COUNTDOWN TO BLAS-T OFF: It starts on Friday and runs for nine days – but what exactly is the Blas Festival?

AUDIENCES across Ross-shire are being invited to sample a taste of Highland and Gaelic culture as the Blas Festival prepares to reel into its 19th year.

Performances at village halls and concert venues the length and breadth of the Highlands and islands will feature the likes of Mànran, Mary Ann Kennedy, Chloe Bryce and Sian.

It runs from September 2-10.

In Ross-shire, venues in communities from North Kessock to Ullapool, Lochcarron, Plockton and Achiltibuie will host a wide variety of acts.

RELATED: Stages set for Blas Festival 2022

So what is the Blas Festival and what does it aim to achieve?

• The Blas Festival features homegrown talent alongside internationally renowned traditional musicians. Gaelic plays a prominent part in every Blas event, making it a key Highland cultural event.
• The main aim of Blas is to celebrate Highland music, Gaelic language and culture and the festival is held each year throughout the administrative area of the Highland Council, which is the main funder of the event.
• Blas is focused on and informed and influenced by the music and culture of the Gàidhealtachd and aims to innovate, collaborate and experiment with exponents of complementary cultures.
• Its overall aims are to celebrate and strengthen traditional Highland music and promote Gaelic; involve communities as proactive participants, and grow new audiences; innovate and excite; involve young people; be an international event, seeking to build new audiences, and have visiting international artists in particular, but not exclusively, from Ireland and Nova Scotia.
• 2022 marks the 18th Blas festival, which was created as a result of Highland Council’s desire to have a festival, in its area, which would match the vitality of Cape Breton’s Celtic Colours. Fèisean nan Gàidheal was asked by Highland Council to develop and deliver the festival, which it has done successfully in partnership with local Fèisean and promoters.
• The Blas Festival primary funders and supporters include The Highland Council, Creative Scotland, Bòrd na Gàidhlig and Fèisean nan Gàidheal. This year, additional funding has been secured from the Year of Stories 2022 Community Stories Fund, created through collaboration by Museums Galleries Scotland, National Lottery Heritage Fund and VisitScotland to showcase community stories.
• Fèisean nan Gàidheal (FnG) was established in 1991 as the independent umbrella association of the Fèis movement. It is a membership organisation that offers a range of services to its members including grant-aid, training, insurance, and instrument loans.
• FnG is funded by Creative Scotland, Bòrd na Gàidhlig and Highlands & Islands Enterprise and delivers contracts for several local authorities.
• FnG supports 47 tuition based Fèisean that offer tuition in traditional Gaelic arts to around 13,000 young people across Scotland every year.
• Overall, FnG’s work engages around 70,000 people annually.
• The full programme can be found here.

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