Session A9, the Glenuig piping MacDonald Brothers, Gaelic singer Margaret Stewart and participants from 3 Highland Fèisean will soon be joining forces in Blas – a new festival giving a unique taste of traditional Highland culture – to be launched on Saturday 13 November simultaneously in 3 venues across the Highlands.

The new festival, funded by the National Lottery through the Millennium Commission and the Highland Council, will feature young people from the Fèis movement, working alongside their choice of professional musicians.  It is hoped that it will become an annual event, growing into all areas covered by the Highland Council, and taking in as many communities as would like to be involved.  The event will have a strong Gaelic element - the language will be featured at all events - and will also have a strong community element.  The festival will be organised by Fèisean nan Gàidheal, the national umbrella organisation of the Fèis movement.

Arthur Cormack, Fèisean nan Gàidheal’s Director explains: “We were approached by The Highland Council, after some of their members and officers had visited Celtic Colours in Cape Breton, to see if we could create a similar event for the Scottish Highlands.  We held a consultative seminar with representatives of existing festivals, musicians, and potential funders, early this year, which was addressed by Joella Foulds, the Artistic Director of Celtic Colours.  The outcome was a consensus that any new festival in the Highlands should be built around the successful Fèis movement, should involve communities, and be very much built around our young people.  We were very happy to take up the challenge, and are launching the new event in 3 places at the same time on November 13, with 3 events which will hopefully give people a ‘blas’ or ‘taste’ of things to come.”

Fèisean nan Gàidheal will use its network of 17 local Fèisean within the Highland Council’s area, and will work in partnership with the Council as well as the Promoters’ Arts Network (PAN), to ensure that as many communities who wish to be involved, can be part of Blas.

"The Highland Council has supported the Fèis movement since its inception, and sees Blas as building upon and celebrating the dynamic and expanding traditional music scene that has resulted from that partnership.  While it won’t be run quite along the same lines as Celtic Colours, it will be a unique festival for the area it covers, which is large and disparate.  The challenge is enormous, as is the potential, and we hope to be able to put on an event in every community across the Highlands that would like to host one.  We expect that for the pilot festival in 2005, Lochaber, Skye & Lochalsh, Ross & Cromarty, Caithness and Sutherland will be involved, and that the festival will grow thereafter into places like Inverness, Nairn and Badenoch & Strathspey, to become a major international festival, covering all areas of the Highlands by 2007", says Arthur Cormack.

The launch events on 13 November will feature young people who took part in the Cèilidh Trails run by 3 Fèisean during the summer, along with their choice of guests. 

All events start at 7.30pm and tickets are available from various local venues, and from Fèisean nan Gàidheal on 01478 613355.  Details of who will be appearing are as follows:

Arainn Shuaineirt, Strontian (hosted by Fèisean Lochabair) 
Session A9 (Duncan Chisholm, Gordon Gunn, Charlie McKerron etc); Margaret Stewart; Fèisean Lochabair Cèilidh Trailers; Bean-an-taighe Anne Martin

Spa Pavilion, Strathpeffer (hosted by Fèis Rois) 
Dr Angus, Allan & Iain MacDonald; Rona Lightfoot; The Tassle Bandits; Fèis Rois Cèilidh Trailers

Carnegie Hall, Clashmore (hosted by Fèis Chataibh) 
The Anna Massie Band; Kathleen MacInnes; Fèis Chataibh Cèilidh Trailers