Piping to Blow You Away at Blas 2016

This year’s Blas Festival will celebrate the music of the Highland Bagpipe with leading solo performers, traditional groups and an act which brings the music of the pipes to a worldwide audience – with a twist.

The Red Hot Chilli Pipers return to Blas with a performance at the Nevis Centre in Fort William on Friday 2nd September.  With a summer of festivals and European touring, the band will be in fine fettle as they bring their bagpipes with attitude to a Lochaber audience.

There will be a warm Blas welcome for Cape Bretoners, Nuallan, who make their first trip to the festival.  The group, which was formed in 2012, features leading Canadian pipers Keith MacDonald, Kevin Dugas, and Kenneth MacKenzie who represent and promote the Gaelic style of piping brought to Cape Breton, mainland Nova Scotia and further afield from the Highlands and Islands of Scotland some 200 years ago.  Their festival schedule will take them to a host of venues across the Highlands and Argyll.

Piping features strongly throughout the programme, as ever, with multi award-winner Angus MacColl, Trail West, Kilda, Radio 2 Young Folk Award Winner 2016 Brìghde Chaimbeul, Lochalsh Junior Pipe Band and many more appearing at events throughout the festival.  You can also be sure there will be a set or two on the pipes at the 80th birthday celebrations of Rona Lightfoot in Inverness Cathedral on the opening night of the festival, Friday 2nd September.  Rona enjoyed much success as a competition piper and will be joined by Glenuig brothers, Iain and Allan MacDonald, Allan Henderson, Iain MacFarlane and singers Margaret Stewart, Mairi Macinnes and Paul McCallum at her special birthday bash.

The Blas Festival will take place between 2-10 September 2016 the full festival programme is now available at www.blas-festival.com where full details of all events and how to buy tickets can be found.