BBC ALBA BRINGS HEBCELT LIVE TO A SCREEN NEAR YOU
News release
Hebridean Celtic Festival
Year of Homecoming 2014
- HebCelt to be screened live on BBC ALBA
- Fans to see two hours of music on Friday and Saturday nights
- Festival also to feature in future programmes
Music fans around the country can tune into the sights and sounds of the biggest ever Hebridean Celtic Festival when it features in two nights of live TV broadcasts.
BBC ALBA will exclusively show two hours of live music from the award-winning festival in Stornoway between 10p.m. and midnight on Friday 18 and Saturday 19 July, with additional programmes featuring the best sets from the event to be shown on the channel later in the year.
This will be the fifth year HebCelt has showcased on BBC ALBA and the third year of live coverage from the event which is regarded as one of the best music festivals of the summer.
The 19th annual HebCelt will run from 16-19 July and will feature its biggest ever programme of nearly 40 acts. As well as its two main stages in the festival arena, a new acoustic stage has been introduced this year for the first time and there will also be performances in An Lanntair arts centre in Stornoway and in community venues in Lewis and Harris.
Around 16,000 people from across the globe – double the size of the host town – are expected at the event to see headliners Levellers, Big Country and Donnie Munro as well as, among others, Rachel Sermanni, Cara Dillon, Duncan Chisholm, Cajun band Magnolia Sisters, from the US, and Canadian outfit Gordie MacKeeman and His Rhythm Boys.
A Gaelic Showcase is being staged to promote the language and culture and the festival’s support for young, emerging talent is demonstrated by coveted stage slots given over to Inverness-based band Hò-rò winners of HebCelt’s One Step Further contest and Glasgow singer songwriter Sophie Rogers who also won her place at the event.
Caroline MacLennan, HebCelt’s director said: “Seeing the festival live on TV is the next best thing to actually being there and we are delighted to be working with BBC ALBA again to provide extensive coverage of the event.
“The live broadcasts and programmes capture the wonderful atmosphere at HebCelt and showcase the festival and the islands to a large audience.”
Alan Esslemont, head of content for BBC ALBA, said: “Our live HebCelt package of programmes has proved extremely popular with our viewers and we very much look forward to this year’s festival which welcomes some top acts in the music scene. For festival goers who can’t attend in person we are delighted to be bringing the best of HebCelt direct to their screens.”
NOTES TO EDITORS
This year HebCelt was selected as one of the top 10 UK summer festivals for the fourth year in succession by the influential music magazine Songlines.
The 2013 event was the most successful in its history with ticket sales showing an increase of over 30 per cent on the previous year 2012. The 16,000-strong crowd helped generate around £1 million for the local economy
Last year HebCelt was also hailed as one of the greenest festivals in the world after being the only Scottish event to receive an Outstanding award from environmental campaign group A Greener Festival. In addition, it was shortlisted in the Greener Festival category in the UK Festival Awards and in the Best Independent Festival category in the AIM Independent Music Awards.
In 2011 it was ranked Best Large Festival at the industry-sponsored Scottish Event Awards and it won Best Event of the Year award at the MG Alba Scots Trad Music Awards in 2004 and 2009.
See - http://www.hebceltfest.com
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/HebCelt
Twitter https://twitter.com/HebCelt
Cision News Room -http://news.cision.com/hebridean-celtic-festival
BBC ALBA is available on the following platforms:
• Sky 143 (UK)
• Freeview / You View 8 (Scotland only)
• Virgin Media 161 (UK)
• Freesat 110 (UK)
• BT Vision 8 (Scotland only)
• Smallworld 170 (Ayrshire and North West England)
• BBC iPlayer
For more information contact
John Ross
Lucid PR
01463 724593; 07730 099617
johnross@lucidmessages.com
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