GLASGOW’S summer celebration of Scottish traditional music, The Reeling festival, has confirmed its full line-up for 2024 – with some big names heading for Rouken Glen Park on Saturday and Sunday, June 8 and 9.
The Saturday night will see Elephant Sessions and Niteworks top the main stage bill, the latter with one of their final performances as a band.
Sunday’s main stage line-up is headed up by two of Gaelic music’s most celebrated acts, Scots Trad Awards Musician of the Year Julie Fowlis and the musical powerhouse Manran.
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Further additions to Saturday’s line-up include genre-busting quartet Mec Lir; neo-trad sensations Project Smok; award-winning Uilleann piper Calum Stewart; up-and-coming indie-folk duo Carnan, and Glasgow-based six-piece TRIP.
Newly added to the bill on Sunday are Orcadian folk quartet FARA; Scottish harpist Chloe Matharu; Glasgow-based folk singer Iona Lane, and Gaelic singer Mairi McGillivray.
They join a lineup already bursting with talent – with Saturday’s previously announced artists including energetic five-piece Kinnaris Quintet, iconic Gaelic singer Kathleen MacInnes, Scots singing sensation Siobhan Miller with her band, as well as Hannah Rarity, Donald Macdonald, Deira, DLÙ and Rosie H Sullivan.
Sunday’s lineup already sees the likes of Celtic supergroup Ímar, leading Scottish smallpiper Brìghdhe Chaimbeul & Aidan O’ Rourke, trad-fusion pioneers Croft No. Five, multi-talented Gaelic singer Kim Carnie, plus Kris Drever, Gnoss, The Magpies, Claire Hastings (below), and Cala.
The 5000-capacity event burst onto the Scottish festival scene in June 2023, becoming the biggest single weekend of traditional music in the Central Belt and welcoming attendances of 8000 across the weekend for its inaugural year.
The Reeling 2024 will see the Glasgow southside park brought to life again with world-class performances spanning two stages, plus a dedicated kids area perfect for families of all ages, and quality Scottish food and drink offerings to suit every taste.
The Reeling festival director Michael Pellegrotti said: “I’m buzzing to reveal the full line-up for the second edition of The Reeling – it’s huge! We’re delighted to be returning to Rouken Glen Park after the success of our first year, and to have secured many of the Scottish trad scene’s leading lights for another huge celebration of Scottish music in this incredible park.
“We’ve been working hard behind the scenes to top last year and deliver an even better experience for everyone, with the expansion of the kids area – one of our favourite parts of the first year – as well as even more quality Scottish food and drink catering to all tastes!”
Alasdair Taylor of Elephant Sessions (above) said: “We’re buzzing to get back and perform in Glasgow this summer and to play at The Reeling festival for the first time.
“Having an outdoor festival like this in the city is just fantastic. We heard such good things about this event last year, so can’t wait to join such a brilliant bill for 2024.”
Fowlis said: “This week it’s been such a privilege to be surrounded by traditional music and that special festival energy at Celtic Connections. So, I’m just delighted at the thought of returning to Glasgow and to The Reeling festival in June, especially as part of such a vibrant line-up.”
The Reeling is a true celebration of creativity and community and the inaugural event delivered on all fronts with over 30 performances from some of Scotland’s most exciting musical talent taking place across the weekend.
The debut festival’s warm, inclusive atmosphere earned organisers a nomination for Event of Year at the 2023 MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards and organiser Michael Pellegrotti, also the brains behind Skye Live Festival, featured in The List’s Hot 100 – a list which recognises those who have made the most significant contribution to Scotland’s cultural landscape.
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The Reeling 2024 will boast an expanded family area, with daily sessions with Ceilidh Tots and workshops for budding musicians as well as a fantastic array of Scottish food and drink offerings and secret sets from some very special guests.
Further tickets for the highly anticipated second edition will be released exclusively to the festival’s mailing list on Wednesday 24th January at 9am, before public sale reopens on Friday 26th January at 9am. Early bird prices are available until the end of February, with group booking discounts also available. Head here for full information.
The Reeling is part of the Keychange initiative, committed to at least a 50% women and gender minority lineup, and is part of 1% for the Planet which sees 1% of all revenue generated by the festival go to environmental causes – 2023 saw the festival make donations to Trees for Life and the John Muir Trust.
The Reeling will take place at Rouken Glen Park on Saturday 8th and Sunday 9th June 2024. For more information on the full line-up and to buy tickets, visit the here.
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