal Mistakes, their first new album in nearly 20 years in this extra-special show. The universally-acclaimed Songhoy Blues wrap up the Festival on Sunday afternoon, promising a powerful and dynamic ending to a lively weekend.   

The festival is part of Dandelion, a dynamic creative programme following the arc of the growing season from April to September 2022, bringing together music and art with science and technology to inspire people to ‘Sow, Grow and Share’ music, food, ideas and stories. Commissioned by EventScotland and funded by the Scottish Government, Dandelion is part of UNBOXED: Creativity in the UK.   

The music line-up is curated by Scottish musician, composer, and producer Donald Shaw, also Creative Director of Glasgow’s world-acclaimed Celtic Connections festival, which presents the festival in partnership with Dandelion. Audiences to the festival will experience the music performances across two stages – the’ Pavilion of Perpetual Light’ Stage and Dandelion Stage, situated across a special festival site in Northern Meeting Park, Inverness.  

The Festival site opens at 10am on Friday. The morning opens with programming dedicated to schools and young people but is open to all, and the food & drink village is open throughout . The live music programme begins at 3pm, featuring Gaelic Youth Choir Bun-Sgoil Ghàidhlig Inbhir Nis choir, young ceilidh group Fèis Rois Ceilidh Trail followed by traditional music from Hamish Napier Trio and Pàdruig Morrison Group. Scottish singer/songwriterKing Creosote then takes the audience into the evening, followed by singer Nati Dreddd, before Scottish rock legends Del Amitri close the first night.   

On Saturday, there are talks, performance and activity from 11am with live music starting at 1pm with Cala, followed by Acibreira, UK Indie singer Scott Matthews, Scandi Folk group Dreamers’ Circus and Gambia’s Sona Jobarteh, who will be joined onstage by her son and fellow kora player, Sidiki. Audiences can then enjoy performances from singer/songwriter Siobhan Miller, before the evening concludes with a performance from Grammy Award nominated Tank and the Bangas.  

On Sunday there will be another chance to see Acibreira plus performances by Irish quintet Goitse, Scottish singer and songwriter Hannah Rarity, one of the most distinct forces in the international folk music scene Dallahan, withSonghoy Blues closing out the Festival with their electric, kinetic, guitar-driven blues.  

Alongside the music programme, the Festival will feature talks by writers, artists, farmers, and activists, speaking on sustainability, land management and our changing relationship with nature, programmed by Dandelion Executive Producer Jenny Niven and Dandelion Festivals Producer Lauren McKenna.   

The talks will take place in The Hothouse tent, situated just outside the park in the grounds of Eden Court.  Join former Welsh environment minister Jane Davidson as she talks about the challenges the world is facing in sustainability and conservation and the legacies we’re leaving for future generations; celebrated writer Gavin Francis GP author of Adventures in Human Being, explores how gardening, and time spent in nature contribute directly to health and wellbeing. Jen Hadfield, Brian O’Headhra and Simone Kenyon talk about how they explore the world around them using words, movement and music, and how art can make sense of our extraordinary times, whilst Scottish farmers Patrick Laurie, Richard Lockett & Helen O’Keefe discuss how we can shape and maintain a more sustainable approach to land management. Representatives from Dandelion’s Unexpected Gardens in the Highlands discuss how they’ve transformed formerly unused spaces into places to grow.  

Sitting at the heart of the festival site will be the spectacular ‘Pavilion of Perpetual Light’, a striking 10-metre-tall art installation and main stage. The Pavilion is created from sixty 1m x 1m accelerated growing cubes specially created for the Dandelion programme, brought together to form a giant structure with built-in stage, acting as a ‘living’ backdrop to performances by Mischief-la-Bas, the innovative interactive outdoor arts company whose mission is to ‘gently warp the underlay of the fabric of society’, in addition to the music line-up.   

There will also be creative activities across the site in the bespoke Dandelion Potting Sheds and family activities including The Nursery area for under 5s where children can discover the sensory world of plants and nature, alongside storytelling sessions.   

A series of Dandelion ‘Potting Sheds’ dotted across the park will host artists, performers and community organisations. Celebrate Gaelic language and culture with Cultarlann inbhir Nis or  drop by for free sessions with the Dandelion Musicians in Residence; learn how to create soundscapes from mushrooms, become a percussive musical farmer or play around with nature inspired songwriting. Visitors can get involved with traditional straw plaiting and fashion their own Harvest Knot that can be taken home or worn as a brooch, or join a workshop with Moniack Mhor, Scotland’s Creative Writing Centre.  

Roving Street Theatre will fascinate and excite kids and adults alike throughout the park at every turn – prepare to see a giant chicken clucking about, an eight-foot butterfly, a towering gerbera, two crazy gardening brothers and a rockabilly nomad! Families will also have the opportunity to sit down and watch fun-filled shows running at various times throughout the weekend. Kicking off Saturday, creative theatre company Pif-Paf are set to perform a brilliant show with puppetry, live music, giant inflatables and much more.  

Throughout the weekend, audiences can enjoy a brilliant selection of street food from traders including Mrs Falafel, Stand Bahn Mi, Hector & Harriet, Papa’s Loaded Fries and Asher’s Ice Cream. There will also be a fully-licensed bar serving a wide selection of Scottish craft ales and beers, wine and soft drinks.  

Music Director for Dandelion, Donald Shaw said: “Our excitement for the Inverness Festival is growing. We have another fantastic line up, all of whom share the values of Dandelion, and are set to deliver an array of amazing performances across our set of stages, including our magnificent Pavilion of Perpetual Light.” 

Executive Producer for Dandelion, Jenny Niven said: “This project is something we are incredibly passionate about and we are looking forward to spreading further awareness on issues such as environmentalism, sustainability and how our food is produced. We can’t wait to bring everyone together and inspire people to sow, grow and share.”  

Marie Christie, Head of Development, Events Industry at VisitScotland said: “The Inverness Dandelion Festival promises to be an exciting addition to Scotland’s events calendar this summer, building on the stunning success of the Dandelion’s first Festival, held in Glasgow in June. It’s wonderful to see such an exciting line-up of artists from all over the world perform in Inverness as part of this diverse creative programme, offering something for music-lovers, families, and curious minds.”  

Martin Green, Chief Creative Officer for UNBOXED said: “It has been thrilling seeing Dandelion events roll out across Scotland over the past few months and the festival in Glasgow was wonderful, attracting large crowds throughout the weekend in June. The Inverness line-up looks just as good, from the live music across two stages to the roving street theatre and unique Dandelion Potting Sheds. With something for people of all ages, it will be a key part of a packed programme of UNBOXED activity taking place around the UK this September.”    

The Dandelion Festival is free to attend and non-ticketed. For further information on the festival or the full Dandelion programme visit dandelion.scot.