Central belt festivals are very convenient for a big chunk of the Scottish population, with easy transport connections and a quick journey home. That’s a bit easy though, don’t you think? Bring in a ferry or a cross-border journey and then you’ve got yourself a festival adventure. So to get you started, here are some festivals we reckon are well worth the hike. 

This year is the 43rd iteration of Shetland Folk Festival (1–4 May) with concerts held across the islands and a festival base in Lerwick. The Foy concerts on the Saturday night are always a highlight, with three venues each hosting visiting acts for short sets before the artists are bussed to the next venue. It’s frenetic and brilliant fun. Later in the month, Orkney Folk Festival (22–25 May) offers a gorgeous mix of Orcadian, Scottish and international folk musicians. Don’t miss the Stromness pub sessions for the finest music and craic. Orkney also hosts a number of other music, science and nature festivals as well as the prestigious multi-arts St Magnus International Festival (20–27 June). This summer, Orkney also plays host to the Orkney 2025 International Island Games in July. 

Out in the Hebrides, July brings Tiree Music Festival (TMF to its friends) where the sandy beaches and dazzling, flowering machair of Tiree host three days of dancing and good times. The festival was founded by musicians and always has an excellent line-up. Then HebCelt festival returns to Stornoway for a three-day Hebridean hoolie in community venues and a large arena site at Lews Castle (16–19 July). This year’s line-up includes Tide Lines, Eddi Reader and, for those with long memories, a return to the stage for Gaelic children’s TV favourite Donnie Dòtaman. On a smaller scale, Benbecula’s Eilean Dorcha Festival (25 & 26 July) features Skipinnish and Tumbling Paddies, while the Inner Hebridean islands of Mull, Colonsay, Islay and Jura all have festivals across a range of genres from music to whisky to literature.

Taking a peak south of the border, the bright lights, stellar line-ups and reputations of festivals such as Glastonbury, Isle Of Wight, Reading and Leeds will always catch the headlines, while the likes of Creamfields, Download, Latitude, Parklife and Wireless will be on the radar of many tuned into the music zeitgeist. If you’re looking for options that feel a bit closer to home, Lindisfarne Festival is held on a farm overlooking Holy Isle in Northumberland (28–30 August). The Waterboys and Scouting For Girls are headlining for 2025, with plenty to discover across eight stages. Expect a Viking theme, and lots of dressing up. A bit further south, Moovin Festival (13–15 June) is a small, quirky event with a hippy vibe, held in a bull field near Stockport. Get down on the farm to funk, soul, reggae and drum & bass. For lovers of blues and ska, get your tickets sorted for Northern Kin festival near Durham (1-3 August). There’s an acoustic big-top stage and two music marquees, with a focus on musicians from the north-east of England, and an eclectic mix of folk, blues, rock, ska, punk, pop, prog, indie and soul (Midge Ure, Michael Schenker and The Undertones are on the line-up). To the west, Beat-Herder is a growing grassroots mish-mash of colourful, eclectic music and events across a long weekend in Lancashire (17–20 July): will you find your people at The Garage, The Laundrette or The Parish Church stage? 

Alternatively, head over the sea to Northern Ireland for festival fun this year. Derry-Londonderry hosts The City Of Derry Jazz & Big Band Festival (1–5 May) with hundreds of artists playing at over 70 venues across the city and Billy Ocean confirmed as headliner for 2025. Belfast TradFest (27 July–3 August) is great craic too, with concerts and sessions filling the streets of the city with top tunes. For a different vibe, Ireland's biggest electronic music celebration Emerge Music Festival returns to Belfast (23 & 24 August) as over 80 local and international acts take to four stages across the weekend, with stellar sound and light shows promised: Fatboy Slim, Bicep and Sonny Fodera headline. Staying in Belfast, Belsonic takes place throughout June, bringing huge acts to the city’s Ormeau Park. For 2025, gigs include Stereophonics, Charlie XCX, Justin Timberlake, Snow Patrol and Alanis Morissette, but you’ll need to be quick getting tickets.

This article was originally published in The List’s Guide To Scottish Festivals 2025, which is available in print from stockists across Scotland or to read online.