Scottish Music Festivals, Wickerman
August 9th, 2008 by WickermanXXX, under Vacations. No Comments
The growing popularity of music festivals worldwide is phenomenal and in the United Kingdom there has been a dramatic increase in the number of events this year. While many people know of the huge festivals such as Glastonbury not many know of many of the smaller events which account for over 400 festivals this year.
Each year it would seem that more and more people are choosing to visit music festivals. This year has seen a massive increase in the number of music events across the globe and in the United Kingdom there have been over four hundred this year. Obviously not all such events are as large as Glastonbury but even the smaller events manage to raise crowds of many thousands of people.
Right at the peak of the tourist season (end of July) East Kirkcarswell, near Dundrennan comes alive with the sound of music emanating from the wonderful Wickerman Music Festival. Deep in the heart of Dumfries & Galloway the Wickerman Festival site is surrounded by the most incredible countryside and, usually, benefits by the gorgeous weather of the area.
Although Wickerman is a music festival it is actually themed upon a 1973 classic of British cinema, The Wicker Man. In 2006 Nicolas Cage appeared in a Hollywood remake but many folk still prefer the quirky original starring Christopher Lee, Britt Ekland and Edward Woodward.
Wandering around any music festival ground you are bound to meet all kinds of people dressed in amusing costumes but at the Wickerman Music Festival the costumes seem to appear more often than usual. Many of the costumes will have an animal theme and this is taken from the 1973 classic movie which saw people dressed in similar costumes. There are a great many references to the movie throughout the Wickerman festival site, with art installations and an open air cinema. The climax to the movie was the burning of a wicker man and this is replicated, minus the human and animals, as a climax to the music festival late on the Saturday night and is enjoyed by a huge crowd of eager onlookers.
Considered by a great many people to be a family friendly music festival, Wickerman has excellent facilities. Of special note are the toilets because usually, at music festivals, they are terrible but at Wickerman they are emptied often and usually rather clean. If you would rather not use one of the portable toilets and would like something a little more similar to yours at home then you should pay a little extra for a “Down n Dirty” ticket as these toilets are superb, porcelain types which are continually monitored by cleaning staff. If you would like to take a shower there is also a block of portable showers available too! Throughout the site there are plenty of family friendly things such as a fairground and circus. Even the food stalls are better than those usually found at festivals.
Being held in the gorgeous Dumfries and Galloway countryside it is wonderful to see that the Wickerman Music Festival organizers have gone to great lengths to ensure that there is minimal impact upon the local, and global, environment. It is actually the “greenest” music festival I have attended and each year more effort and thought goes into improving this aspect of the music festival. Litter is never a problem as “wickerpickers” can be seen wandering around collecting litter and categorizing it into the various types ready for recycling. Around the camp site there are various places to put materials suitable for recycling and even the abandoned tents are packed up and sent off to charity. It is truly amazing that only a very short time after the event it looks as though nobody was ever there!
Finally I will mention the music of the Wickerman festival, after all that is what it is all about. Most UK music festivals seem to focus upon one, or maybe two, specific genres of music but at Wickerman there is a most amazing eclectic mix of sounds ranging from reggae to punk, from acoustic folk to ska, from pop to hard dance and electronic and all manner of world music including many types of music which defy the usual categories. This may appear strange but it is one of the aspects which helps create the most incredible atmosphere as all types of people mix together and celebrate their enjoyment of live music. There is one thing, besides the incredible scenery, that you will take away with you from the Wickerman Music Festival and that is the most amazing memories of friendliness not often experienced these days.
