The modern Beltane Fire Festival is inspired by the ancient Gaelic festival of Beltane which began on the evening before May 1 and marked the beginning of summer. The festival has over 300 voluntary collaborators and performers with the 12,000 available tickets selling out.
While the festival draws on a variety of historical, mythological and literary influences, the organisers do not claim it to be anything other than a modern celebration of Beltane, evolving with its participants.
Look out for the variety of characters on show too, like the magisterial May Queen and the red men, who give the event a wholly otherworldly feel. It's as if the creatures from Pan's Labyrinth grew sick of Spain and came to Scotland for their holidays, losing clothes and gaining an excitable fearlessness along the way.
Beltane website: www.beltane.org
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