The Solas Festival 2016

I’m writing this having spent most of the last 24 hours taking in the sights and sounds of the Solas Festival. Solas is back for it’s 7^th year, taking place for the fourth time at The Bield, Blackruthven (3 miles from Perth). The last day of Solas this year is Sunday 19th June.

If you haven't already heard of it Solas is a three day extravaganza of music, theatre, spoken word, debate, cinema, performance art and children’s workshops. That may sound like a lot-and it is- but what it actually provides is a weekend of entertainment and inspiration for all ages. If you take in even a fraction of what’s on offer Solas will provide you with not just great fun but sustenance for your mind and soul.

I went along to experience both the evening and daytime and found that this amazing festival has more than meets the eye…

Solas By Day

My husband and I took our one year old daughter Freya along. Having had a quick look at the programme it looked like there would be plenty to keep her entertained; noteably The Little Fawn Puppet Theatre, storytelling and a visit to the onsite Smallholding to meet the resident miniature pigs and alpacas. She loved these, but what we didn’t anticipate was how engaging some of the more ‘grown up’ activities would be for her. We stumbled upon what turned out to be the utterly brilliant Gospel singing workshop with Brian McGlynn and spent a wonderful 30 minutes whirling Freya around while belting out the lyrics on our song sheet to catchy tunes like ‘Dem Bones, Dem Bones, Dem Drrrrrrry Bones’!

I also scoped out a few other activities (since we’re already planning a return visit) for when Freya’s a little older and loved the look of the Den Building, natural craft classes and Fischy Music Workshop for kids.

There’s plenty for grown-ups too; everything from the Glasgow Hula Hoop Workshop to talks and performances from campaigners, writers and artists. The highlight of the day for us was attending a talk by Nick Thorne, a writer and journalism who spoke about the ‘Year Of The Dad’ campaign. The campaign aims to celebrate the positive difference father figures can make to children’s lives, and break down the old stereotype of a male breadwinner and disciplinarian. His passion, enthusiasm and reflection on his own role as a father was quite emotional for me.

Solas By Night

I returned at night to check out what the festival had to offer ‘after dark’ so to speak. I took my friend Nicki along with me who I suspect has become accustomed to my eleventh hour ideas for an adventure, although I did underestimate just how impressive a pair of wellies she would have for such an occasion! We caught a little of ‘Spirited Away’, a short film being shown in Take One Action’s solar powered cinema (if the sun doesn’t shine you hop on board a bike and power it that way!), took in some music from the Declan Welsh Band and worked our way through the food outlets.

We particularly loved the wood-fired flatbread ‘alpine’ pizzas, tasty authentic samosas from the Yurt Café with Bedouin style seating and my ‘field cocktail’ Strawberry Daiquiri from the bar. We returned to The Barn to watch the set by Harry Baker, a renowned World Poetry Slam Champion, TED Talker and all round genius wordsmith who blew us away (we’ve been ‘You-tubing’ him ever since!). We finished off our night back at the now candlelit Yurt Café for a coffee and went halfers on a cheeky wee Oreo Cheesecake-bliss!

Overall

Like most families we don’t get to spend as much time together as we’d like and this was a wonderful way of soaking up all the people, ideas, music and stories around us while making great memories. The Solas Festival has an alternative, relaxed vibe and is bursting with energy, passion and talent. I’m a regular at The Fringe in Edinburgh every year and was hugely impressed by the diverse range of acts, writers and thinkers Solas has managed to attract. They’ve already developed a loyal following from all over the country and we’re lucky enough to have them on our doorstep here in Perthshire. If you haven’t already been, do, and I’ll see you there next year!

The Solas Festival continues until Sunday 19th June. For more information and links to the full line up check out our feature on them here>