You can download this free festival programme as a PDF or pick up a copy at the festival office during the weekend.
or see below for the weekend schedule!
Rothbury Traditional Music Festival 2026
Updated 17 Jun 2026, 17:59, event details subject to change
Friday 10 July
Ceilidh Dance
Fri 10 Jul, 20:00–23:00 · Jubilee Hall · Adults £10 | U18s £5
422 Dance Band
With caller Ruth Brown.
Sessions
Sing-a-long Songs Session
Fri 10 Jul, 20:00–23:00 · Turks Head · FREE
With David Ainsworth & Friends. Restaurant Room. From Hotel California to American Pie and everything in-between.
Other
FESTIVAL OFFICE
Fri 10 Jul, 19:00–20:00 · Jubilee Hall
Saturday 11 July
Concerts
Outdoor Stage Concert
Sat 11 Jul, 12:30–16:45 · Outdoor Stage · FREE
12:30 Rothbury Highland Pipe Band
13:00 Graham Pirt
13:25 Dance display
13:35 Andy May Trio
14:05 Dance display
14:15 Mícheál & MacDara Ó’Raghallaigh
14:45 Dance display
14:55 Jim Grant – Storyteller
15:25 Dance display
15:35 Arthur Coates & Kerran Cotterell
16:05 Dance display
16:15 The Northumbrian Ranters
Graham Pirt presents ‘CRUSADE’
Sat 11 Jul, 14:30–15:30 · Jubilee Hall · £6
Graham Pirt
A Presentation with songs by Graham Pirt of
THE JARROW CRUSADE. 90 years ago, 200 men walked from Jarrow to London to demand work after the Shipyards were closed down. This presentation tells the story behind it with some of the songs from Graham’s Folk Opera about the march. It includes many anecdotes from Graham’s recollections of his life in Jarrow.
Acoustic Concert
Sat 11 Jul, 18:30–20:00 · All Saints Church · Adults £6 | U18s FREE
18:30 Janice Burns & Jon Doran
18:55 Ballad Competition Winner
19:00 Fiddle Open Competition Winner
19:05 VoiceMale Choir
19:25 Dialect Poetry Open Competition Winner
19:30 Alistair Anderson
19:40 The Northumbrian Ranters
Plus Competition Winners. MC Alistair Anderson.
Festival Concert at The Mart
Sat 11 Jul, 20:30–00:00 · The Mart · £22
20:30 Janice Burns & Jon Doran
21:00 Elke De Meester
21:20 TBC
21:30 CHANGEOVER / contingency 10mins
21:40 Arthur Coates & Kerran Cotterell
22:10 INTERVAL until 10.35pm
22:35 Mícheál & MacDara Ó’Raghallaigh
23:05 Graham Pirt
23:20 CHANGEOVER / contingency 10mins
23:30 Andy May Trio
23:55 Rothbury Highland Pipe Band
MC Ruth Brown. Real Ale bar by Sarah and Paul Johnson.
Sessions
Northumbrian Pipes Session
Sat 11 Jul, 13:00–14:30 · The Townfoot · FREE
Tunes session
Sat 11 Jul, 15:00–17:00 · Turks Head · FREE
with Deirdre Ruane & Julian Sutton
Singing Session
Sat 11 Jul, 16:30–18:00 · Queens Head Upstairs · FREE
Quebecois Tunes Session
Sat 11 Jul, 17:00–19:00 · Queens Head · FREE
With Arthur Coates & Kerran Cotterrell
Mighty Festival Tunes Session
Sat 11 Jul, 21:00–23:59 · Queens Head · FREE
Workshops
Tunes Workshop
Sat 11 Jul, 10:30–11:30 · Queens Head Upstairs · Suggested Donation £5
Upstairs. With TBC. All instruments – Intermediate+.
Try Speaking Gaelic
Sat 11 Jul, 11:45–12:45 · Queens Head Upstairs · Suggested Donation £5
Anna Garvin
Every fancied trying to speak Scottish Gaelic? Now’s your chance! Oban musician and fluent Gaelic speaker Anna Garvin will give you a quick and fun introduction to the language and teach you some useful things to say.
Try the Northumbrian Pipes
Sat 11 Jul, 15:00–16:00 · Queens Head Upstairs · FREE
Upstairs. Drop-in pop-up for absolute beginners. Pipes provided. With The Northumbrian Pipers’ Society.
Competitions
Children’s Competitions
Sat 11 Jul, 09:00–13:30 · URC Church · FREE
Childrens’ Competitions
Adult Competitions – Piping
Sat 11 Jul, 10:30–13:00 · Catholic Church · £1 entry
PIPES Competition
Lowland Pipes, Northumbrian Pipes, New Tune for Northumbrian Pipes, Piping Pairs.
Adult Competitions – Fiddle / Accordion / Band
Sat 11 Jul, 12:00–14:15 · Jubilee Hall · £1 entry
12:00 Fiddle
12:45 Accordion
13:30 Duo or Band
Adult Competitions – Singing, Misc Instrument & Composition
Sat 11 Jul, 12:00–15:15 · All Saints Church · £1 entry
12:00 Traditional Singing
13:00 Original Composition – Song
13:30 Miscellaneous Instrument
14:15 Original Composition – Tune
14:45 Northumbrian Dialect Poetry
Adult Competitions – Snare & Highland Pipes
Sat 11 Jul, 16:45–18:15 · Outdoor Stage · £1 entry
16:45 Snare drumming
17:15 Highland Pipes Etc.
1)Snare Drumming 2)Highland Pipes 3)Piping Pairs.
Approx 16:45 start, at end of outdoor stage concert.
Other
FESTIVAL OFFICE & MERCH STALL
Sat 11 Jul, 09:00–17:00 · Village Green
Sunday 12 July
Concerts
Final Fling – Family Ceilidh
Sun 12 Jul, 11:00–12:30 · Jubilee Hall · FREE
Festival Scratch Ceilidh Band
With caller Joey Oliver & the Festival Scratch Band. Cakes & refreshments available.
Concert – Squeezebox Special
Sun 12 Jul, 15:00–16:30 · All Saints Church · £12
15:00 Alistair Anderson
15:15 Elke De Meester
15:40 Julian Sutton
15:55 Mícheál & MacDara Ó’Raghallaigh
Elke de Meester, Mícheál & MacDara O’Raghallaigh, Alistair Anderson, Julian Sutton and Ian Stephenson will astound you by showing the range and versatility of squeezeboxes of all kinds. Everything from Classical pieces, through pure drop Irish trad music, innovative techniques and great harmonies. A concert that everyone can enjoy – not just for squeezebox afficianados!
