On Sunday 30th April the Beltane Fire Festival will return to Edinburgh’s Calton Hill to welcome the onset of Summer. Organisers have released details of this, the thirtieth Beltane to be held since it began in the 1980s, and tickets are now on sale. The modern twist on an ancient Celtic tradition will mark the changing seasons with a wild mix of drums, fire and physical theatre on a scale not seen anywhere else in the world.
The event was a sell-out success last year and attendees are being advised to buy tickets in advance to avoid disappointment on the night. Although Beltane falls on a Sunday, it is also set the evening before the May Day Bank Holiday, offering a perfect excuse to celebrate late into the night.
The festival itself may have ancient Celtic roots (first recorded as celebrated by Celts in the first century AD), but the modern incarnation of Beltane has a history all of its own. Begun in 1988 by leading arts figure Angus Farquhar (of pioneering industrial music group, Test Dept), Beltane Fire Festival is a chance for volunteer performers and audience alike to celebrate freedom and creativity, and to reconnect with nature and the changing of the seasons – right in the heart of Scotland’s capital. Steered by a creative team of hundreds of passionate volunteers, Edinburgh’s Beltane has developed its very own story.
Although Beltane is known as a joyful celebration with fire, a narrative does guide events. Amongst a cavalcade of characters, and set to the beating of the drums, the ‘May Queen’ leads her court over Calton Hill’s National Monument and around the hill to begin the journey toward summer; her counterpart the Green Man is stripped of his winter guise and reborn; and together they light the traditional Beltane bonfire in celebration of the life and warmth ahead in the summer months.
While these core elements and traditions are respected and retained, each year the volunteer community that brings Beltane together introduces new characters into the mix. Away from the main procession, other storylines are played out as different characters and groups emerge, interacting with each other and audience members – brought to life with giant puppets, stunning costumes and – of course – fire. Rather than spoken theatre or music performed entirely on stages, Beltane takes a more investigative theatre approach, with few barriers between audience and performer, and performances taking place all around the hill and among the crowd.
What’s New This Year?
For the thirtieth Beltane, organisers say they are pulling out all the stops, with even more fire and exciting, strange things to see. The night will include giant puppets, intricate costumes, new fire sculptures and fire dancing moves. Calton Hill itself will be lit more than ever before, with dozens of willow lanterns and sculptures crafted by volunteers dotted right across the event site. The society are also working on a massive new fire arch (which performers process through in one of the key moments of the night), which they hope will provide an impressive spectacle, towering over the audience. Everyone involved has been invited to think big and explore the roots of the festival – back to ancient times but also across the past thirty years of the event’s history in Edinburgh.
On Saturday 29th April (the day before the main event), Beltane Fire Society will also hold a ‘Beltane Community Open Day’ on Calton Hill, as a chance for families and those interested in learning more about the festival and its roots to come to chat to the organisers, hear stories told by some of Beltane’s characters, try out some traditional skills and picnic (1pm – 4pm, Calton Hill, attendance by donation).
Speaking about the 30th celebrations, Chair of Beltane Fire Society, Erin Macdonald said: “We are all hugely excited to be a part of the thirtieth Beltane Fire Festival, and to share it with as many people from the wider community as we can.
“Beltane is always a stunning night, an Edinburgh cultural institution completely unlike anything else, filled with fire, drums, puppets and unbridled joy. And this year, to mark our thirtieth festival, we’ve got some extra-firey tricks up our sleeve that we can’t wait to share.
“Whether you’ve never been to Beltane before, if you come to it every year, or if it’s been a while since you’ve joined us on the hill – our thirtieth Beltane is not to be missed, so make sure you’re there. It’s a beautiful, wild, vibrant (and slightly crackers) event that’s impossible to fully describe. There’s no script or voiceover telling you what to think or to feel: our Beltane can only be felt, and that’s what makes it beautiful. Welcome in the summer with us!”
Pictures:Neil Hodgkins, Ellen Duffy and Richard Winpenny
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