Fèis Lochabair celebrated its 30th anniversary this year with a host of events culminating in an anniversary ceilidh this Saturday, November 11.
There will be a warm welcome and birthday cake for everyone.
Fèis Lochabair aims to promote Gaelic culture, language and music in Fort William and Lochaber with ongoing tuition for young people as well as an annual summer school.
The annual Fèis in the first week of August saw nearly 120 young people get involved
in playing music, dancing, singing and playing shinty – all while using and learning Gaelic.
A wider range of sessions from Pàrant is Pàiste for under two-year olds to na Fèisean Beaga for those in nursery or in primary one to primary three took place throughout Fèis week all the way to the main event which offers activities for those aged 8 to 18.
The week ended with a fantastic cèilidh and concert where Lochaber’s talented youngsters wowed the audience with what they had learnt.
Throughout the summer, the Ceilidh Trail offered young musicians, aged between 16 and 25, a paid summer job and professional development.
The Ceilidh Trail offers a chance to play across Lochaber and further afield from Muck, Eigg, Canna and Knoydart to busy Fort William High Street pubs.
This year the Ceilidh Trail also took to the stage as part of the Edinburgh Fringe.
The 30th celebrations continued when the Ceòl nam Fèis concert came to Fort William as part of the Blàs Festival.
The concert showcased young people from Fèisean across Scotland with home-grown Lochaber musicians and step dancers taking to the stage.
The Fèis Lochabair Scottish step dance class was fortunate to welcome Kelly MacArthur from Cape Breton, Canada, who took a masterclass including ideas for new steps and technique.
This weekend sees Fèis Lochabair’s 30th anniversary ceilidh at Caol Community Centre. The evening will feature the Fèis Lochabair house band of Megan Henderson, Andrew MacDonald and Hugh MacCallum to showcase some of the fantastic talent that has come through the Fèis throughout the years along with performances from current students.
The ceilidh will feature a buffet as well and tickets can be bought at https://bit.ly/FLat30.
More information about the event can be found on the Fèis Lochabair Facebook and
Instagram pages.
Everyone is welcome to join in the celebration of Gaelic music and culture in Lochaber.
Nach tig sibh comhla ruinn son a chomharrachadh le biadh, ceòl, dannsa is fealla dhà!