HebCelt Festival has revealed a striking upgrade to its bars and hospitality areas for this year’s event by investing in stylish new tipi tent canopies to enhance the experience for fans, sponsors and artists alike.
In the biggest upgrade to site experience in recent years, the festival is doubling the capacity of its popular HebCelt guests and friends bar and, for the first time, introducing a dedicated hospitality space beneath two impressive giant tipis.
Buying drinks will also be made easier with contactless payments being introduced across bars for faster, smaller queues and an even more efficient service.
The future-looking investment supports HebCelt’s ambitions to expand its audience and sponsorship offering, while enhancing the overall festival experience on Castle Green, transforming bars and other spaces into stylish, weather-proof hubs.
A new chill-out zone will debut this year, featuring a 10m x 15m waterproof chino canvas stretch tent laid with high-quality flooring and soft lighting - a major upgrade from the straw-covered ground of previous years. The area will be dressed with elegant poles and warm fairylights to create a cosy, welcoming environment.
Fan favourite Julie’s Bar is also getting a stylish makeover. It’s moving to a new Little Hat tipi tent, supported by rustic wooden beams and dressed with ambient lighting and barrel-top tables, creating a relaxed and sociable space to gather with friends.
The canvas canopies will not only bring a more natural, contemporary aesthetic to the site overlooking Stornoway’s harbour, but also mark a move away from traditional plastic sheeting, creating a visually striking, more sustainable and immersive festival atmosphere.
The transformation comes as HebCelt prepares to welcome thousands of visitors back to Lews Castle Green in Stornoway for this year’s event, which runs from Wednesday 16 to Saturday 19 July.
Carol Ferguson, HebCelt Festival Operations Coordinator, said: “We’re always working to improve the experience for everyone at HebCelt, and these new tipi spaces are a brilliant step forward. “Not only do the tents bring warmth, atmosphere and a visually striking new look to the site, but they’re a more sustainable and practical choice - replacing plastic with durable, reusable canvas. “They’ll offer better shelter, more comfort, and a smarter, environmentally conscious way to welcome guests, partners and artists alike, and provide areas for activities such as our Sponsors Evening and Hall of Fame presentations.”
With the new contactless experience expected to be hugely popular in their place, anyone who still has the old style drink-tokens left over from previous festivals will also have one last chance to redeem them this year before they are phased out.
Continuing with HebCelt’s green credentials, to get served at the bar customers will place an initial £2 deposit to get their eco-friendly reusable cup, which will be swapped out for a fresh one at each sale.
At the end of the night people can hand them back for a £2 refund, donate the cash to Macmillan Cancer Care, or take their cup home to add to their collection or start afresh.
The 2025 edition boasts one of the festival’s most diverse and exciting lineups to date with 70% of acts either female led or featuring female members, and will feature headline performances from Scottish music legend Lulu, folk-rock favourites Skerryvore, and the ever-popular Tide Lines.
Singer-songwriter Nina Nesbitt, Brit Awards winner Eddi Reader, and live sensations Beluga Lagoon will also perform, alongside Trail West, Kassidy, Tom McGuire and The Brassholes, Alasdair White & Keith Morrison, Astro Bloc, Cala, Cassie and Maggie, Ciorstaidh Beaton, Donnie Dòtaman, Elias Alexander, El Sartel, Fèis Eilean an Fhraoich, Iona Mairead, Isla Scott, Josie Duncan, Laura Silverstone, Lauren Collier, LUSA, Madison Violet, Malin Lewis Trio, NATI., Ruairidh Gray, Samba Sene & Diwan, The Tumbling Souls, and TRIP.
Festival passes and day tickets are on sale now at hebceltfest.com/booking, with a range of pricing options. The popular Friends Pack – which includes exclusive access to the upgraded hospitality area – is also available.
With its 30th anniversary celebrations on the horizon in 2027, HebCelt’s Board is already working on further enhancements to cement the festival’s reputation as one of Scotland’s top internationally recognised cultural events.
