On this page you'll find information about purchasing tickets and memberships, finding accommodation and how to travel to Shetland.
The essential dates for the 30th Festival are as follows:
22 January Advance Membership form available for download on this website and/or to cut out in The Shetland Times
26 February Deadline for SFFS receiving Advance Membership applications.
12 March Ticket booking open to advance members only. At this time, advance members will be sent their membership receipts along with a ticket booking form. Overseas members will receive their booking form by email, if requested.
2 April Ticket booking open to all. A combined membership/ticket booking form will be distributed within The Shetland Times and for download on this website.
Advance membership forms and ticket booking forms must be returned via post or fax. We do not accept bookings via email.
Festival Membership is priced at:
£14 for an adult
£6 for a child (under 18 on the first day of the festival)
£28 for a family (consisting of two
adults and 2 under 18s)
In 2010, advance membership is on sale between 22nd January and 26th February. Thereafter, it will be possible to purchase membership from the 2nd of April when ticket sales become available for all. Advance members will receive their ticket booking form around 12th March, 3 weeks before being made available to the general public. Please Note - Concert tickets for non-members may NOT be purchased on advance members' booking forms. Non-members tickets as well as remaining memberships will go on sale on 2nd April 2010.
A membership receipt will be issued which should be exchanged for a membership wristband (pictured right) upon arrival at the Festival Club.
Remember, membership is required for entry into the Festival Club (numbers permitting) but also enables you to purchase discounted price tickets. SFFS members will, on average, pay £4-5 less for each concert ticket purchased. In 2010, ticket prices for SFFS members will range between £7 and £14. Ticket prices for non-members will range between £10 and £18. Concession priced ticket will range between £6 and £10.
PLEASE NOTE - Since concert tickets are in high demand, advance membership is becoming increasingly popular. However, all tickets are sold on a strictly first come first serve basis. Due to high demand, even some advance members will not be able to purchase tickets originally requested. Tickets and memberships are also non-transferable and non-refundable. All major credit cards, Switch (Maestro) card and cheques are accepted.
If there is a problem with any of the tickets you have requested, one of our volunteers will contact you so please remember to provide us with your contact details!
For tickets only, concession prices are available to senior citizens (over 60), children, students and those in receipt of social security benefit, income support or Job seekers allowance (proof required)
The shop in 5 Burns Lane Lerwick will be open for over the counter ticket purchases between 15th-24th April 2010 on Thursdays and Saturdays only. On Thursdays, the shop will be open between 6 and 8pm and Saturdays between 12noon and 3pm.
On the 29th April and until 1st May, the Festival Shop shall move to Islesburgh Community Centre (The Festival Club) and will be open between 11am-5pm. By this time many of the concerts will have sold out but there are usually a few remaining tickets and it will also be possible to purchase membership.
Transport to and from venues is NOT provided by the SFFS. You must make your own travel arrangements to Festival Concerts. Ferry crossings will be required to attend some of the concerts held during the festival. Please find information of inter-island ferries here. If you intend to attend the concerts in the remoter parts of Shetland, a hire car is advisable.
The voluntary committee of the Folk Festival only organise accommodation for those people who are performing at the Festival. We do not organise accommodation for members travelling to the Festival. Most Festival-goers decide to base themselves in Shetland's capital, Lerwick although there is accommodation available throughout the isles.
For help on finding B&Bs, guesthouses and other hotels, please visit the Promote Shetland website www.shetland.org or Visit Scotland on the details below. Booking accommodation in advance of arriving in Shetland is highly recommended.
There are also campsites available in Shetland. The main one is at the Clickimin Centre in Lerwick, see contact details below (please note: Shetland weather conditions can be variable in the month of May!)
There is also a youth hostel available just across the road from the Festival Club at Islesburgh House. For more details please contact Islesburgh by email on enquiries@islesburgh.org.uk or telephone +44 (0) 1595 692114. On doing so, please state that you are travelling up for the Festival.
The Grand Hotel in Lerwick very kindly offer a special rate for SFFS members for accommodation over the Festival period. For more information contact the hotel directly: Telephone - +44 (0) 1595 692826 or email info@kgqhotels.co.uk
There are daily flights and ferries connecting mainland UK to Shetland but booking is essential at Festival time.
Travel by SEA
Northlink Ferries currently operate the overnight ferry service between Aberdeen and Shetland. The best ferry to catch is the one before the first day of the festival (i.e. leaving Aberdeen on Wedensday 28th April 2010) as this is when the organising committee and most of the visiting artistes are travelling up to Shetland. There are normally sessions that continue well into the night - if the North Sea is calm that is! We normally meet up in the Quarterdeck pub a couple of hours prior to ferry departure. The Quarterdeck is just across the road from the ferry terminal building (which incidentally is about a 5 minute walk from the train and bus station). Please note, on 28th April, the ferry departs Aberdeen at 7pm. The very last check-in will be at 18.30 but as this is a busy ferry, you are advised to arrive earlier. You will arrive in Lerwick at 7.30am on Thursday 29th April.
Northlink offer a 30% discount off the basic fare for SFFS members travelling up to the Festival. However, please note that this discount does not apply to cabin accommodation. Please contact the Shetland Folk Festival to obtain a code that you'll need to quote at the time of booking.
If you require cabin accommodation, booking the ferry is absolutely essential. Please check their website for more details www.northlinkferries.co.uk OR phone the reservation number: 0845 6000449.
Note for car drivers - There is a car park available behind the Quarterdeck in Aberdeen run by First Management. Prices for leaving your car are from £6 a day. Not payable by the Shetland Folk Festival Society
Travel by AIR
You can also fly from Glasgow, Edinburgh, Inverness and Aberdeen with Loganair to Sumburgh - Shetland's main airport. There are several flights per day. See below for contact information and check out Visit Shetland's Tourism Site above. Loganair flights are now operated by Flybe and can be booked online at www.flybe.com or by contacting your local travel agent.