A Family Affair

Knockengorroch festival celebrates 25 years of connection to the land

- Lisa-Marie Ferla

WHAT links French dubstep, Palestinian jazz, a hamster's final resting place, a "real-life" unicorn and the Scottish Traditional Music Hall of Fame's Old Blind Dogs? 

Well, for one weekend a year it's a few acres in south-west Scotland - home, for the past 25 years, to Knockengorroch.

Kicking off in 1998 as the Ceilidh Gall Gallowa' Festival, Knockengorroch was founded by local residents Liz and Simon Holmes - conceived as a celebration of Celtic roots music and the lands and the people that created that music.

Now Scotland's longest-running greenfield festival and a community interest company, Knockengorroch remains a family affair - with producer Katch Holmes joining her parents and brother to deliver an annual event that retains its distinct character in an increasingly crowded festival landscape.

"I remember reading a magazine article about how to start your own festival - it said to make sure it's close to a road so people can get to it, and make sure your name is easy to pronounce," Katch says. "Well, we didn't do any of that-but, 25 years later, we're still here."

That longevity, she says, is partly because Knockengorroch doesn't seek to follow trends, instead booking acts that are likely to appeal to "people who are curious and open-minded and willing to try new things". It's also, partly, a little bit of magic.

"You have to drive a few miles into the hills to get to Knockengorroch - and I think that process, that journey of getting there, puts you into another time and a place, that's a little bit away from everyday life for most people," she says.