There was something fitting about the name Heather on the Hill. Set against the backdrop of the Royal Highland Centre in Edinburgh, this brand-new one-day festival arrived with a simple ambition: bring people together through music and create a festival where families could enjoy the experience together.
Heather on the Hill officially got underway in memorable fashion as Nathan Evans and The Saint PHNX Band took to the main stage to a huge reception from the gathering crowd.
Rather than simply opening the music programme, Evans and the band had the honour of officially declaring the inaugural festival open, cutting the purple ribbon on stage to mark the beginning of what promises to become a new fixture in Scotland’s festival calendar.
With the ribbon cut and the festival officially underway, Nathan Evans and The Saint PHNX Band stayed on stage for a short acoustic set. The stripped-back performance provided a relaxed and personal start to the day, allowing the audience to get their first taste of the music before the festival programme moved into full swing.
There was a genuine sense of occasion surrounding the opening. For Evans and Saint PHNX, this was more than just another festival appearance – they were helping launch an event they had helped create, making the moment feel particularly special.
The acoustic set may have been brief, but it set the tone perfectly: warm, welcoming and centred firmly around the music and the community atmosphere that Heather on the Hill had set out to create.
With the purple ribbon cut, the first notes played and the crowd firmly behind them, Heather on the Hill was officially open.
Taking place at the Royal Highland Centre in Edinburgh, the festival brought together a broad mixture of folk, country, pop, rock and contemporary Scottish music across a packed day. Alongside the live music was a strong family focus, with activities, crafts, workshops, funfair attractions, roaming entertainment, food and plenty to keep younger festivalgoers occupied.
But while the family element was central to the festival’s identity, the music was never treated as an afterthought.
Following the acoustic opening, NATI helped move the festival into its full programme with a performance packed with youthful energy and contemporary pop sensibility.
The change of pace worked well, demonstrating early on that Heather on the Hill wasn’t going to restrict itself to one particular sound. There was a confidence to the performance and a clear connection with the crowd, providing an upbeat start to the day’s main musical programme.
Rose Betts brought a more atmospheric and emotionally charged dimension to the afternoon. Her distinctive vocal style and songwriting offered a welcome change of pace, allowing the audience to take a breath while still remaining completely engaged with the stage.
Betts’ performance demonstrated why she fitted naturally into a bill that deliberately mixed established names with emerging talent. Her set added depth and variety to the afternoon and provided one of the day’s more intimate musical moments.
For Scottish country fans, Cammy Barnes was one of the day’s essential performances. Barnes has carved out his own space by combining contemporary country songwriting with Scottish influences, and the outdoor festival setting suited him perfectly. There is an immediacy to Barnes’ music that works particularly well in front of a festival crowd. His performance connected without needing unnecessary theatrics, relying instead on strong songs, personality and a voice capable of carrying across the field.
His set included some of his best-loved songs, with “Highland Runaway,” “Pipes of Home” and “Whiskey Roll” standing out as particular highlights. Each brought its own character to the performance, while “Whiskey Roll” proved especially effective in getting the festival crowd moving.
There was also a genuinely touching moment when Barnes reflected on just how far his career has come. Speaking to the Heather on the Hill crowd, he summed up his journey with remarkable humility:
“I am just a guy from a small town in Methil in Fife, living the dream. To think I am in my thirties, and my dream has come true to be a full-time singer, it is just amazing.”
The words captured something of what made his performance so appealing. For an artist who has turned a childhood ambition into a full-time career, standing on a major festival stage in front of a large Scottish audience was clearly a moment not lost on him.
It was another reminder that Scotland’s current music scene is increasingly comfortable crossing boundaries between traditional music, country, folk and modern pop – and that artists like Barnes are proving that big dreams can begin in the smallest of towns.
For Brooke Combe, Heather on the Hill was a particularly special homecoming. “It is good to be back in my home town Edinburgh,” she told the crowd, reflecting on the fact that she now lives in Liverpool and that her band are all from Liverpool. The connection between her Scottish roots and her adopted musical home gave the performance an added sense of occasion.
