HebCelt 2024 closes a diverse weekend of musical magic as curtains close on abundant four-day festival

Stornoway was alive with an eclectic sound of music and excited revellers this weekend as HebCelt returned once again to the picturesque Lews Castle Green on the beautiful Isle of Lewis, with thousands of attendees enjoying almost 50 performances across the four-day event.

From Wednesday 17 – Saturday 20 July, the internationally acclaimed festival attracted crowds of all ages with a host of cultural activities and a packed fringe programme of events for the whole family. The final night boasted a sell-out audience with over 5000 people dancing in the sunshine on the Green.

The enthusiasm of HebCelt 2024 festival-goers was evident all weekend, with thousands of attendees of all ages revelling in the unparalleled atmosphere. Despite some wind and rain on Friday, the festival remained unaffected, allowing everyone to enjoy the glorious spells of sunshine on Lews Castle Green. The HebCelt crowd donned their wellies and danced and sang for the full weekend, reemphasising what a special crowd the festival attracts.

Del Amitri brought the festival to an exceptional close last night. The Scottish alt-rock legends got crowds dancing and singing along to their impressive back catalogue of hits, including ‘Roll to Me’, ‘Always the Last to Know’ and ‘Nothing Ever Happens’.

Thursday saw one of Scotland’s most celebrated contemporary bands Skipinnish close the opening night of the main arena with their high-energy anthemic Celtic sounds.

The legendary band James headlined Friday night with an outstanding show as they performed in the Hebrides for the very first time. Their extended rendition of ‘Sit Down’ was the highlight of the night with thousands singing along to the Top 10 hit.

Bass guitarist and original member of James, Jim Glennie, said: “A big thank you to Hebcelt for inviting us to play at this wonderful festival. We thoroughly enjoyed every second of it. Much love and see you soon!”

The diverse musical lineup with an array of acts and genres was a resounding success with festival attendees enjoying the most eclectic line-up of music to ever have been performed across HebCelt’s stages.

One audience member stated on James’ performance: “I’ve followed and enjoyed their shows for years but never managed to get so close – FRONT ROW! Blew us away!”

HebCelt Artistic Programmer, Michelle Shields, said: “We are immensely thankful to everyone who joined us for HebCelt 2024 and helped to make the four days magical. Witnessing the positive energy and steadfast enthusiasm for the island’s music and culture was incredible and our town once again proved to be an ideal location for a Scottish festival, both for its scenic beauty, the welcoming community, and the exceptional crowds.

“We are extremely proud of our progress on sustainability goals once again this year with our green energy system resulting in a significant carbon saving for this year’s festival. The diverse lineup and eclectic range of genres featured this year beautifully showcased the richness of our programme ambitions.

“The HebCelt team extends heartfelt thanks to the event’s sponsors and partners, as well as the musicians, crafters, performers, vendors, volunteers, and crews who made HebCelt 2024 such a wonderful reality.”

Early Bird Tickets for HebCelt 2025 will go on sale at 10am on Friday 26 July. HebCelt 2025 will run from Wednesday 16 – Saturday 19 July.

Programming Information

The festivities kicked off with Alasdair White’s special commissioned concert ‘The Heart of Beyond…’ at An Lanntair, while Breasclete Hall hosted the sold-out Breasclete Community Concert, featuring The Lumber Jills and Gaelic group Sian.

Throughout the festival weekend, An Lanntair continued to present performances from Edinburgh band Wayward Jane, legendary singer-songwriter Dougie MacLean, and Gaelic folk group Na h-Òganaich. The venue also hosted HebCelt’s Festival Late Nights, with cèilidhs on Wednesday and Thursday nights, and a festival club on Friday and Saturday.

On Friday, audiences enjoyed music on the Main Stage from acclaimed Irish traditional musician Sharon Shannon, Gaelic trio Sian, Dumfries-based indie Americana band The Lucky Doves, husband and wife duo Ferris and Sylvester, and blues singer Elles Bailey.

The Willie Campbell Band, fronted by the esteemed Lewis singer-songwriter, performed on the LWP Islands Stage alongside celebrated fusion group Mec Lir. The weekend also featured Glasgow indie-rock duo Low Light Listening Lounge, Manchester indie-folk group The Deep Blue, and local singer-songwriter Scott C. Park. HebCelt audiences also enjoyed music from Scottish fusion band Gnoss and Isle of Skye electro-trad duo Valtos.

Award-winning Scottish trad group Kinnaris Quintet made a glittering return with their uplifting live set on the Main Stage on Friday, with Saturday’s audiences seeing Canadian traditional fiddle and step dance group The Lumber Jills, indie-soul outfit Brownbear, Swedish banjo-punk trio Baskery, and 2022 MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards Album of the Year winners Elephant Sessions.

Saturday also featured performances on the LWP Islands Stage from local Gaelic youth programme Fèis Eilean an Fhraoich, Irish and Scottish trio Alana, Aoife agus Caitlin, rising duo The Laurettes, traditional Québécois group Genticorum, and local electro-Celtic band Face The West, who played the opening note of the festival at Wednesday’s Family Ceilidh and played the last note of the festival on the final HebCelt Festival Late Night.

The Isle of Harris Gin Cèilidh Tent hosted cèilidh dancing sets from amazing talent across the weekend. The return of the Harris Gin Cèilidh Tent marked the start of a new three-year partnership with the local business, following a successful collaboration in 2023. A brand-new yellow Harris Cèilidh Bottle was debuted at the festival, representing the next step in what will become an annual series of colourful limited-edition releases drawing from the natural beauty of the distillery’s island home.

This year’s festival also saw the return of an exciting fringe programme, bringing activities for all the family to the streets and venues of Stornoway. The main arena hosted roving performances from Let’s Circus, as well as Gaelic song, rhyme and storytelling sessions, the An Lanntair art tent, a bouncy castle, and face decorations, glitter tattoos and festival hair decoration. There was also a pirates and mermaids themed fancy dress competition held on Saturday open to all ages, with the best dressed winning tickets to next year’s festival.

For more information, to view the programme in full or to buy tickets, visit: www.hebceltfest.com.