Free three-day Dandelion Festival at Inverness's Northern Meeting Park with a programme of music, talks, workshops and activities for families and youngsters proved popular with all ages from Friday
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The Dandelion Festival – on a theme of planting produce and sustainability – combined music, talks, workshops and family events for three days in the Northern Meeting Park.
Miraculously, the weather held apart from the odd shower.
But maybe almost as special, as Scottish singer Hannah Rarity said during her Sunday set: “This is a fantastic festival – and it’s free!”
Families, young couples, teenagers and older people all turned out for the EventScotland festival last weekend.
Little garden sheds held activities, including Something Corny which taught people to make corn dollies.
The Pavilion Of Perpetual Light – almost more of “an artwork” than a stage, as band Del Amitri’s Justin Currie commented during their headliner set on Friday night – was the spectacular centrepiece, made up of growing cubes looked after by “robots” dancing to the music.
Talks were on everything from what Scotland needs to feed itself to the magical world of mushrooms.
The music – curated by Celtic Connections director Donald Shaw – combined local acts such as Cala, with Scottish big-hitters such as Del Amitri and King Creosote.
And international line-ups brought new sounds, such as the Afghan music of Elaha Soroor with Kefaya, fun with Galician act Acibreira, and Sunday headliner, of Gambian heritage, Sona Jobarteh.
Sona – who is the first professional female kora player – attracted a large crowd for her first visit as far north as Inverness.
She inspired her up-for-it audience to sing along loudly in her last song which was dedicated to the country of her heritage, taking her words about hope that younger generations will still keep embracing their culture, all the way “from Inverness to Gambia”.
The Dandelion project, funded by the Scottish Government as part of the Unboxed Creativity in the UK, ends next weekend with Harvest, encouraging people to eat what they have grown and lots of other events.
One of those is The MooFood Harvest, from the Muir of Ord Development Trust b on Saturday, (Sept 10) from 10am to 2pm. Activities will include: bush craft, storytelling, natural arts and crafts, talks/guided walks, gardening and a compost Q&A, and cooking demonstrations with in-season, community grown produce. There will also be a smoothie bike and and an apple press where people can cycle their own smoothies or make their own apple juice. Plus harvest-themed games and activities with prizes for all ages. More info: https://dandelion.scot/whats-on/community-harvests/
