Literary highlights included renowned novelists such as Ali Smith and Andrew O’Hagan, and a unique insight from Jen Stout on her reports of the Ukraine conflict. Live music events featured an out-of-this-world performance of Interstellar 10 from organist extraordinaire Roger Sayer, and a moving performance from Duncan Chisholm and Julie Fowlis, which paid tribute to the tragic events surrounding the sinking of ‘The Isolaire’.

This year, we were proud to partner with Scottish Opera to deliver interactive performances across four primary schools in Nairn. The performance, titled A Little Bit of Northern Light was adapted to incorporate elements of Nairn's local landscape and a distinctly Scottish folk music-inspired flavour to the musical score. Featuring a trio of exceptional young musicians – Graham Mackenzie (fiddle), Hannah Rarity (voice), and Innes White (guitar) – the production incorporated folk instrumentation to bring fresh, evocative energy to the score, connecting the story deeply to Scotland’s cultural traditions. The production was narrated by Nairn-based author and teacher Corrina Campbell, who portrayed Albie the Albatross, the story’s engaging guide. Her background in education and storytelling, along with her strong connection to Nairn made her uniquely suited to the role.

The festival was concluded with a parade titled ‘The Wave’. Thanks to the support from ENCOMM and the dedication of artist Amy Neville from Naturally Useful, the parade was attended by festival goers, local school students and Nairnshire residents from across the local region.

All of this would not have been possible without our brilliant sponsors, funders, partners, patrons, supporters, Festival Friends, and local businesses, to all of whom we are extremely grateful. Special thanks to our principal sponsor Haventus, who are generously supporting the Festival for three years, and our headline sponsor Tornagrain. We are also very grateful for public funding from Creative Scotland and Event Scotland.

This year’s festival programme cover artwork, titled ‘Spirit of Nairn’ was created by Georgina Coburn. Speaking about her work, Georgia revealed, “For me, like many people, the sea is a place for solace, reflection and inspiration. It is a place between worlds where the horizon can still be seen. With that joyful spirit of discovery in mind, I was keen to craft a figure rising out of the great unconscious depths of the seas. Like a lighthouse beacon, she is the Spirit of Nairn, celebrating all the arts, the strength we find in nature, and each other”.

Photo credits: Alexander Williamson and Marc Marnie