Gary Innes

🚨 Hoolie in the Hydro - who is your Local Hero? 🚨

One of the best things about Hoolie in the Hydro is bringing people together to celebrate everything that makes our music, culture and communities so special, and this year we want to also celebrate some of the incredible people within those communities that make a real difference.

We’re asking you to nominate your Local Hero - someone in your village, town or city who quietly goes above and beyond for others, makes a real difference, and perhaps doesn’t always get the recognition they deserve.

We’ll choose a number of Local Heroes from across Scotland and invite them along to this year’s Hoolie in the Hydro – Local Hero as our guests. 🎟️🥳

Know someone who deserves to be there?

👇 Nominate your Local Hero using the link in the comments.

🚨 Hoolie in the Hydro - Local Hero 🚨

Excited to be announcing that the winners of this year’s Women’s Valerie Fraser and the Men’s Camanachd Cup will have the opportunity to stand on the Hydro stage this December and raise their trophies above their heads to the thousands of you who are joining us for Hoolie. As many will know, the sport of shinty has played a huge part in my life, and so it’s a privilege to be able to give this opportunity to our very own shinty-playing local heroes this year. 🏑 ❤️

🚨 HOOLIE IN THE HYDRO ANNOUNCEMENT 🚨

A huge Hebridean welcome to Traitors winner Stephen Libby, who will co-host this year’s Hoolie in the Hydro – Local Hero alongside our very own Hoolie Queen, Julie Fowlis! 🎉

I met Stephen at HebCelt this year and, as a huge fan of traditional music, he was delighted to accept the offer to join us all in the Hydro on Saturday 12th December.

We’ve got some other HUGE news coming very soon too… 👀

But for now, and for all our Hoolie faithfuls 😜 please welcome this Scottish superstar to the party! 🥳🎶 x

Awesome to visit the famous red phone box from Local Hero in Pennan this afternoon. Such a gorgeous wee village ❤️ 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Had a lovely night in Bute House last night with a reception celebrating Traditional Music. It was also a pleasure sitting in the First Minister’s chair and interviewing him about his passion for trad music and culture, without the burden of trying to run the country 🤪

Skoolz back from summer 🤪 and we had a very excited Margot all set for her first ever day in P1 and Gracie P3. Good luck to all the little ones and their parents heading back today 🥰

Breton Bro’s! 😝

Thank you Lorient for a brilliant couple of days with Mànran, and with Ewen, Aidan and myself last night. This was the 20th year since Ewen and myself first played this awesome festival, and as you can see, we’re basically locals now! 🤣 Thanks to JP, Louri and all the team for having us once again 🇫🇷

🚨 Hoolie in the Hydro announcement 🚨

It gives me the greatest pleasure to announce the first wave of acts for Hoolie in the Hydro - Local Hero! 🎉

A huge thnak you to all the bands and musicians that have agreed to join us and I'm also absolutely over the moon that we'll be inducting the legend that is Mark Knopfler into the Trad Hall of Fame on the night. The Dire Straits frontman who wrote the iconic soundtrack to Local Hero has been one of my musical heroes for as long as I can remember, and so feels like a momentous moment. 🎸

Mark said, “It’s an honour to be inducted into the Scottish Traditional Music Hall of Fame.
One of my earliest memories of Glasgow is singing The Bonnie Banks of Loch Lomond. I was two years old. I still sing it now. There’s no doubt that highland music influenced everything I ever did musically.
Whether you take the high road or the low road, the Hoolie in the Hydro on 12th December will be a special event.” MK ❤️

There's sooo much more exciting news still to come for this year's event and we’ll also soon be asking you to nominate your own Local Heroes – the people who make a real difference in your village, community, town or city, and who perhaps don't always get the recognition they deserve. More on that very soon. But for now... get your gang together, it's going to be a belter ❤️

Taynuilt Highland Games day and Gracie all set for her first highland dance competition 💃 🥰

Such a joy to be back at this awesome festival and can’t wait to headline tonight with Mànran 🥳