Eden Festival is a Scottish music festival held in Raehills Meadows near Moffat, Dumfries and Galloway. In 2023 it had a capacity of 4999, and has recently been shortlisted for the Best Family Festival award in the UK Festival Awards in 2023.
History
Eden began as an area of the Wickerman Festival in 2002, before becoming its own festival in 2009. This first festival was held in the Forest of Ae between 4–6 September, and was headlined by The Levellers.
In 2010, the event moved to Raehills Meadows, near Moffat in Dumfries and Galloway, again in September. In 2011, the date was moved to June.
In 2014 Eden Festival was named in the Lonely Planets top 10 European festivals and the Guardians top 20 family festivals. Along with being shortlisted for Best Family Festival, Best Small Festival and Best Grassroots Festival at the UK Festival Awards in 2014 and 2015.
In 2015, Eden Festival was named as one of 12 events recommended to be funded by Dumfries and Galloway Council's Major Events Strategic Fund. Other events on the list included the Knockengorroch festival and the Lockerbie Jazz Festival.
In 2017, the festival received £12,500 in funding from Event Scotland to support the creation of the "Great Mountain Stage", part of a new area of the festival called "The Hanging Gardens Of Babylon." Dumfries and Galloway council awarded the festival an £18,000 grant, and the capacity of the festival was also increased to 9000.
In 2018, the festival held its 10th anniversary with an audience estimated to be around 9000. The festival also announced that they would ban single use plastics for the 2019 event which had already been reduced to bottled juices on some trade stalls (though water is available freely around site).
The 2019 Festival was held between 6–9 June. After two years out due to covid the festival is due to return on the 9th - 12 June 2022 with headliners Supergrass, Basement Jaxx and Coolio topping the bill.
Stages
Eden Festival has 9 stages/areas;
The Great Mountain Stage
Rabbie's Tavern
Ghilli Dhu Dance Emporium
The Vishnu Lounge
The Lost Disco
The Boardwalk Stage
The Melodrome Theatre
The Garden
The Woodland Arena
The festival also features a large children's area, family camping, woodland sauna, workshop arena, cabaret, drive-in cinema, several pop up craft ale or Prosecco bars, healing area, backstage barge live lounge, glamping by the moat, a maze, a henge and all built around one central collaborative garden.
Line up
2022
Supergrass, Basement Jaxx (DJ), Coolio, Hollie Cook, Roni Size, Craig Charles Funk and Soul Club, Mungo's Hi Fi, The Mouse Outfit, Onipa, Pongo, La La, Pictish Trail, Niteworks, Hallouminati, Testpress, Colonel Mustard & The Dijon 5, Bombskare, The Hoojamamas, The Langan Band, Awkward Family Portraits, Mista Trick, Tom Mcguire and the Brassholes, Cara Rose, Banjo Lounge 4, Quick, Russel Stewar, Ceol An Aire.
2019
Chinese Man, This Is The Kit, DJ Zinc, Irvine Welsh (DJ), S.P.Y., Bondax, My Baby, John Cooper Clarke, Macka B and the Roots Ragga Band, Kitty Daisy & Lewis, Optimo, Lau, Flamingods, Smooth & Turrell, Sketch, Trojan Soundsystem, Mouse Outfit, Barely Legal, Kenny Ken, Leofah & Chunky, Aries, Antie Flo, Tankus the Henge, The Dhol Foundation, Bombskare, Adam Holmes & The Embers, Schlachthofbronx, Serial Killaz, Blue Rose Code, Mr Motivator.
2018
Groove Armada, Submotion Orchestra, Super Hans, Plump DJs, Shooglenifty, Peatbog Faeries, Bez's Acid House, Eat Static, Mungo's Hifi, Stanton Warriors, Zion Train, Blazin Fiddles, JFB, Askillz, Electric Swing Circus, Elephant Sessions, Cut Capers, Mr B the Gentleman Rhymer, Bombskare, K.O.G and the Zongo Brigade, Ghetto Funk All Stars, Manudigital, The Turbans, The Langan Band, Nightwave, Son of Dave, Professor Elemental, Talisk, Nightworks, Asbo Disco, Jus Now, Ross Ainslie and Ali Hutton, Colonel Mustard & the Dijon 5, Holy Molly and the Crackers, Eva Lazarus Sound System, The Busy Twist, WBBL, Chimpo, Tantz, Gardna, The Dangleberries, Smerins Anti Social Club, Afriquoi, Withered Hand, The Carny Villains, Monster Ceilidh Band, Esperanza, Samson Sounds, King Lagoons Flying Swordfish Dance Band plus special guest Mr Motivator.