The band had arrived in Edinburgh the previous evening and, naturally enough, wanted to experience one of Scotland’s most important culinary traditions – a proper chippy.
Combe recalled ordering a fish supper with salt and sauce, only to discover when it arrived that there was neither salt nor sauce on it. When they asked about it, they were told they could have HP sauce instead. For Combe, however, HP simply wasn’t the same thing as proper chippy sauce.
The story brought plenty of laughs from the Edinburgh crowd and was exactly the kind of personal connection that made her set feel like a homecoming rather than simply another festival appearance.
Musically, Combe delivered a confident and energetic performance, bringing together soul, rock and pop influences. “Home Town,” “Talkin’ About Heartaches” and “Tears Won’t Lie” were among the highlights, showcasing both her vocal strength and her ability to connect emotionally with an audience.
There was an especially touching family moment during the performance as Combe’s nieces were in the crowd, watching her play her first festival. For an artist returning to her home city with a band who had travelled from Liverpool, having family there to witness the occasion made the moment even more meaningful.
Playing in front of an Edinburgh audience, Combe looked completely at home. The response was warm and enthusiastic, with the hometown connection making her performance one of the day’s most personal moments.
Then came Skerryvore, and the festival suddenly felt unmistakably Scottish. Skerryvore brought the party atmosphere to Heather on the Hill, with one fan perfectly summing up the mood with the simple declaration: “No Skerryvore, No Party.” It was a sentiment that quickly spread through the crowd as the band delivered an excellent festival set packed with energy, musicianship and plenty of opportunities for the audience to sing and dance along.
The band’s ability to blend traditional Scottish influences with contemporary rock and pop makes them a natural fit for a large outdoor festival, and they certainly didn’t disappoint. From the moment they took to the stage, the atmosphere lifted, with the crowd getting firmly behind them.
Highlights came thick and fast, with “Paths to Home” and “Hold On” providing two particularly strong moments before the band raised the bar again with the excellent “Eye of the Storm.” By this stage, the festival field was alive, with Skerryvore proving exactly why they have become such a formidable live act.
When they left the stage, the crowd wasn’t prepared to let them go. The response was loud enough to bring them back for an encore, and the band rewarded the fans with the brilliant “Take My Hand.”
It was the perfect way to finish a superb set.
What a performance by the band. Skerryvore didn’t simply play Heather on the Hill – they turned it into a party.
Cian Ducrot shifted the mood once again, bringing emotional pop songwriting and a contemporary international sound to the main stage. Following the communal celebration of Skerryvore, Ducrot offered something more personal, with a performance that moved effortlessly between intimate moments and bigger pop festival energy.
Some of the highlights of his set came with “Hallelujah,” “All for You” and the brilliant “I’ll Be Waiting,” each giving the crowd another opportunity to connect with Ducrot’s deeply personal songwriting.
But it was a quieter, deeply moving moment that perhaps said the most about his performance.
Ducrot took time during the set to speak about a friend who had lost their child after just one day of life. The heartbreaking story brought a noticeable change in atmosphere as the festival crowd listened. Rather than simply being another emotional song introduction, it became a reminder of how fragile life can be and how important it is to appreciate the people around us.
His message was simple but powerful: life is far too short.
In the middle of a busy festival day filled with music, celebration and family entertainment, the moment carried real weight. It demonstrated the emotional connection Ducrot can create with an audience, showing that a festival performance can be about more than entertainment.
By the end of the set, the crowd was fully invested, and the main stage had developed the atmosphere of a major summer concert rather than a first-year festival. Ducrot had provided one of the day’s most heartfelt performances, balancing the celebration of live music with a poignant reminder to cherish every moment.
By the time Nathan Evans and The Saint PHNX Band returned for the headline performance, the festival had come full circle. This was, after all, their festival.
