Join local and visiting musicians for a night of traditional Scottish and Irish tunes and songs. Musician's very welcome and/or just come along and enjoy the music, atmosphere and the craic'.
Friday 21st August 2026
Save BIG with a Weekend Pass for the 13th annual Summer Trad Festival, running from 10th-12th July 2026 at The Vault Arts Centre and Festival Marquee in Newton Stewart! Offer expires 5pm on 10th June 2026!
Buy Weekend Passes!
Make sure you book early for the 13th annual Newton Stewart & Minnigaff Traditional Music & Dance Festival over 10th-12th July 2026.
Concerts and picking sessions throughout the weekend at SpringGrass Bluegrass Festival.
Outstanding sponsorship support from the team at Five Kingdoms Brewery for this year's festival, and outstanding beers on draught all weekend!
Five Kingdoms Brewery
A former bank, the Trust re-developed the unoccupied premises into what is now acknowledged as being one of the best live music/performing arts venues in Scotland. A social enterprise project, the venue provides vital income and office space.
Find Out More
Performing at SpringGrass Bluegrass Festival 2024, Sarah Jane Scouten has been nominated for 4 Canadian Folk Music Awards, a Western Canadian Music Award and an International Folk Music Award.
Australian fiddle player and tune writer Jeri Foreman delivers a fiddle workshops at SpringGrass Bluegrass Festival in 2023.
SpringGrass Bluegrass Festival
Southwest Scotland's biggest Highland dancing competition is held at Newton Stewart & Minnigaff Traditional Music & Dance Festival.
Highland Dancing Competition
Dancers celebrate their acheivements at the Highland Dancing Competition in 2018
47 young dancers competed in 2019 at one of the largest traditional Scottish dancing competitions in South West Scotland.
This year's junior solo piping competition will take place at Penninghame Primary School on Saturday 8th July 2023.
The winner of this year's 14 & Under 4-Parted March (any time signature) / 2 x 2-Parted March (any time signature) will win, courtesy of the National Piping Centre, a free place at one of the Autumn Junior Gathering Weekends (Sat/Sun 7th/8th or 14th/15th Oct) held at the National Piping Centre (Glasgow).
Raffle tickets will be available at The Vault Arts Centre and at the piping competion and will be drawn at Minnigaff Primary School at the conclusion of the piping competition.
We have a special raffle prize this year, kindly donated by the National Piping Centre; two tickets for an evening concert at Piping Live 2023 (Glasgow). We also have additional raffle prizes - donated by the excellent McCallum Bagpipes - of various piping goods.
Click the "Open/Print" link/icon below to open the registration/application form (PDF format).
Penninghame Primary School is located on Auchendoon Road, west of the A714 which runs directly through Newton Stewart.
The event will be well signposted and there is plenty of parking at the site or within a short walking distance should the available parking reach capacity.
Newton Stewart & Minnigaff Traditional Music & Dance Festival will celebrate its 13th year over 10th-12th July 2026. It's an incredible achievement. The charity has created a viable, sustainable, event that continues to grow and develop, proudly celebrating the very best in traditional Scottish, Irish and World music. Make sure you book early for what is shaping up to be the biggest event yet!