Angus is ready to roll out the rock red carpet to thousands of AC/DC fans from around the globe in the long-awaited return of the town’s biggest annual event.
Bonfest will see the Wee Red Town’s population explode next weekend for the three-day celebration of Bon Scott – the Kirrie baker’s son who made it big with one of the world’s greatest rock bands.
And dedicated fans will be arriving from the USA, Canada, Chile, Scandinavia and across Europe.
They will be treated to three-days of rock including performances from some of the world’s best AC/DC tribute bands.
Among this year’s headliners are Thunderstruck who will make the journey all the way from Australia for their Bonfest debut.
The AC/DC success story was forged Down Under when Scott joined the band formed by Glasgow-born brothers Angus and Malcolm Young in the early 1970s.
The festival organised by town charity DD8 Music kicks off on Friday April 29.
Two years of virtual Bonfest
Bonfest chairman John Crawford said the buzz around the festival’s return has been building for months.
“We haven’t been able to stage a live festival for two years, but there has still been so much going on,” he said.
“The last two Bonfests were virtual and went really well.”
John added: “We have also been making headway into our plans for a new rock and roll museum in Kirriemuir.
“So we’ve definitely been kept on our toes with that, and organising Bonfest 2022.
“We were hoping people would be excited to get back to live events.
“But it was still a bit of a finger in the air because of the pandemic situation.”
First-timers making the journey to Kirrie
Diehard AC/DC fans have not let them down.
“If anything our ticket sales have exceeded what we hoped for,” John added.
“We know some of our regulars are remaining a little cautious and aren’t coming this year.
“But there are also a lot of Bonfest newbies coming from the States and Canada.
“And there are four lads from Finland who are making the trip to Kirrie for the first time.”
And with so many bands performing for free across the town over the three days, there is no doubt Kirrie will be packed out.
The Bonfest main arena has a new site this year – the Kirrie Show field just south of the town.
“It’s a huge site so we are looking forward to getting everything set up there next week,” said John.
Fans staying in Dundee can board the Bonfest Happy Bus which will be making the trip to Kirrie on all three days.
And a shuttle bus will be running from Kirrie town hall to the festival site.
Bon Scott Statue
A magnet for fans will be the Bon Scott statue at Bellies Brae in the heart of Kirrie.
A stage there will feature live bands across the festival’s three days.
The Bon bronze by renowned Scottish sculptor John McKenna was unveiled in 2016 after a global response to a £50,000 fundraising campaign.
Scott was AC/DC’s lead vocalist from 1974 until his death in London in 1980 at the age of just 33.
He was Forfar-born but has always been famed as a son of Kirrie, where the Scott family had a bakery.
In 1952 they emigrated to Melbourne when Bon was just six, before settling in Freemantle, Western Australia four years later.
He had been christened Ronald Belford Scott, but earned the Bon nickname because there was another Ronald in his class and new Australian pals made a play on Bonnie Scotland.
