UK Festivals Guide 2017: Scotland

Stag & Dagger
Glasgow, 30 Apr
Mayday, Mayday! Taking place on the last Sunday of April, Glasgow’s Stag & Dagger festival is the perfect way to spring into the May Day Bank Holiday. Taking place across eight venues in the Sauchiehall Street area of Glasgow, DMA’s, Gold Panda and Baby Strange top the bill, and with loads more to get your teeth sunk into, this is guaranteed to be a top day! Wristband collection will be available on the day from 12pm at the O2 ABC box office. Enjoy. £27.50, staganddagger.co.uk

Knockengorroch World Ceilidh
Dumfries & Galloway, 25-28 May
“A global hoedown in the hills” is how the good folks behind Knockengorroch World Ceilidh describe the event, and well they might: a gathering of folk musicians of all disciplines amid the beautiful surroundings of Scotland’s Carsphairn hills. Self-dubbed ‘Gyp-step’ champions Molotov Jukebox and brass-fuelled hip-hoppers The Mouse Outfit star on this year’s line-up, with more to be announced… how can you possibly refuse? Adult four-day ticket £115, knockengorroch.org.uk

SpringFest
Corn Exchange, Edinburgh, 27-28 May
SpringFest promises to be a grand old gathering of big names from the pop encyclopedia, headlined by reformed 90s pop faves All Saints. Delving even further into the classics are disco legends Sister Sledge and Teenage Dirtbag hitmakers Wheatus, while Lia Rox heads up the newer names on the bill thus far. Don’t bet against a few more pleasant surprises as the line-up unfolds, mind. £74, springfestscotland.com

Riverside Festival
Riverside Museum, Glasgow, 27-28 May
Scotland’s premier celebration of electronic music is set to provide Glasgow with an unmissable May Bank Holiday weekend. Co-founders of Soma Records, Slam are co-curating the event and will be joined by a mesmerising range of international talent, including: Sven Väth, Nina Kraviz, Rødhåd, Jackmaster, DJ Koze and Alan Fitzpatrick, who will play a special back-to-back set with Slam. This is one for the dance heads not to be missed. From £40, riversidefestivalglasgow.com

Riverside Festival, photo: Kate Johnston

Eden Festival
Dumfries & Galloway, 8-11 Jun
Planning a trip to the Scottish borders this year? A festival line-up topped by 2manyDJs, Cat Power and Gogol Bordello suggests you probably should – yes, Eden festival returns for another weekend of fun and frolics, with psychedelic tropical dance tents and Indian wedding marquees filled with hammocks among the many bonus attractions outside of the festivities on display. Adam and Eve surely couldn’t have foreseen this magnificent vision of Eden. Adult weekend tickets £119, edenfestival.co.uk

Kelburn Garden Party
Kelburn Castle, North Ayrshire, 30 Jun-3 Jul
Situated in the grounds of the 800 year old Kelburn Castle – home of the unique and internationally renowned Graffiti Project – Kelburn Garden Party is an audacious, thrilling, cultural safari consisting of art installations, carnival entertainment and a multi-genre music programme including Mr. Scruff, The Hot 8 Brass Band, Prince Fatty, Flamingods and more making for an amazing three days and nights of music, art and adventure in a fairytale setting. From £104, kelburngardenparty.com

TRNSMT
Glasgow Green, Glasgow, 7-9 Jul
Scotland’s newest festival TRNSMT takes place across the same July weekend that T in the Park normally would, but instead of having to travel to a field in the middle of nowhere, TRNSMT is conveniently located in the heart of Glasgow, and with no camping you’ll likely have a much cleaner, happier time. The line-up includes Belle & Sebastian, London Grammar, Biffy Clyro and some chancers called Radiohead, who play Scotland for the first time in nine years. Day tickets from £59.50, trnsmtfest.com

Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival
Edinburgh, 14-23 Jul
If ever a genre were simultaneously open to adventure while remaining reverential of its own traditions, it’s jazz, and this year’s Auld Reekie shindig is a perfect snapshot of the genre in 2017. Leave the piano-key tie at home and just dive in – whatever you do, be sure to catch Manchester’s hip-hop-tinged geniuses The Mouse Outfit. And fear not, Dundee-based jazz fans: another installment takes place in your own fair city later in the year (15-19 Nov). Nice. £Various, edinburghjazzfestival.com

Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival
Belladrum Estate, Beauly, 3-5 Aug
Since its 2004 origins, Belladrum Tartan Heart has thrived on its communal atmosphere – “In a sense we have become a clan,” says festival promoter Joe Gibbs, so this year’s event naturally comes equipped with its own clan Bella tartan. Musically, you can expect treats from Glasgow’s arch-popsters Franz Ferdinand and Edinburgh’s chart-slaying KT Tunstall, but leave it to We Are Family hitmakers Sister Sledge to underline the clan sentiment with gusto. From £117, tartanheartfestival.co.uk

Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival, photo:  Martin Senyszak

Edinburgh International Festival
Edinburgh, 4-28 Aug 
Oh, you’ve heard of it…? EIF first took place in 1947, and somewhere along the way it grew into a major part of the world’s largest annual celebration of culture. Not too shabby, eh? With music, theatre and dance forming the main thrust of its programme, there’s a large emphasis on classical (the award-winning Dunedin Consort provide a typical highlight), but keep an eye out for the must-see PJ Harvey, plus a two-night special from The Magnetic Fields. £Various, eif.co.uk

Carnival Fifty Six
Camperdown Park, Dundee, 12-13 Aug
The line-up for the inaugural Carnival Fifty Six festival in Dundee this August has been revealed: Mark Ronson tops the bill on the festival's first night, with chart-botherers Rudimental and Clean Bandit headlining the second day and DJ sets from the likes of Hot Chip and Basement Jaxx. Further down the bill is a plethora of excellent Scottish talent including WHITE, Jonnie Common, Be Charlotte, Indigo Velvet and Fat Goth amongst others. Top stuff. Weekend tickets from £105, carnivalfiftysix.co.uk

Doune the Rabbit Hole
Cardross Estate, Port of Menteith, Stirlingshire, 18-20 Aug
Doune the Rabbit Hole is a small but perfectly formed, family friendly festival set in the stunning Stirlingshire countryside, just an hour’s drive from Glasgow and Edinburgh. Expect an eclectic mix of talent – with Malian heroes Songhoy Blues, avant-pop genius Jenny Hval and Idlewild's Roddy Woomble lining up to play, 2017’s adventure down the rabbit hole is likely to be one of the best yet. From £99, dounetherabbithole.co.uk

Electric Fields
Drumlanrig Castle, Dumfries & Galloway, 1-2 Sept 
Electric Fields festival heads back to the beautiful surroundings of Drumlanrig Castle in the Scottish Borders this year, and the line-up has been ramped up a fair old bit with the mighty Dizzee Rascal set to headline the Saturday night. Other acts include Kate Tempest, Arab Strap, Frightened Rabbit, Anna Meredith, Glass Animals, Real Estate, Future Get Down and Sacred Paws. And with the promise of good food and drink, you can’t really go wrong with this one. From £95, electricfieldsfestival.com