MacMoray Festival organiser Andy MacDonald living ‘childhood dream’ of having Status Quo at his event
Excitement is “sky-high” for MacMoray Festival organiser Andy MacDonald ahead of this weekend’s Summer Special event.
Thousands of festival go-ers will flock to Elgin’s Cooper Park on Saturday and Sunday (August 10 and 11) for the penultimate edition of MacMoray.
The Jacksons (Saturday, 9pm) and Status Quo (Sunday, 9pm) are the headline acts - with Andy most excited to see the latter.
He said: “As a young kid, I danced around to Rocking All Over The World playing guitar on my tennis racket. So that will be a dream for me having them here. I’m buzzing with that.
“The Jacksons are legendary. But I’m excited to see everyone. It’s the best of past MacMorays - Cascada and DJ Sammy - the favourites from the last two editions - together.
“Both are excited to come back which makes me even more excited.
“I haven’t worked with Callum Beattie yet and that has been a long time in the making. He is extremely excited to be performing. The Vamps are buzzing too.”
“It’s our most exciting line-up yet and the bands are dead excited. It is great to see world stars coming to Elgin and being buzzing about it.”
It’s been a stressful few months for Andy, who announced that MacMoray will not be returning after 2025 and is focusing on the birth of his baby daughter - due in September.
Andy said: “I have been starting to get that excitement again since Sunday. The stress has taken a back seat. It’s difficult to organise something so huge and bigger than ever before.
“I really want to make this Summer Special as special as I can. Nerves are sky-high, excitement and energy are sky-high. Everything has been enhanced.”
For MacMoray lovers, there was a hint that next year - despite the announcement earlier this year - might not be the final event.
Offers have been made to Andy to take the event on, but a decision on the Elgin event’s future is not imminent.
He said: “I wasn’t in a great frame of mind when I announced we would be stopping. I didn't realise the impact MacMoray had. I forgot how much it means to people.
“Everyone I have worked with since day one - it is part of their lives too. We have got MacMoray Easter still to come and there is plenty time to figure out the way to go.
“I’m not capable of making decisions right now. Right now I’m not seeing past my baby.”
