The past, present and future of traditional music

EDINBURGH TRADFEST – The very best traditional music from Scotland and around the world.
THIS YEAR’S DATES: 2 – 12 May 2025
A Soundhouse festival

What's New

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GREG LAWSON TELLS SCHOOL PUPILS TO HAVE NO BOUNDARIES
GREG LAWSON TELLS SCHOOL PUPILS TO HAVE NO BOUNDARIES

Music school pupils learn all about school alumnus Martyn Bennett

OUR 2025 PLAYLIST LANDS
OUR 2025 PLAYLIST LANDS

A wee sneaky preview of music from this year’s line up

FULL PROGRAMME LAUNCHED TODAY
FULL PROGRAMME LAUNCHED TODAY

Find out what’s in store this May

FIRST GIGS FOR ETF25 NOW ON SALE!
FIRST GIGS FOR ETF25 NOW ON SALE!

Check out the opening line up

EDINBURGH TRADFEST BREAKS OWN RECORD IN 2024
EDINBURGH TRADFEST BREAKS OWN RECORD IN 2024

Thanks to all the magnificent artists who took part

BAR SESSION LEADERS REVEALED
BAR SESSION LEADERS REVEALED

Find out who’ll be playing late night at the Traverse

MASTER MUSICIANS AT EDINBURGH TRADFEST
MASTER MUSICIANS AT EDINBURGH TRADFEST

Some of Scotland’s finest appearing this year

FRANKIE ARCHER INSPIRES SCHOOL PUPILS
FRANKIE ARCHER INSPIRES SCHOOL PUPILS

Young musicians encouraged to mess around and see what happens

TRIPTIC LAUNCH FULL ETF24 PROGRAMME
TRIPTIC LAUNCH FULL ETF24 PROGRAMME

Exclusive morning concert wows the assembled press!

Listen to our ETF24 artists
Listen to our ETF24 artists

Official festival playlist now available

 

Join the Tradfest mailing list

 
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Looking for evening plans on Thursday 8 May? 🎶 Well lucky you - award-winning folk singer Ellie Beaton (@elliebeatonsong) will be joining us at #EdinTradfest25 and captivating audiences in @traversetheatre 2, 6:30PM. Hailing from the North-East of
“Malcolm’s album sharply defines music as a gift from the past, and an especially good one for present times” – @theskinnymag Beth Malcolm is a singer-songwriter who performs a mix of traditional, modern and her own original
The band name ‘Traveling Jane’ was a slang term ascribed to a woman who worked on the American railroad and traveling tent shows during the early days of American popular music. 🛤️ The Janes traveling to Tradfest (Wednesday 7 May, 6:30PM
“You can search far and wide and you will not find anyone playing old-time music with this level of sincerity and drive. Other young stringbands either play it too safe, or so haphazard and punkish that it comes off as hokey and contrived. The
🎉 We are delighted to announce FULL details of the 2025 programme - ft. traditional music, storytelling, film, workshops, talks, ceilidhs, and much more! 🎉 Kicking off at @queens_hall on Friday 2 May with @rossainsliepipes, over the following
Morag Brown and Lewis Powell-Reid join us on Tuesday 6 May from 6:30PM, a duo that “mixes fiddles, accordions, guitars and the cittern in a set of pacy traditional tunes that travels from the Scottish Borders to the Balkans". (The Guardian
Mary Macmaster's musical love letter to our woodlands 🌳 🌲 Where would we be without the mighty oak, the weeping willow or the lonesome pine? For our 2025 special commission (Monday 5 May) Mary Macmaster has put together a brand new show celebratin
Get ready to be blown away by Finnish power-fiddle duo Teho 🎻 🔥 Joining us on Monday 5 May, Esko Järvelä and Tero Hyväluoma combine Finnish traditional fiddling, Norwegian halling, Swedish polska, bebop, western swing, and their own
Lauren MacColl: Half a Lifetime 🎻 Sunday 4 May in @traversetheatre 1. That may seem like a while away but it's only nine short weeks! It's 20 years since Lauren MacColl – a wide-eyed 19-year-old fiddler from the Scottish Highlands – was
Coming up at #EdinTradfest25 on Sunday 4 May, 6:30PM: Hartwin Trio! 🎶 Hartwin (Trio Dhoore, Siger) is a diatonic accordionist and composer from Belgium. His instrumental music has been moving people worldwide for many years. He is known for his simp
BLUESKY 💙 Interrupting our regular programming to share an idea with you all. We've stopped using X and are have made a brand new account on #bluesky - it seems like a good platform but perhaps a bit lacking in numbers. Without brilliant musicians a
Martyn Bennet: The music lives on 🎶 A special hour of chat (and the odd tune ) in the company of two people who have made sure, in their own ways, that Martyn Bennett’s music lives on: they are Gary West, author of Brave New Music – The
The final flourish on Saturday 3 May at Edinburgh Tradfest is... Leveret! ✨ A unique collaboration between three exquisite folk musicians: Andy Cutting, Sam Sweeney and Rob Habron. “Music of a rich, sinewy immersion, guided by a mutual sense
Coming up on May 3rd - don't miss our annual #WorldPlayAStrathspeyDay concert with an outstanding line-up! Pianist Rory Matheson joins acclaimed fiddlers Anna Robertson and Adam Sutherland for an afternoon of traditional Scottish music including stra
SO! ✨ More detail on the first gigs at Edinburgh Tradfest 2025 incoming, starting with our opening night at Queen's Hall: Ross Ainslie (@rossainsliepipes) & the Sanctuary Band, with special guest Terra Kin (@terra__kin) "Scotland’s mo
Yesterday we announced the Edinburgh Tradfest 2025 opening weekend, and today we're going to canter through the first few weekdays which are also LIVE and BOOKABLE now! 🔥🎵 The Edinburgh Tradfest 2025 weekdays begin with Finnish power-fiddle duo Te
We are *over the moon* to announce the first gigs for Edinburgh Tradfest 2025 are now on sale!! 🎶 The full programme will launch on Tuesday 11 March, but until then we have some belters already available for your booking pleasure... Opening the Fe