Hebcelt shortlisted for prestigious national awards

HebCelt has been confirmed as a finalist in both the Festival of the Year and Cultural Event of the Year categories in the annual Scottish Event Awards.

The awards celebrate a range of events that took place in Scotland between 20 May 2016 and 23 June 2017.

The 21st HebCelt, headlined by Runrig, was held from 13-16 July 2016 in Stornoway and was the most successful in its history. An estimated 18,000 people – by far the event’s highest audience – savoured four days of outstanding music in Stornoway and surrounding communities.

An independent economic impact study showed the festival directly generated £1.4 million. But its wider knock-on impact on local businesses meant a net economic effect of £2.2 million and helped safeguard 40 tourism-related jobs.

The survey found that 63 per cent of festival goers came from outside Lewis and Harris, with almost three quarters saying they were in the area to attend HebCelt.

The 2017 HebCelt, headlined by The Waterboys, Imelda May and Dougie MacLean, was another successful event. The festival organisers followed it up by curating a hugely-successful sell-out opening concert at the Lorient Interceltic Festival in Brittany on 5 August – Europe’s largest Celtic festival - when Scotland was Guest Country of Honour.

HebCelt director Caroline Maclennan said: “Being shortlisted in two categories is a huge honour. Coming soon after another highly successful festival, and our triumphant contribution at Lorient, is a great reward for everyone involved in organising these events.”

The HebCelt audience is drawn from across the UK and also abroad, including Europe, the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Many of them come back year after year – 70 per cent of the audience are returners and a further 17 per cent come on recommendation, demonstrating the high regard for the event.