Belladrum Tartan Heart festival announce new Co-Op Verb Garden

The organisers of Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival which is held from Friday 8th August until Saturday 9th August 2008 in Inverness-shire, Scotland have announced that the festival will have a new spoken word arena called the Co-Op Verb Garden which will offer talks, cabaret, poetry, comedy, and song over the weekend.

Within the Co-Op Verb Garden will be a platform for festival goers to announce their passions, debate the issues of the day, and help right the world's wrongs called Highland Park Corner, the festival's own counterpart to 'Speaker's Corner' and will reward the weekend's best speakers with free drams of whisky.

Some of the Co-Op Verb Garden highlights have been announced and include appearances by rocker Pete Wylie, Jefferson Starship's Paul Kantner and singer/songwriter Justin Currie who will each join Ian McWhirter for Up Close and Personal interview sessions.

Also over the weekend will be the Co-Op Debates where a diverse panel of authorities debate the big issues of the day, with subjects ranging from The Cost of Energy: Crisis or Opportunity to Is Fair Trade Damaging the Environment?

Festival goers will also have an opportunity to flex their literary muscles and win tickets for next year's festival in the Moniack Mhor six word short story competition based on Ernest Hemingway's story: 'For Sale, Baby Shoes, Never Used'.

Elsewhere in the Co-Op Verb Garden the Care Bear will be on hand for festival goers to air their problems to sympathetic fluffy ears. Tom Morton will host The Malt & Barley Revue, with comedians including b>Jackie Goode and Scott Russell and late night entertainment from Bluesey Blue with their brand of adult humour set against a blues soundtrack.

Belladrum also has a wide musical mix that includes the headline acts who are confirmed as Waterboys, and Scouting For Girls. The Lemonheads make their only festival appearance in Scotland this year alongside Dreadzone, Idlewild, The Long Blondes, Jefferson Starship, Nouvelle Vague, Justin Currie, Edwyn Collins, Pete Molinari, Rachel Unthank & the Winterset, Kathryn Williams and Lisa Knapp, and more. For the line-up details as available please click here.

Now in its fifth year, Belladrum offers plenty of interest aside from the music including an array of entertainment for children. Attractions include street theatre, cabaret, cinema, dance, alternative therapies, stalls, food and drink.

Tickets are on sale, priced at £80 for the weekend (includes parking and camping from 4pm Thursday 7th to 1pm Sunday 10th) or £50 for just Saturday (includes parking and camping from 9am Saturday until 1pm Sunday). Children 12 and under enter free. Click here to buy.

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