Tiree Music Festival
An island festival with nine National Awards over a decade at nine consecutive sell-out events
- Where: The Island of Tiree, West Coast of Scotland
- When: Summer
- Event Type: Music festival over three days
- Audience: Music fans, families, adventurers
- Capacity: 2,000
Vision
A music festival capable of sharing the magic and beauty of Tiree with visitors from far and wide, and in doing so delivering a welcome boost to the economy and community of this remote island.
Challenges
- Island location
- Weather
- Police and medical support (costs)
- Higher costs than mainland locations
- Now reached capacity – no opportunity to increase
- Funding model – reliant on grant funding
Funding model
Tiree Music Festival has been supported by EventScotland as it grew from a 500 capacity event to a maximum of 2,000. Ticket sales, sponsorship, merchandise and concession fees generate income.
Tiree Music festival is managed as a Community Interest Company, a form of social enterprise locked to a specific community. This ensures that any assets the event acquires can only be used to the benefit of the local community.
Ongoing sustainability
A big part of Tiree Music Festival’s appeal is its setting. However the event’s remote location brings challenges such as increased costs, particularly around hiring of infrastructure from the mainland where transport costs can add significant premiums. Organisers are now looking to purchase key event assets including the festival site and develop income streams from the ownership of these assets. The Community Interest Company model ensures that residents of Tiree will retain these benefits.