Early bird HebCelt tickets on sale to meet demand

The 2018 HebCelt, held last month in Stornoway, was hailed as the most successful in its 23-year history after all four nights were sold out.

Early bird weekend tickets for arena shows on July 18th to 20th next year will be available from the festival website today.

In a new move for next year, in order to improve the customer experience for the younger festival-goers, HebCelt has added a youth ticket banding and restructured the costs for under-18s.

This includes adding in a nominal charge for tickets for children up to six years old, with income from this source being donated to Macmillan Cancer Support, HebCelt’s nominated charity.

Day tickets and those for opening shows, late night activities and community events in Lewis and Harris go on sale next year when the full festival programme is finalised.

Package deals for visiting festival-goers, including tickets, travel and accommodation, are being arranged by the Cala Groups via the Hebridean Hopscotch website.

The packages have been put together in response to strong demand from visitors from all over the world who want to streamline arrangements to enjoy the festival to the full.

Festival director Caroline Maclennan said: “We are still buzzing from the excitement of this year’s success but are already planning HebCelt 2019.

“Demand for tickets for next year is already very strong and we want to make sure our local and international audience have the best chance to attend.

“The new packages will make it a lot easier to arrange a trip to HebCelt and knowing travel and accommodation arrangements are taken care of during a very busy time will add to an already enjoyable experience.”

The 23rd HebCelt, headlined by Deacon Blue, The Fratellis, Eddi Reader, Roddy Woomble and Skipinnish, was praised by Fiona Hylsop, Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Tourism and External Affairs, was a great success story for Stornoway, the Hebrides and Scotland.

More than half the HebCelt audience came from outside the islands, and from as far afield as Australia, Canada and the US as well as across Europe, including many returning families.

The multi award-winning festival also provided a huge economic stimulus for the islands, with hotels, guest houses and campsites all fully booked leading up to the event.