The Wickerman Festival is an annual music festival held near to Dundrennan in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. Dubbed 'Scotland's Alternative Music festival', the festival will celebrate its 10th Birthday in 2011 on Friday 22nd & Saturday 23rd July.
It began in 2001 when the festivals artistic director Sid Ambrose, whilst working with the Stewartry Music Initiative, hit upon the idea of a local counter-culture based family-friendly festival due to the surrounding area being inextricably linked with various locations used within the classic British horror film 'The Wicker Man' (1973) starring Christopher Lee and Edward Woodward. He took the idea to local farmer Jamie Gilroy, and by doing this, they ensured that the festival would eventually settle within a natural amphitheatre of 120 acres (0.49 km2) of prime Galloway grazing land at East Kirkcarswell Farm, Dundrennan.
Musically as well as creatively, the festival has been likened to a smaller version of Glastonbury with a widely eclectic mix of music to suit everyone. It has several stages and these include a main stage (Summerisle), the Axis Sound System reggae sound systemtent, the Acoustic Village, a stage for punk/ska/northern soul called The Scooter Tent, The Solus Tent for new Scottish bands, several dance tents, as well as a children’s area, workshops, beer tent, crafts, a cinema, and much more. The 2010 event saw Ocean Colour Scene play the Saturday night headline slot before the ceremonial and spectacular burning of the Wickerman, the 808 State DJ's then rounded off the main stage proceedings. On Friday night the Summerisle stage hosted Teenage Fanclub before a storming set from headliners The Charlatans.
Buzzcocks, The Futureheads, Tony Christie, Goldie Lookin' Chain, The Undertones, The Go! Team, Withered Hand, The Saw Doctors, Fenech Soler, Erland and the Carnival, The Saw Doctors, Sons & Daughters, The Grass Mountain Hobos, Back To The Planet, The Sex Pistols Experience, Ed Tudor Pole, The Amphetameanies & Root System all also appeared on various stages over the weekend.
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