Arran Music Festival returns for a ‘make or break’ event
Arran Music Festival will return this spring but organisers have warned declining attendance numbers threaten its future.
The musical event, which dates back to 1923, provides a variety of musical classes for adults and children, including solo instruments, solo singing choirs, poetry recitals, choric verse, and Scottish country dancing. This year the event is set to start on Thursday March 20 and run until Saturday March 22.
Despite starting over 100 years ago, this year’s festival will be the 92nd Arran Music Festival. The event has faced cancellations throughout its history, including during the Second World War, the Covid pandemic, and in 2024 due to logistical issues.
Frances Coyle, chair of Arran Music Festival, has called this year a “make or break year” for the festival.
She said: “The festival has given generations of children the opportunity to perform and perhaps win a trophy with some constructive critique on their pieces. Sadly, since Covid, the number of entries has dwindled, although there remains a great fondness for the event.
“Parents, grandparents, and indeed great-grandparents of our current schoolchildren speak enthusiastically of the days when almost the whole island entered, and they recall just what a big event and day out it was. Competition between the choirs was fierce! Perhaps we can’t get back to those numbers, but we would like to keep the festival alive if we can.
“There is such a lot of great music happening on Arran that it’s difficult to pinpoint why the numbers have dropped. Perhaps new families to the island are not aware of the festival, and it’s difficult for the schools to timetable rehearsals and to have children out of class to compete”.
Francis explained that the team behind the festival is introducing changes to this year’s event with the aim of breathing new life into it.
She said: “This year, we are changing things around to try to address some of these issues. It would be a real loss to island heritage and culture if this historic festival were to fold.”
Not only have the festival organisers decided to make entries to all the classes free this year, but they have also included a new venue to the event, which has traditionally been held in Whiting Bay, to make it easier for people to participate.
To ensure it’s easy for pupils to attend, the school-age pipers and drummers session will be held in the theatre at Arran High School on Thursday March 20. The rest of the events will be held at Whiting Bay Hall.
On Friday March 21, school choirs, choric speaking, and Scottish country dancing will take place. Then on Saturday March 22, solo singing and solo instruments will take place, as well as adult choirs, voice, and instrumental classes. By the final day’s event on a Saturday, the organisers behind the festival hope that more parents can come along to watch and participate.
The festival is open to all. Attendees are asked to be aware that for the pipe and drum sessions in Arran High’s theatre, they will have to enter via the side door of the theatre rather than the front door of the school.
Online entries can be completed via this link: forms.office.com/e/KAVt0MHzcv. Paper entry forms are available in Brodick Library, Arran High School office, MBS and the Harbour Shop in Blackwaterfoot. Entries close on Friday February 21.
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