Amazing Artists
Amazing Artists
Fresh Ayr Folk Fest is a brand new music festival, set in the heart of Ayrshire, South West Scotland, which will showcase a host of artists from home and abroad.
Hailing from Scotland, England, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, and the USA, they have sold out stages across the country and beyond, headlining festivals from Celtic Connections to Celtic Colours. We also have newer, more local acts and ones as of yet undiscovered who will be performing on our more intimate Fresh Talent Stage.
Music Workshops
Music Workshops
Learn with some of the country’s finest!
Fancy learning from some of those you’ll see on stage? We have put in place several music workshops where you can learn tunes and skills from the best on offer! We hope to have one or two more in place by the time the festival comes around. All you need to do is bring your instrument!
Please note, these workshops have limited places and of course open only to those with festival tickets. They will take place at different times. Details of how to sign up will be announced in due course.
Saturday
Alistair McCulloch – “How to Better Embellish your Fiddling”
for intermediate to advanced fiddlers
Maggie MacInnes – “An Introduction to Gaelic Singing”
for Gaelic and non-Gaelic speakers
Laura-Beth Salter – “Tips, Tunes and Techniques on Mandolin”
for intermediate mandolin players
Jenn Butterworth – “Approaches to Session Accompaniment for Guitar”
for all guitar players
Sunday
Ewan Baird – “Bodhran for Beginners”
for beginner bodhran players
Ali Levack – “Improvisation and Composition”
for novice to advanced beginner on any instrument
Pablo Lafuente – “Trad Guitar” for intermediate guitarists
Rua Macmillan – “Highland Fiddle Workshop”
for intermediate fiddlers
Fun for Kids
…and the young at heart!
Little Acorns and Spinning Jenny’s Circus Shenanigans will be with us throughout the festival allowing all those wee ones (and not so wee ones) to create and learn throughout the day.
Not only will there be opportunities to learn new skills at any time, there will be specific workshops focusing on certain skills including wood whittling and diabolo.
Circus Workshops
Most skills will be on offer at all times, however there will be a focus on the following skills at certain times through each day.
| Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
|---|---|---|
| – | Unicycle | Juggling |
| Diabolo | Hoola Hoop | Unicycle |
| Juggling | Diabolo | Spinning Plates |
| Stilt Walking | Practice Staff | Flower Sticks |
| Spinning Plates | Poi and Ribbon Sticks | Stilt Walking |
| Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
|---|---|---|
| – | Unicycle | Juggling |
| Diabolo | Hoola Hoop | Unicycle |
| Juggling | Diabolo | Spinning Plates |
| Stilt Walking | Practice Staff | Flower Sticks |
| Spinning Plates | Poi and Ribbon Sticks | Stilt Walking |
(subject to change)
Creative and Woodland Workshops
| Workshop Title | Age Range | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Make a flower crown | All ages | Make a beautiful flower crown to adorn your head for the feel-good festival vibe! |
| Whittling & Wood carving | 6 yrs + | Try your hand at whittling- an ancient craft using a knife and green wood |
| Fun with clay | All ages | Have you ever looked at nature and thought you can see a hand, an eye, an ear?… have fun with clay as we celebrate the trees by decorating them with faces! |
| Make a dream catcher | All ages (under 3s with support of adult) | Make your own beautiful dream catcher and learn about the Native American tradition through storytelling |
| Stone Carving | 7 yrs + | Try your hand at this traditional craft of stone carving, using a mallet and chisel- take home a truly unique piece of art! |
| Hapazome | All ages (under 3s supported by an adult) | Come and try a natural tie-dyeing technique for fabric with leaves/flowers through pounding. |
| Make a Gnome | 5 yrs + | Using natural sheep’s wool and felt make yourself a cute little gnome to take home. |
Workshops will be limited in capacity- details of how to sign up will be given in due course.
As well as the Workshops above, Little Acorns will be offering the following:
Forest Zone School
A fun-filled space for free play with slack lines, hammocks, games and more!
Chill-Out Zone for the Littlest Acorns
A quiet space for your baby and you with soft and natural toys, baby change space and comfy chair for feeding baby.
Storytelling
Come and enjoy interactive nature-inspired stories told throughout the day.
(subject to change)
Food + Drink
There be loads on offer to satisfy your taste buds and quench your thirst…
Not only will we be serving drinks from our beer tent and pop up bars, we’ll have local food vendors selling their culinary delights to satisfy the hungriest of festival goers.
Dancing for All
Who’s for a ceilidh?! 🎶
Excited to share we’ll have silent & regular ceilidhs on the go at Fresh Ayr, so get your dancing shoes looked out! On Sunday, @UrbanFolkTheory have a very special silent ceilidh for us! 🪩 Swap between two specially remixed channels – one trad and one disco – to hear whichever sounds gets you moving more! We’re expecting hand clapping, toe tapping, whooping, hollering and some seriously funny dance moves! 😂 On Friday & Saturday night, Coila Ceilidh Band will have everyone on their feet for a good old-fashioned live ceilidh. Yeoch! 🪗🙌
