The Land The Light The Locals

The Land The Light The Locals is an annual five-day festival celebrated in the villages and towns of the Scottish Borders. The tenth anniversary of The Land The Light The Locals (LLL) will kick off on 29 December 2007 and will be welcoming the New Year. The locals have a great appreciation for the beautiful countryside that they call home and with this festival they invite visitors from all regions of Scotland, as well as beyond Scotland’s borders, to join them for this fun-filled event.

The 10th LLL festival will contain all the features that have proven so popular in the past, along with some exciting new events. The main concert, which features Scocha and Real Time, will be held on 29 December in the Jedburgh Town Hall. Iain Scott, David Chapman, Phil Clayton, Alan Brydon and Dougie Anderson are the talented musicians that call themselves Schocha. They have been working together for five years and are becoming increasingly popular. Their song, “The Rolling Hills of the Borders” was written and performed for a television series about the Border clan families. It has become the signature tune for Scocha and an informal anthem for the Scottish Borders.

The following day features the popular band Carlenjig entertaining visitors at the pub at Bonchester Bridge. The evening’s entertainment, including music and poetry, will be provided by Hawick Sings, organized by the Hawick Callants Club. The Hogmanay celebrations begin with a session led by Wattie Robson and Les Sneddon. The evening promises to be a lot of fun with the Hogmanay Ceilidh – a true Scottish party filled with music and dancing – to be hosted by the popular Louise Douglas Band.

The traditional New Year’s Day walk is an opportunity for visitors to get better acquainted with the locals and, of course, other visitors. The reward at the end of the walk will be a traditional soup and stovies supper. There are two options for visitors for that evening – an untraditional New Year’s night party with Scocha or a chill-out session at the Fox and Hounds in Denholm. The Buccleuch Arms, St. Boswells, is the venue for a farewell session. Party-goers with stamina will enjoy a concert by Real Time in the Wynd Theatre.

The Land The Light The Locals started off as a collaboration between local musicians and the Scottish Borders Tourist Board (SBTB) to present a program of music, dancing and concerts. Their objective was to attract visitors from home and abroad to the scenic Scottish Borders region. Judging by past events, they have succeeded. The 10th The Land The Light The Locals promises to be better than ever before.