Following on from the success of last year’s MagFest, which attracted an audience of 3,200 over its two nights, MagFest 2007 will feature a six-day programme of circus, cabaret, comedy, music and children’s events, all housed in a unique venue – the MagFest Spiegeltent.

Glenys Hughes, Festival Director, said: ‘Last year’s MagFest was so successful that we always hoped it could be more than just a one-off event. We wanted to build on the enthusiasm and excitement generated by MagFest, while at the same time offering something different this year. MagFest will run throughout the Festival and the combination of a spectacular new venue and an array of top-class entertainment will, I hope, attract new audiences of all ages as well as our existing festival-goers.’

Spiegeltents are hand-crafted pavilions which were used throughout Europe as travelling dance halls, bars and entertainment salons in the early part of the 20th century. Built of wood, mirrors and leaded glass, detailed in velvet and brocade, there are only a few of these unique entertainment salons left in the world. With its intimate booths, ornate bar, mirrored columns and Art Nouveau chandelier, the MagFest Spiegeltent will provide an extraordinary venue for a variety of stunning performances. ‘Moulin Rouge’, one of the last few remaining Belgian Spiegeltents, will be specially transported to Orkney from Rijkevorel and will be located in the centre of Kirkwall throughout the Festival.

The main Spiegeltent show will be Oiseau Rouge, an unmissable night of live entertainment featuring an international line-up of circus, cabaret, comedy and burlesque performers. Oiseau Rouge has been developed specially for the Festival by London’s Circus Space and is inspired by La Clique, the Spiegeltent show which tours world-wide and regularly attracts 5-star reviews and sell-out audiences at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. There will be six performances of Oiseau Rouge - four for adult audiences plus two all-age shows.

Daytime Spiegeltent events will include family shows by the renowned Lempen Puppet Theatre.

Oiseau Rouge will finish on Monday night, whereafter, on Tuesday and Wednesday, star billing will be shared between Irish comedian Andrew Maxwell in his award-winning show Round Twilight and the ever-popular singer-songwriter Michael Marra who will once again turn his inimitable comic eye on Scotland in general and Dundee in particular.

George Rendall, Festival Chairman, said: ‘The Spiegeltent is a stunning venue. You have to be in it to feel that continental, between-the-wars kind of atmosphere – it’s like being on the set of the film Cabaret. We struggled to find a name for the main show because it had to be accessible, but at the same time continental in feel. Oiseau Rouge, I hope, fits the bill. Anyone who did a bit of French at school will know that it means ‘Red Bird’, which refers to the St Magnus Festival logo. As befits the venue, the programme is in parts fairly risqué. It adds a completely new strand to the Festival programme and I hope people will realise it’s for them!’

MagFest 2007 is supported by funding from EventScotland. Full details can be found in the St Magnus Festival brochure which will be launched on Monday 26th March and will then be available from the Tourist Offices and the Festival Office.