Hidden Gem Festival
Hidden Gem Festival was supported by the Up Yer Airts DIY FUND. The fund seeks to support a young person to bring their ideas to life. Hidden Gem was organised by young creative Cerys Cooper.
Hidden Gem Festival is a free to attend music festival which took over Dumfries pubs on the 14th September 2024. Saturday’s festival saw hundreds of members of the local community rally together to support live music in some of the town’s staple venues. The festival aims to help promote grassroots venues, artists and bring the local community closer together – and Saturday’s festival did just that.
The day was set across 4 of the town’s venues including: Riverside Tap, Coach and Horses, The Douglas Arms and White Hart. A total of 14 acts graced the stages across the day.
The festival kicked off with a launch event at Riverside tap, including live music from local young band RHELM, and the pouring of the first pint of ‘Riverside Rocks’, the specially brewed festival beer made in collaboration with Beer Without Borders. The festival beer was a huge success with the limited run being sold out by 5:30pm.
The festival closed in the early hours of Sunday morning, with crowds dancing to Hello?Disco in the Douglas Arms until the music came to an end.
The day saw a mix of local and national talent with the line up including Dave Against the Machine at Coach and Horses, Palliro at Riverside Tap and The High Priestess in White Hart, alongside Glaswegian punk band Soapbox. Liv, the singer from The High Priestess, told us it was “the best night we’ve had in a long long time, we can’t wait to see what happens next.”
The festival aims to encourage local musicians to perform on home turf while showcasing Dumfries as a music destination to both artists and audiences across Scotland.
The festival is supported by UP YER AIRTS movement to pitch Dumfries and Galloway as a touring destination for musicians embarking on their national tours and are keen to support young artists, managers, technicians and more. UP YER AIRTS are delighted to support Hidden Gem Festival and were thrilled to see the event’s success on Saturday.
To find out more information visit www.hiddengemfestival.com or Hidden Gem Festival on Facebook.
