The Highlands and Islands Music and Dance Festival has developed into one of Scotland’s major arts festivals, and takes place annually in Oban, Scotland.
The festival began in 1984, when its aims were to encourage young talent to participate in and develop the traditional arts of music and dance of the highlands and islands of Scotland.
Since then the event has developed to include new special events and competitions, and the festival now offers over 1100 participants 125 competition classes in twelve disciplines including piping, accordion, fiddle, clarsach, piano, recorder, woodwind & brass, singing, Scottish country dancing, highland dancing and choreography.
Special Events
In addition to the many competition classes, the festival hosts a number of special events annually, including:
- A Fine Blend, presented in association with Oban Accordion and Fiddle Club and the Netherlorn Piping Society, with great traditional fiddle, accordion and pipe music provided by local musicians.
- The Highlands and Islands Fiddle and Accordion Masters featuring prize-winning fiddle and accordion players from the main competition championships throughout Scotland.
- The Scottish Area Highland Dancing Finals, the culmination of the whole year’s competition circuit, featuring seventeen teams, and the only highland dancing team event to be held in the world!
- The Scottish Choreography Challenge featuring two days of entertainment of the highest standard. Teams of dancers compete for prestigious prizes using innovative dance routines incorporating traditional highland dancing steps, sound and lighting effects, dazzling costume and scenery.
- Festival Parade
A fine spectacle, with a number of pipe bands marching through Oban for the enjoyment of residents and visitors. - The Concert of Champions which presents winners from the competitions in a musical variety show of very high quality, followed by the Festival Fling, when competitors, family and friends dance into the wee small hours to a traditional Scottish dance band.
