Echoes of the Glen Festival

28th/29th/30th August 2026

What’s it all about?

In 1951, the West Highland Festival was held in Duror, to coincide with the Festival of Britain.  The hugely ambitious plan was the idea of the local Station Master, Bob Fraser, with the aim of raising funds to build a much needed gathering place for the communities of Duror and Kentallen.

The Festival ran for a week and was centred around a 500 seat auditorium which was created on the fields behind Cuil Bay.  The programme included the staging of two specially produced plays by Compton Mackenzie and Angus MacVicar – both hugely successful writers of their time.  The themes were the Jacobite uprising of 1745 and the trial of James of the Glen – in many ways, the Outlanders of their day.  There were also displays of local arts, crafts, as well as Highland dancing and local music performances.  10,000 flyers and 5,000 programmes were printed to publicise the festival at home and abroad.  Professional actors and performers from all over the country took to the stage alongside members of the local community.

The event was nationally acclaimed, with the BBC’s Richard Dimbleby doing the commentary on the first night. The funds raised built the Community Centre, which is still the much-treasured heart of our community.‍

We hope you will join us at the Echoes of the Glen Festival from August 29th-30th 2026. Events will be held in various venues across the villages to commemorate the West Highland Festival, and celebrate the spirit of the small community that punched well above its weight and thrilled the world!

The Festival Programme is shown below. Events are open to all and we would like to encourage as many of the community as possible to get involved, take part, and support the Festival.

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