Big Tent Festival more than holds its own with the big names

Sunday morning dawned and was colder than the previous day. Spirits were not dampened however, and the eco-debates got underway early on. We went to a discussion entitled Bees, Beavers and Biodiversity, which saw contributions from Johanna Willi, Biodiversity Officer, Paul Ramsay of the Scottish Wild Beaver Group, and Michael Smith and Norton Millar from Johnny's Garden, an urban beekeeping initiative. Around fifty people turned up on the morning after the night before, fortified with cups of fairtrade tea and coffee, to hear convincing arguments for joining up wildlife habitats across Europe in order to give indigenous species a greater chance of survival. The speakers were knowledgeable and engaging, speaking animatedly about their various areas of expertise and how they fit into the wider ecosystem, and with bees and beavers billed as being two of the hottest topics in the biodiversity world it was an interesting and informative sixty minutes.

From education to some more traditional entertainment, it was time for The Chipolatas' main stage appearance. A massive hit with kids of all ages and sizes, the Chipolatas combine acrobatics and theatre with music in an almost whimsical comedy style and were a definite highlight.

It was another shot of culture next with a Meet the Author session. Catriona Child's debut novel, Trackman, has been lauded by critics and explores how music can lift a person's mood and bring memories back to life. Explaining how the orginal idea for the story came about following a dream that her husband had and told her about, Catriona describes herself as a music lover who can't play an instrument and cites everyone from The Corries to the Beatles as her musical influences. We missed Ian Rankin's discussion session on What Makes Fife Fife which was on at the same time but from what I hear the general consensus seemed to be "We dinnae ken" ("we don't know").

Following a quick soiree to the Wee Shindig tent, where I would have liked to have spent more time had we had the time, not least because of the experimental wine bar located there, it was back to the main stage for the afore-mentioned The Whisky Riverboat Band. We had picked this band out as a must-see on the grounds that they originally came together for a musical canoeing odyssey down the Spey River. The five-piece acoustic band canoed 65 miles down the Spey (the fastest flowing river in Scotland) stopping every now and again to play a gig and drink whisky, thereby inventing the genre of "adventure folk". I loved their bluegrass style, the beautiful harmonies, the wonderful double bass and comments such as "wait for the fingers" and the crowd loved 'em too, singing along and even joining in the linedancing (yes, you read that right).

By around five o'clock on the Sunday afternoon the steady drizzle had turned into more of a steady downpour and there was less of a palpable buzz around the main arena area than there had been the previous day. Stalwart of the contemporary Scottish folk scene Karine Polwart was next on the main stage performing with a group of musicians that had never played together before in this incarnation. She played a variety of her own tunes including King of Birds and Tinsel Show as well as covers such as the Blue Nile song Rags to Riches and her haunting, evocative voice was perfectly suited to the beautiful setting in front of Falkland Palace.

Next up was Glasgow seven-piece and fantastically named Federation of The Disco Pimp, which as you may or may not have gathered is a funk disco outfit, although apparently they prefer to describe themeselves as "extreme funk". In the ever-increasing rain they certainly kept the crowd jumping and grooving.

Closing the Sunday was Salsa Celtica. For those of you who may not know, Salsa Celtica is made up of around nine or ten guys from all over the world who have somehow managed to create the most danceable music from a melting pot of traditional Celtic and Latin American music. I say somehow but actually I think it probably comes down to their sheer enthusiasm for and talent in their chosen musical fields. Their chosen musical field tonight though was pretty wet and muddy and it was the dedicated hardcore festie-goers who stayed the course of what was another storming performance from this band.

There were lots of crafts at this festival, including home crafts such as baking, as well as furniture building, wood turning, and basket making. Local artists exhibited their wares while international, national and local pressure and campaign groups such as WWF, Greenpeace, the Marine Conservation Society, The Forestry Commision, Caledonian Woodlands, the Fife Diet, the Living Lomond Project and the Scottish Wild Beaver Group were also in attendence, raising awareness of the environmental and social issues affecting us all. Recycling bins complete with their own advisers were placed at various points throughout the site, all contributing to making this Scotland's greenest festival.

It is also absolutely the most family-friendly festival we have been to - I think the kids may even have outnumbered the adults. Kids had the freedom to run wild in a safe environment, forming bonds and alliances that came of building dens and rolling down hills together, and their happiness made for some very happy and relaxed parents too - I have never seen so many adults skipping as I did at this festival, or indeed running about playing with their kids. The site was compact with everything within easy walking distance and yet it never felt claustrophobic.

The location of the main stage seemed a little unusual, situated as it was on top of a fairly steep-sided field. If you were less than six feet tall it was virtually impossible to see the main stage once you were more than a few rows back as the hill dipped away quite sharply. The only other good viewing spot was on the opposite hill, which created a gap between the two sections of the audience. One other aspect of the event that divided opinion was the tannoy system which while helpful and informative seemd slightly incongrous in what was otherwise a fairly peaceful vibe. It reminded me in equal parts of a Dirty Dancing style holiday camp announcement and of Woodstock ("don't take the yellow acid") although to be fair I haven't been to either.

The queues on the Saturday for the bar, toilets and the food outlets were quite long. Although the vendors did a great job on the Sunday, they seemed to struggle with demand on the Saturday which resulted in long queues for everything, including a forty minute wait for a pancake for example. It is difficult to get the balance right though, with everything seeming to move much quicker on the quieter Sunday. And on the plus side, the talks throughout the day certainly stimulated some interesting and intelligent discussions in the queues which is not something you get at every festival.

This was a big weekend in Scotland for events, with Wickerman in Dumfries and Galloway, the 80s Rewind Festival in Perth and Madonna in Edinburgh, but I think it's fair to say that the Big Tent festival more than held its own with the big names. Seasoned festival goers disillusioned with the increasingly corporate nature of festivals, including those once billed as "alternative", all loved this festival, its ethos and the atmosphere. There was a definte eclectic mix of people there who could take what they wanted from the weekend, whether that be a family day out, a stimulating intellectual debate or a weekend's camping and entertainment with the kids. Although quieter on the Sunday, due in no small part to the increasingly heavy rain and quite possibly many of the kids and adults perhaps having over done it slightly on the Saturday, this is still a fantastic family festival with a philosphy and a heart and soul that has much to commend it. Of everything that was happening in Scotland this weekend, this was where I wanted to be.

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