Uphill & Outdoors: Liminal Event on their green outdoor parties

Stonehenge, the Pyramids of Giza, the International Space Station – all have fleetingly transformed to provide a setting for live musical acts. Scotland and its landmarks are no stranger to such well-tuned shapeshifting. 

With a sunset backdrop and a makeshift rig, Liminal Event have converged on the summit of Arthur’s Seat twice this summer. The project, to bring transcendental music and dance experiences to a like-minded crowd, was started by Edinburgh local Alastair Curtis-Walcott and Belgian PhD student Hannah Vanhoof. Curtis-Walcott chanced upon a similar event on top of Mount Victoria in New Zealand. “I just thought ‘Edinburgh needs this,’” Ali says, seeking to reconnect the public with the volcanic landmark at the city’s centre. “That’s what spawned this back in February and slowly we’ve been building it ever since.” 

Having held a number of other free events on The Meadows and most recently, a party on the white beaches of the North Coast, the couple have had an industrious summer. The pair first met at the end of last year while travelling in Sri Lanka, bonding over their shared loves of sound systems, surfing and sustainability. They make for a brilliant team, combining Curtis-Walcott’s expertise as a brand designer with Vanhoof’s background in environmental engineering. As a result, the eco credentials of the project shine through. Vanhoof recalls a pivotal dilemma – save cash with a fuel-guzzling generator or take the risk to go green. “[Alastair] was telling me, ‘'I’m low on money, how are we going to do this?’, and [I said] , ‘Ali, we’ve got to do it renewably. If we’re going to do it, we’ve got to do it right.’” 

The duo’s determination to execute a lineup of low-impact events is commendable. From encouraging car shares and litter picking, to powering events exclusively with renewables and conducting environmental impact assessments – each step of the process is meticulously formulated. The values at the heart of the project make it an attractive opportunity for collaborators. Jubel, the brewery known for their après-ski beer, was instantly drawn to the events. “They are B Corp certified,” Curtis-Walcott explains, “so us working with renewables and aiming towards sustainability [had them] really interested.” As expected, stocking the events with free lager has been a hit. 

Liminal Event's party on Arthur's Seat. Photo: Omar James / OJE Studios

Rumours of boozy, hill-top parties carrying the torch of Edinburgh’s raving legacy have spread fast. A WhatsApp group with some 130 members supplies details of upcoming events, while their curated Instagram account issues teasers for its followers. Emil, an attendee of the second Arthur’s Seat event, was coaxed along by a flatmate. He describes it as “absolutely idyllic listening to live music with such a view”. The effort the Liminal Event team (up to 11 people strong) make to stage these parties has become part of the spectacle. “[I was] just impressed at them lugging all the sound kit up the hill,” Emil adds. 

Their appeal to a wide audience is reflected in the varied lineup – launching with performances from local songwriters, before opening the decks to bassy DJ sets. Edinburgh based singer-songwriter, Archie Topp, was scouted at the Meadows Festival for the inaugural Arthur’s Seat event. “I was immediately up for it,” he says, “but there were also a lot of logistics to figure out. I had to strip down to the minimum gear so I could hike it up the back of Arthur’s Seat by stealth.” As sounds of song carried across the hills, inquisitive walkers joined the rabble. “I had a great time watching as more people became intrigued,” he recalls. “People clapped from above us on the very summit, like an auditorium.” 

Inevitably, the Holyrood Park ranger service, who patrol the grounds of Arthur’s Seat, stumbled across the event. “We did get caught on our last one,” says Curtis-Walcott. To the luck of the crowd, the incident ended amicably rather than with a confrontation. “It was fine, they were really gracious!” 

After all, the team is open to working alongside local authorities. “We’re very keen to learn from whatever they have to say,” Vanhoof says. “They’re dealing with cultural events all the time, they’ve got a lot of knowledge that we can learn from.” Despite their clandestine operation, they hope their work will pave the way for collaboration in the future. 

As the nights draw in, the pair have turned their sights towards the looming winter months. “We’ve identified a whole number of bothies which are danceable,” Curtis-Walcott says. “What we find worthwhile is events that are actually exciting to celebrate – the longest and shortest days of the year, seasonal celebrations, cosmological events.” 

Certainly, for Vanhoof, one detail is key: “And [they’re] not man-made-up!” She sees it as an exciting way to bring the community together – to wrap up warm and rejoice in the natural beauty of Scotland. 

It’s a precarious balancing act the couple have embarked upon: to appease local authorities while maintaining their nonconformist image; to promote their hard work yet sustain a manageable crowd size; to embrace spontaneity and still organise thoughtfully. There’s no doubt they take it all in their stride.

---

@liminalevent on Instagram