Support Us & Shop
Fèis Rois is a registered charity (SC017647). Although we are grateful for the support of our funders and partners, we constantly strive to identify additional income to ensure that our activities are affordable for all.
By supporting us, you will help us continue to keep activity prices down and subsidise our ticket prices to make music as accessible as possible. You can support us via our Just Giving page below (if you would like to donate to our Fèis Rois 40th anniversary fundraiser, please note that there is a separate JustGiving campaign for this – see tab above or click here).
With your support we will continue:
- To provide excellent learning experiences and performance opportunities in the traditional arts and Gaelic culture;
- To inspire and empower communities and people of all ages and backgrounds to achieve their full potential;
- To enable each Fèis Rois participant to be a successful learner, a confident individual, a responsible citizen and an effective contributor;
- To advocate for the widest access to the traditional arts;
- To provide professional pathways and a clear ladder of progression for musicians, traditional artists and creative people;
- To foster a safe and secure environment in line with best practice;
- To ensure that the organisation remains fit for purpose as the environment in which it works changes and develops;
- To promote Scotland’s unique traditional arts on an international platform whilst making cultural connections throughout the world.
2026 marks 40 years of Fèis Rois. To celebrate we will be showcasing our work with a special event featuring over 100 musicians and singers of all ages, including a 40-strong house band made up of past participants! And we’re aiming to raise £40,000 to mark the anniversary – a target that reflects both the scale of this concert and our ambitions for the future.
On 8th September, the stage of Eden Court Theatre in Inverness will come alive with something truly special; a once-in-a-generation celebration marking 40 years of Fèis Rois.
Under Musical Director, Innes White, a former Fèis Rois participant, this special anniversary concert will bring together a 40-piece house band featuring some of Scotland’s finest musicians, all former Fèis Rois participants who are now working in the music industry in Scotland, including: Fiona Dalgetty, Mairearad Green, Lauren MacColl, Louise Mackenzie, Mischa Macpherson, Ronan Martin, Rory Matheson, Olivia Ross, Gillian Stevenson, Rachel Walker, Laura Wilkie and many more.
In addition to the house band, there will be performances from a number of duos and trios who met through their involvement in various Fèis Rois programmes over the last 40 years, including Fell Line (Chloe Bryce, Megan MacDonald and Calum McIlroy) and dynamic duo, Emma Donald (fiddle) and Isbel Pendlebury (clarsach).
With additional performances from this year’s Ceilidh Trail, the Kiltearn Fiddlers, Cluich Rois, Fèis the Music, singers from Voices in Bloom, and young people representing our schools’ projects, the evening will showcase the extraordinary breadth of talent that Fèis Rois has nurtured over four decades.
I remember my first Fèis, aged 10 – the joy of meeting new people, some of whom became lifelong friends, and the enthusiasm of tutors glad to share music with us. I’m delighted that over 35 years later my daughter is having the same experience, with many more opportunities! It’s been lovely as a parent to see strong friendships grow across the Highlands and beyond, and to see how much enjoyment they get from playing together. I’m very impressed with the confidence my daughter and her friends have in arranging and performing music in a variety of situations – this is testimony to the work of the Fèis Rois tutor team, and to the wide range of performance opportunities Fèis Rois opens the door to.” Jan Racionzer, parent and former participant
Why We Need Your Support
There are a few ways you can help:
- Be sure to buy a ticket and join us for this unforgettable night
- Share the event with your friends and family on social media and by word of mouth!
- Make a donation to our fundraising campaign which will help to fund the costs of producing such a huge event and ensuring our musicians are paid fairly.
We are committed to paying musicians fairly. We will pay the freelance musicians in our 40-strong house band a fee of £500 per musician which reflects the time required to learn 1.5 hours of music, attend rehearsals and perform at the concert. This is the standard Musicians’ Union rate for a rehearsal and performance (£435.90) with a small additional sum to reflect their preparation time in learning the music before they show up in the rehearsal room.
“Fèis Rois has been a constant in my life. It is of massive significance to me that the organisation I grew up learning music from is now one of my main employers. Over the last decade I estimate that employment from Fèis Rois represents on average 20% of my annual income, and some years a significantly higher percentage.” Lauren MacColl, musician and former participant
Your support will also help us:
- Bring in additional sound equipment and skilled technicians required for a performance of this scale
- Provide meals for all performers on gig day
- Cover accommodation and travel for artists returning home to the Highlands to be part of this milestone celebration
Every contribution, no matter the size, plays a vital role in making this event possible, and ensuring that our musicians are paid fairly for their time, effort and talent.
If we are fortunate enough to exceed our £40,000 target, any additional funds will go directly towards sustaining and growing our year-round music-making programmes in Ross-Shire, ensuring that future generations can continue to experience the joy and connection of traditional music and Gaelic culture.
Would your company be interested in sponsoring Fèis Rois?
Increasingly, businesses are looking for meaningful ways to connect with communities, demonstrate social value, and support culture, and a partnership with Fèis Rois can do just that. For example, by sponsoring a performance, or one of our performance groups, you could drive customer engagement and brand awareness through a mutually beneficial joint marketing campaign.
If a business chooses to sponsor Fèis Rois, we may be eligible to apply for Scottish Government‑supported match funding through the Culture & Business Scotland Fund, potentially doubling the value of that sponsorship investment. In simple terms, that means a company’s support could go twice as far, creating greater impact for young people, communities, and traditional arts, while also delivering enhanced benefits back to the sponsor.
We are currently looking for sponsorship for the following events and activities in 2026/27:
- Our 40th anniversary concert at Eden Court Theatre in September – could you be our headline sponsor?
- The Kiltearn Fiddlers will be travelling to Aberdeen for performances at the North Atlantic Fiddle Convention in June and to Edinburgh to perform at the Scots Fiddle Festival in November – could you sponsor their travel?
- Our teenage performance group, Cluich Rois, will be travelling to Arran in November for performances – could you sponsor their travel?
If you think your company, or one you are connected to, might enjoy being part of something positive, creative, and rooted in community, we’d love to start a friendly conversation. No hard sell, just an exploration of how we might work together for mutual benefit, while keeping Fèis Rois true to the values you already know and care about. Please feel free to drop Fiona a line in confidence.
Leave a Legacy
Since 1986, Fèis Rois has inspired people to access, participate in and enjoy the traditional arts and Gaelic language through a diverse programme of activities. To continue to be this organisation, we rely on the generosity of our individual supporters.
Leaving a legacy gift of any size is a way for you to make a real impact, supporting our local and international programme to inspire generations to come. In remembering Fèis Rois in your will, you are helping to ensure our programme continues to challenge and engage future audiences.
If you would like to discuss your legacy gift confidentially, please contact our Chief Executive via fios@feisrois.org
We would like to thank the people who have kindly pledged a gift to us in their will. Their pledges help us secure a vibrant future for the music they love. We will not know about the generosity of many of them until we receive their gifts. Others have told us of their pledges in advance and we would like to thank them for their kind bequests.
Shop
We currently have some fantastic music for sale via our Bandcamp, including our 21 Years of the Ceilidh Trail, Gneiss, The Seer and The Voyage of the Hector CDs. There is also an accompanying tune book for The Voyage of the Hector.
We also have other merchandise, including new t-shirts and beanies, coming to Bandcamp very soon so watch this space!