One of our favourite fixtures of the festival calendar is Wildfire, the family-friendly, value-for-money festival nestled just outside of Glasgow. So, with the cancellation of 2018’s event, many of our crew were dismayed but nonetheless understanding of the decision. We’re delighted to see it return for 2019 in a brand new location and as ever, an excellent line-up.
The three-day event, running Friday 28 to Sunday 30 June, will also stand as one of the best value-for-money music festivals of 2019. Weekend tickets are just £65 – equivalent to around £1 a band – and children under 16 (accompanied by parents) can get their first festival experience for free.
With many new bands to be announced in the next few weeks, Wildfire Festival today announces the first batch of 60 acts that will appear this June:
- Redfern Hutchinson & Ross
- Deever
- Devilfire
- Hellbound Hearts
- Theia, Hollowstar
- Tarot Rats
- These Wicked Rivers
- Everyday Heroes
- Last Alibi
- Twister
- Fallen Mafia
- Vice
- Scarlet Rebels
- Tantrum
- Stoneface
- Nocturne Wulf
- Promethium
- Concrete Kingdoms
Wildfire marks its 2019 return by making a Scottish village its home for the summer. Rather than bands playing on the lawns of a listed manor, Wildfire is taking over a hilltop village for 2019 – at 1,531ft above sea level, Wanlockhead makes Wildfire the highest rock festival in the UK. The festival will draw on the village’s facilities and bring business into the community, through its pubs, cottage lets, community centres and halls. There is also a strong CSR aspect to the festival this year – Wildfire aims to invest a proportion of each year’s profits into the village, contributing funds to social, leisure, health and welfare projects for the community.
Festival organiser Dave Ritchie, comments:
The decision to cancel Wildfire last year was heart-breaking and we suffered from the same issues that have affected grassroots venues across the UK. Unlike bigger, more commercial-feeling festivals, this is a grassroots event run from the heart. It made no money but it has become a vital first rung on the ladder for a generation of new bands. Many bands that have broken into national radio and the bigger festival circuit got a first or early break with us – and we are happy to play this role.
The decision to return was in our blood, but we’ve also been blown away by the vocal we have received from bands, radio and fans from all corners of the UK. So this June, the show will go on. We’re back with a new ethos, a bill of bands many of whom are getting their first Wildfire appearance – and, most importantly, it’s a chance for a national network of friends and families to come together once again for a weekend and celebrate tomorrow’s great bands today.
A few people have said that I must have my head in the clouds to refuse to give up on Wildfire. I won’t give up on new bands, I won’t give up on the fans and I won’t give up on the grassroots scene. And yes, I do have my head in the clouds. At 1,531 feet above sea level Wildfire is literally peeping through the clouds. We’re back with new energy, new bands, new backing and, for the scene we champion, the sky’s the limit. You could say Wildfire is for rockers with altitude.
