Speyfest sees festivalgoers head for Fochabers in droves as event celebrates is biggest year yet.
An annual Celtic music festival has celebrated its 28th anniversary in style with thousands flocking to the weekend-long event.
Friday-Sunday, July 25-27 saw Speyfest bring another celebration of incredible music, culture, and community spirit in the heart of Moray.
Thousands of festivalgoers descended on the village of Fochabers, turning its playing fields into a bustling, tented village filled with music, crafts and festivities.
The festival edition has been deemed a resounding success as it continues to grow year on year. This year Speyfest hit 4500 attendances across the weekend, with audience members travelling from as far as the US, Sweden and Germany to experience the magic of a Scottish folk festival.
This year’s festival featured over 30 performances and workshops, with more than 250 musicians captivating audiences across two stages. Speyfest once again delivered its signature blend of tradition and innovation, offering a programme that celebrated the best in contemporary and Celtic traditional music and further enhancing its reputation as a must-visit event on Scotland’s cultural calendar.
Highlights included dazzling performances from fiddle legends Session A9, showstopping headliners Skipinnish who drew in the crowds on Saturday night, beloved songstress Siobhan Miller and party starters Mànran.
Speyfest Chair Ashleigh Macgregor said: “We’ve had a truly magical weekend filled with music, joy and community spirit.
“Every year, it’s incredible to see the playing fields of Fochabers come alive with festivalgoers of all ages, from near and far, sharing in the love of traditional music and culture. I want to extend my heartfelt gratitude to our volunteers, sponsors, artists and audiences for making the event possible and uniting under one roof to celebrate what makes Speyfest so special.
“Speyfest demonstrates the strength, value and vibrancy of community-driven music festivals and 2025 has been another triumphant chapter in our festival’s storied history. Plans for Speyfest 2026 are already in motion, with the promise of another memorable event next July, we hope you will join us.”
Speyfest’s programme extended far beyond the music, with an array of family-friendly activities, including kids' arts and crafts, face painting, yoga sessions, and the inaugural Speyfest Sunday Skedaddle fun run, which saw around 100 people take part, with their efforts rewarded with a medal, dram and bacon roll.
Visitors also enjoyed a craft fair showcasing local artisans, and laid-back prosecco afternoon tea sessions. New pop-up pub sessions featuring local musicians and some of Scotland’s biggest trad stars brought a sense of spontaneity that saw the buzz of the festival stretched right across the area.
The festival also stayed true to its founding principles by inspiring the next generation of musical talents. Aspiring musicians participated in workshops that provided hands-on experience with some of the festival’s most accomplished performing artists including singer Siobhan Miller and fiddle player Adam Sutherland.
Siobhan, who led workshops and performed at the festival, said: “It’s been an absolutely magical weekend at Speyfest.
“I arrived on Friday to teach a singing workshop, which saw people across the generations come together as one. It was just amazing to see these singers learn these new pieces - I taught them so much in a very short amount of time and they were so up for it.
“There was a lovely buzz as soon as I arrived, and that's the feeling that I get from this festival overall.
“There's a real sense of community at Speyfest - it comes through at every opportunity. The support that you feel from people is amazing. One couple have come all the way from Philadelphia - I think that's testament to just how wonderful this festival is and how much it appeals to both the local community and people across the world.
“One of my absolute favourite things about what I do is getting to share my music in a room with other people, and there's something special about the audiences here at Speyfest. The audience brought so much great energy and we just had the absolute best time - I could have stayed up there for hours and hours! I hope we can come back soon.”
The festival was made possible through support from local sponsors, including the National Lottery through Creative Scotland.
Speyfest will return from Friday-Sunday, July24-26, 2026 for its 29th edition. Early bird tickets will go on sale next month. Visit www.speyfest.com