About

Rich cultural heritage

The Lochgilphead Celtic and Pictish Festival was established firstly because local residents intimated in community consultations that they wanted to see more events in the town and secondly because we wanted to celebrate our rich cultural heritage and help to provide more of a proud identity for the town.

The festival has grown over the years from a small get together with about 50-60 visitors in the first year in 2016, to a full day event with over 800 visitors in 2023, travelling from as far afield as Czechia and the USA. There are two main aspects to the festival. The first is a program of performances including battle re-enactments, weapons demonstrations and live music performances. The second is a large selection of stalls and attractions including workshops, interactive displays, craft and gift sales, and other opportunities to learn more about the subject and about the local area.

Non-profit event: making a real impact to our community

The festival is a non-profit event for all to attend and enjoy. We ensure maximum social inclusion and all profit  directly benefit the town and not the organisers. We encourage our visitors to explore the town, with local businesses having reported a positive benefit and increased footfall during the event. Online surveys have shown that over 70% of festival visitors are spending money in the town at rates of £20 to £100 per person, a figure which doesn’t include accommodation for those who travelled from further afield.

We have also had reports of some of our performers and stall-holders gaining further bookings and business as a result of attending the festival. In March 2024, we secured a 3 year funding deal from the Ventient Energy – a’Cruach Wind Farm fund, worth £30,000 in total, to grow the festival into a weekend event with more performances and more activities for the community, delivered through partners including Mid Argyll Youth Development Services and the MS Centre.

Projects we've funded this year

The Snowdrop Mid Argyll MS Centre has received funding from us to run a participatory photography course for service users with chronic health conditions and isolation issues.  This will take place before and during the festival.
 
Mid Argyll Community Development Service (MAYDS) have been given funding to run 2 days of outdoor activities and adventures for service users, including young carers.  The activities include Iron Age crafts and shelter building.

Logo by Jamie Wither

The winning logo was chosen by local councillors Dougie Philand and Jan Brown, from 26 entries from S3 Art students at Lochgilphead High School.  The winning design was by Jamie WIther.  Cash prizes were awarded to the top five places and kindly donated by Oban Switch Lifts.