The significance wasn’t lost on the audience. Evans and Saint PHNX had opened the event earlier in the day, officially cutting the purple ribbon and helping welcome everyone through the gates. Now they were back to close the musical proceedings in spectacular fashion.
There was an immediate emotional connection as the band opened their headline set with the brilliant “Arabella.” The song set the tone for a performance that would move between heartfelt moments, huge singalongs and full-on festival celebration.
The setlist offered something for everyone, with “Wellerman” bringing one of the biggest audience singalongs of the night, while “Drinking Song” kept the party atmosphere going. “Milarrochy Bay” and “Highland Girl” provided further highlights, showcasing the band’s ability to combine Scottish influences with their contemporary sound.
“Home” added another emotional dimension to the performance before the band turned to the song that perhaps couldn’t have been more appropriate for the occasion – “Heather on the Hill.”
As the festival’s title track rang out across the Royal Highland Centre, the sense of occasion was undeniable. The audience were singing along, the band were clearly enjoying the moment, and the festival they had helped create was reaching its conclusion.
Then came the finale. As “Heather on the Hill” brought the headline performance to a close, fireworks erupted above the stage, providing a spectacular visual ending to the inaugural festival. As the fireworks lit up the Edinburgh sky, the unmistakable sound of Runrig’s “Loch Lomond” echoed around the festival site, creating a hugely emotional and celebratory finale.
With thousands of voices joining in, the combination of fireworks, music and the crowd singing along to one of Scotland’s most beloved anthems created a truly special moment. After a full day of music, family entertainment and celebration, it was a fittingly Scottish way to bring Heather on the Hill’s first chapter to an end.
It was the kind of festival finale that stays with you – the sky illuminated by fireworks, “Loch Lomond” ringing out across the Royal Highland Centre, and a crowd united in song.
There was also something satisfying about seeing Evans and The Saint PHNX Band standing on the stage at the end of a day they had helped build. What had begun that morning with a purple ribbon and a short acoustic performance had grown into a full-scale festival celebration.
From the emotional opening of “Arabella”, through the crowd-pleasing “Wellerman,” “Drinking Song,” “Milarrochy Bay,” “Highland Girl” and “Home,” to the triumphant “Heather on the Hill,” fireworks and the mass singalong to “Loch Lomond,” Nathan Evans and The Saint PHNX Band delivered a headline set worthy of the occasion.
The festival had opened with them – and it was only right that they should bring it home.
Heather on the Hill may be a new arrival, but it already has the foundations of something much bigger. The strongest element of the day was its sense of purpose. This wasn’t simply another festival attempting to squeeze as many acts as possible onto a bill. The family focus was obvious throughout, with activities and entertainment sitting alongside a strong live music programme.
Yet the musical line-up was broad enough to appeal well beyond families with young children. From NATI and Rose Betts through Cammy Barnes and Brooke Combe, to the festival-sized sound of Skerryvore and the emotional pop of Cian Ducrot, there was genuine variety. Nathan Evans and The Saint PHNX Band provided the perfect bookends, opening the festival acoustically and returning to deliver the headline performance.
For a first outing, Heather on the Hill felt confident, welcoming and genuinely Scottish without becoming predictable.
Most importantly, it felt like the beginning of something.
The purple ribbon had been cut, the first acoustic notes had been played, and the final fireworks had lit up the Edinburgh sky. Heather on the Hill had officially arrived – and if its first outing is anything to go by, this could be the start of a very welcome new chapter in Scotland’s festival calendar.
And then came one final piece of good news to make the day complete. Nathan Evans and the Saint PHNX Band announced from the stage that Heather on the Hill will be back next year. The news was greeted with a huge response from the crowd, confirming that what had started as an inaugural festival had already captured the imagination of its audience.
After a day filled with music, laughter, emotion, family entertainment, dancing, fireworks and plenty of Scottish spirit, there could hardly have been a better way to finish.
Heather on the Hill 2026 may have been the first chapter – but the story is already set to continue in 2027.
Review by James Edmond
Photographs from DF Concerts
