Giant puppets in Kyleakin will begin a fortnight-long programme of arts and music events for this year’s Fèis an Eilein, which gets underway on Friday.
The Puppet Picnic Parade will open the annual festival on Friday afternoon (19th July) and the first gig will be held on the same evening, when the Glenfinnan Ceilidh Band play at Kyle Hall.
The festival, which is organised by local community arts promoters Seall, includes various events across Skye, Raasay and Lochalsh.
The puppets will be created in a series of arts workshops which include stilt-walking, choreography, character work and drumming, all of them being held in the week running up to the opening of the festival.
The workshops are open to the public and led by Vision Mechanics, creators of a giant puppet called ‘STORM’.
Taking over two years to complete, the ten-metre high sea-goddess puppet is described as “a new feat of mechanical mastery” created in response to the climate crisis by the puppeteering duo Symon Macintyre and Kim Bergsagel.
The parade will see participants and spectators gathering at Kyleakin Pier at 11am before making their way to Kyleakin Community Hall for family fun including live music from the Big Field Blues Band.
Jamie Sutherland, who is the creative director of Seall said: “Seall are delighted to announce the 2024 edition of our Fèis an Eilein festival, an island wide celebration of music and performance running from July 19th to the 1st August 2023.
“We are thrilled to have some of Scotland’s finest artists visiting Skye over the festival, ranging from cèilidh to dub reggae, classical to contemporary folk and traditional music, and all opened on the 19th of July for the first time with a family friendly puppet parade and picnic celebration through Kyleakin.
“The Seall team and I feel there is something for everyone in the programme and we look forward to seeing lots of people there.”
Info and booking at seall.co.uk
PUPPET WORKSHOP / FESTIVAL TIMETABLE
13th – 18th July – Kyleakin – FREE Arts Workshops age 8-adult in Giant Puppet Making (Vision Mechanics – drop in), Drama and Character Work (Daniel Cullen – book), Movement and Choreography (Lorayne McLucas – book), Stilt Walking (Ewan Mcintyre – book) and Drumming (Dougie Hudson ex Salsa Celtica – book)
19th July – Kyleakin – Opening Puppetry Picnic Parade with The Big Field Blues Band, Skye Circus and more
19th July – Kyle of Lochalsh Community Centre – Glenfinnan Ceilidh Band
20th July – Kyle of Lochalsh Community Centre – An Dannsa Dub
24th July – Sabhal Mòr Ostaig – The Hebrides Ensemble
25th July – Broadford Hall – Rachel Sermanni
26th July – Raasay Distillery – Rachel Sermanni
26th July – Skye Gathering Hall, Portree – The Poozies
27th July – Skye Gathering Hall, Portree– Roddy Woomble
1st August – Minginish Community Hall – Dàimh