GENERAL INFORMATION

Looking for more information about what’s happening at this year’s festival? Want to know where to stay and other things to do in the area? You’ve come to the right place. Please browse through our information below to find the answers you’ve been searching for. If you still have questions on your mind, please get in touch and a member of our team would be happy to help you.

INTRODUCTION

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Who we are

The Scottish Taiko Festival is a collaborative event run by Shoshin Taiko Dojo CIC and Tsuchigumo Daiko. Both groups are located in Scotland and are dedicated to learning and teaching the beautiful art of taiko drumming to as many people as possible.

We believe that taiko drumming can bring many benefits to people’s physical and mental health. It is a cathartic activity and kumi daiko (taiko ensemble) is an activity that can create a unique shared experience for all involved.

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Shoshin Taiko Dojo CIC focuses on teaching and spreading taiko drumming to rural communities, to create new experiences, opportunities and links within those communities.

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Tsuchigumo Daiko is an organisation based in central Scotland committed to the study and promotion of Taiko Drumming, through regular classes, workshops, outreach, and performances. The group was founded in January 2016 by Martin Doyle and Shonagh Walker, who quickly established a group ethos focused on sharing the joy and benefits of Taiko, fostering community, inclusivity, and personal development.

Why are we doing it?

We are passionate for taiko, for learning, for playing, and for sharing. And we love the taiko community in Europe and around the world. We wanted to create an opportunity to get together, share and have a good time. However, we also wanted to do something different, and create an event not only for taiko players but that would appeal, be beneficial and involve the local community. Therefore, we made the commitment to engage as many local people and businesses in the Festival as possible and to offer a family-friendly event that the local community would want to attend.
 

We also wanted to run an event to use and showcase the many beautiful village halls that there are in rural Scotland, and that as a rule are underutilised. We also wanted to run an event that would showcase rural Scotland as a world-leading tourism destination and get people together to do something they love in an idyllic setting amongst nature.  We wanted to create an event that taiko players would want to come to not by themselves, but with their families and friends – and to ensure there is a bit of everything on offer for everyone.

Ultimately, we wanted to break the norm and do the illogical in an attempt to create something new and unique. And we cannot do that without you, because ultimately the success of the festival depends on whether YOU will attend or not, so come along and we promise you… you will not be disappointed!

THE PRACTICAL STUFF

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Location

The main location for the Scottish Taiko Festival is the village of Aberfoyle, although there will also be events run in Gartmore. 
 

Information Desk

There will be a Festival Information Desk at the Forth Inn function room on Saturday/Sunday, 29-30 April, open from 10am to 4pm.
 

Workshops

You can secure a space on a workshop by visiting our Event Schedule page
 

Merchandise

There will be a Festival merchandise stall where you will be able to buy mementos from the Festival, such as t-shirts and bags, as well as merchandise from the various groups and supporters of the Festival. We are also planning to have Miyamoto Unosuke Shōten bachi and other goods on sale. 
 

This will be an excellent opportunity to purchase bachi and equipment from Miyamoto, which is normally difficult to find in Europe. If you have specific requests and/or would like to place a bachi or equipment order for you or your taiko group, please contact us.

The merchandise stall will be located at the Forth Inn function room on Saturday/Sunday, 13th-14th April, open from 10am to 4pm

Accessibility

All our venues are wheelchair accessible. If you have any concerns or requests concerning accessibility, please contact us.

Sponsoring

If you are a business and would like to sponsor, support or collaborate with the Festival in any capacity, please contact us. It is not easy to make an event like this happen, so we would appreciate your support!