Date :
27/03/2014
Celtic and folk music artists Julie Fowlis, Dougie MacLean, Karine Polwart and Rachel Sermanni will lead over 300 performers in an inspirational one-off festival to commemorate the 700th anniversary of the Battle of Bannockburn.
VisitScotland and Unique Events joined Tourism Minister Fergus Ewing at Stirling Castle recently to unveil the stellar line-up for the Homecoming Scotland 2014 event, Bannockburn Live, a two-day feast of music, culture, ancestry, food and drink and battle performances on 28-29 June 2014.
Capturing every essence of Scottish culture, the atmospheric Bannockburn battlefield in Stirling will transform into five distinct areas, each with its own unmissable flavour and excitement. The event will include the recreation of a 1314 encampment, with sights and sounds of medieval life, and battles will take place at 12 noon, 2pm and 4pm, providing one of three opportunities to see ‘The Battle’ - the largest event of this nature ever seen in Scotland.
A music arena will provide a top quality mix of folk and contemporary music including two of the country’s finest award-winning artists, Dougie MacLean (Saturday) and Julie Fowlis (Sunday). The stage will be live from 11.15am until 6.45pm. Storyville, a festival within a festival, Scotland’s culture and history will be told by a range of artists from writers to stand-up comedians and renowned singer-songwriters. Family activities will be in abundance in Storyville with Living History Scotland, the National Trust for Scotland and other organisations.
The Land of Food and Drink, curated by Scotland Food and Drink, will offer visitors to Bannockburn Live the opportunity to sample and savour delicious Scottish products, whiskies, real ales and more as well as meet the passionate producers behind them. Visitors can picnic under giant tipis and enjoy Food Talk, a programme of talk and discussion about Scottish Food – its history and provenance.
The Clan & Family Village will host around 40 clans from across the UK and overseas who will converge at Bannockburn for this historic occasion. Visitors will be invited to meander through the clan society and family community, talk to members and find out about their history and how they can get involved. Audiences can also uncover their own ancestry with ScotlandsPeople, the official genealogical resource for Scotland with expert advice and demonstrations.
Bannockburn Live is one of over 700 events in the Homecoming Scotland 2014 programme which include the Forth Bridges Festival, Whisky Month, John Muir Festival, Ryder Cup Concert, World Sheepdog Trials and the MTV Europe Music Awards. From Friday 27 – Sunday 29 June, all eyes will be on Stirling as it hosts a spectacular weekend of events including Pipefest (27 June), the Armed Forces Day National Event (28 June) and Bannockburn Live (28-29 June).
The weekend provides an unmissable showcase of 700 years of history, pride in the armed forces, and will create a significant tourism boost to the city and surrounding area in 2014, the year of Homecoming Scotland.
Bannockburn Live will run from 10am – 7pm on Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 June. Tickets and more information are available at www.bannockburnlive.com