Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Best pictures as Niel Gow Festival 2025 takes place in Dunkeld

The Niel Gow Festival made its return with a weekend of performances, workshops, and community events, celebrating the vibrant tradition of Scottish fiddle music.

The Niel Gow Festival annual celebration 2025. Image: Marieke McBean
The Niel Gow Festival annual celebration 2025. Image: Marieke McBean

This weekend, the annual Niel Gow Festival celebrated Scotland’s legendary fiddler with a packed schedule in Dunkeld and Birnam.

The festival is a musical celebration of the life of local hero Niel Gow (1727-1807), regarded by many as the patriarch of the Scottish fiddle tradition, and attracts visitors from around the country.

On Saturday, visitors took part in fiddle workshops and enjoyed afternoon and evening concerts at Birnam Arts. The lineup featured a range of talented musicians, alongside performances from local ensembles and students from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.

Guided walks hosted by Pete Clark provided an insight into highland Perthshire for visitors who would like to learn more about Dunkeld, its history and its wildlife.

The festival’s grand finale on Sunday was a spectacular afternoon concert showcasing performances by Hannah Fisher & Sorren Maclean, Michael Biggins & Macaulay Ross, and the Tayside Young Fiddlers.

Visitors were also able to explore craft stalls and exhibitions.

Photographer Marieke McBean was there to capture the best moments on Saturday.

The Niel Gow Festival annual celebration of the life and music of Perthshire’s renowned fiddle legend, Niel Gow.
Isla Callister (fiddle) & Cathal Ó Curráin (bazouki) on stage at Birnam Arts.
A young fiddle player trying out a new instrument at the market.
Artist Fiona Guinan from Station Cat Pottery.
Musicians taking part in a traditional music session in the Royal Dunkeld Hotel.
A busy Birnam Arts.
Musicians taking part in a traditional music session in the Royal Dunkeld Hotel.
Stall by Stringers, Edinburgh, at Birnam Arts.
Many musicians attended the event.
Craft market at Birnam Arts.
Artist Karl Macrae from “He’s Sew Happy” working on a new creation at the Birnam Arts market.
Festival director Liam Manion smiling for our photographer Marieke.
Violins for sale at the craft market.
Musicians taking part in a traditional music session in the Royal Dunkeld Hotel.

Conversation