Newton Stewart and Minnigaff Traditional Music and Dance Festival been nominated for national accolade

Newton Stewart and Minnigaff Traditional Music and Dance Festival has been nominated for a prestigious national accolade.

The Galloway showpiece is up for Event of the Year in the MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards 2022.

Winners will announced at a glittering ceremony broadcast live on BBC ALBA from the Caird Hall in Dundee on Sunday, December 4 at 9pm.

The voting public will decide who scoops the top prizes via an online poll which runs until midnight on November 20.

Festival director Nathon Jones was thrilled his event has been recognised as one of the country’s best.

He told the News: “An MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Award is the award to win in traditional music in Scotland.

“So even to be nominated is incredible acknowledgement from our peers of just how good, and how respected, Newton Stewart and Minnigaff Traditional Music and Dance Festival is.

“It’s an outstanding achievement for everyone involved in making sure the festival runs every year.

“It’s also fantastic for Dumfries and Galloway which can now proudly boast that it hosts one of the best traditional music festivals in Scotland.”

The festival is run by the Trad Music Trust which “encourages, supports, develops and promotes” traditional music and dance learning, composition and performance in Dumfries and Galloway.

The annual event is the charity’s showpiece and welcomes visitors and performing artists from all over the world.

Attractions include concerts, workshops, solo piping and Highland dancing competitions, as well as and tune and song
sessions.

Nathon added: “We have been nominated alongside Braemar Folk Festival, HebCelt, Piping Live, Shetland Folk Festival and Speyfest – all of which are exceptional national events.

“It is most certainly a career highlight for our organisation and we are truly humbled by our nomination.

“It’s up to the public to decide who wins – so it would be great if folk could show their support by voting for us.”

Based at the Vault Arts Centre in Newton Stewart, the trust has provided free tuition for under 25s since it was founded in 2014.

It has a guiding policy of seeking to ensure there are no barriers to tuition for those wishing to learn and some attendees have gone on to attend the renowned Plockton Music School and forge careers in traditional music.

To vote for Newton Stewart and Minnigaff Traditional Music and Dance Festival visit projects.handsupfortrad.scot/scotstradmusicawards/voting/