Close to £500,000 raised to bring the international fiddle festival back to the Granite City.
Hugo Franco first came to the North Atlantic Fiddle Convention as a teenager from Galicia. He left a participant. He returns this June with a Danny Kyle Award and an acclaimed duo with Scottish fiddler Roo Geddes.
The festival has been running since 2001, founded by the Elphinstone Institute at the University of Aberdeen, with previous editions held across Scotland, Ireland and Canada. This year marks its 25th anniversary and its return to Aberdeen, where it began.
The International Youth Celebration is one of the highlights of the five-day programme. Young musicians take to the Music Hall stage with new compositions alongside performances rooted in traditional styles. It is the kind of event that tends to surprise people. The energy that comes from young players working across different traditions is something NAFCo has built its reputation on, and Franco’s trajectory is a good example of where it can lead.
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A busy programme of concerts, workshops and talks
NAFCo is an unusual setup: part festival, part international academic conference. Alongside concerts and workshops, the programme includes talks from leading researchers in fiddle and dance traditions. This June’s events take place across Aberdeen and the wider north-east, with Alasdair Fraser and Natalie Haas among the headline performers.
Getting here has required significant effort. NAFCo has pulled together close to £500,000 in combined support from Aberdeen City Council, EventScotland, Creative Scotland and a live crowdfunding campaign. Festival Director Laura Harrington said: “In a time when arts funding is under real pressure, the level of support from across Aberdeen and the wider region has been remarkable. NAFCo has always been about connection — between countries, communities and generations of musicians. This year, that spirit is reflected not only in the programme, but in the way the festival itself has been made possible.”
NAFCo 2026 runs 24–28 June in Aberdeen. Tickets are available through Aberdeen Performing Arts.
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