News.Scotland.Org

With multiple stages and an eclectic mix of festival favourites, iconic acts, local bands, and headliners with a wide appeal, the 9th Wickerman festival 2010 will happen today (23rd July) and tomorrow(24th July) in Scotland. Up to 20,000 music fans are expected to arrive for the event.

Sited on 120 acres of isolated farmland, near Dundrennan, South West Scotland, in deepest Galloway, the festival welcomes families, and features two main stages, as well as a dance area, acoustic and reggae tents, a campsite, trade stalls, alternative area, bars, and food stalls.

The Wickerman features a children’s area, Dumfries Museum’s Activity Tent, a drumming workshop, mountain bike skills workshops with the Forestry Commission, Cosmic Circles Fire Dancers, a funfair for kids, chainsaw juggling, outdoor cinema, children’s circus and the climax of the weekend’s happening is the burning of a 25 foot high wickerman sculpture on Saturday at midnight.

This year’s fancy dress theme is Vampires and Werewolves. Festival goers are invited to bring their Halloween costumes and get in the Hammy Horror groove for next July’s fangtastic celebration of all things Fiery and Fearsome. This time Wickerman Festival have a twinning agreement with the Lake of Stars Festival in Malawi. Both the festivals will work together to promote Scottish and African arts, culture and tourism, with bands from both continents having the opportunity to perform on an international stage.

The tickets cost for adults £85, teens aged 13-15 cost £42.50, kids under 13 are admitted free. Everyone under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult and bring proof of age – anyone without proof of ID will be liable to pay the full adult ticket price at the gate.

Fife is celebrating the great Outdoor Access Festival which will begin from Saturday 31st July and will last untill Sunday 8th August 2010. It is an extensive programme featuring over 100 outdoor events, designed to promote access and enjoyment of Fife’s great outdoors.

The festival, which is in its third year, has gone from strength to strength.  This year the organisers are planning to  almost doubling the number of events on offer to visitors, ranging from walking to cycling, and rambling for the disabled to horse riding.

For the first time ever this year, organisers are teaming up with nearby Dundee Parkour club to bring urban free running and parkour into Fife. Parkour- a non-competitive sport with French origins, where participants run along a route attempting to climb or negotiate obstacles in the most efficient way possible, is relatively new to the UK.

The festival is run jointly by Fife Coast & Countryside Trust and Fife Access Forum and the events are run by a wide range of over thirty commercial and public sector organisations including Fife Council Outdoor Education Team, Ramblers Scotland, Forth and Tay Disabled Ramblers, British Horse Society and Blown Away Land Yachts.

This year’s festival also plays a key role in the “Celebrating Fife” campaign which is coordinated by Fife Council.

Celebrating Fife 2010 showcases Fife’s unique environment, cultural identity and lifestyle activities. The programme of events and opportunities is ambitious, and aims to raise awareness of Fife’s heritage and its hidden cultural gems. Tickets have already started its sale and everyone who books their festival tickets online will also receive a free copy of the latest Scotland Outdoor Magazine direct to your doorstep!