Edinburgh, 31.10.2015: Samhuinn Fire Festival 2015

Photograph by Neil Hodgins,
taken at Beltane Fire Festival 2010.

Samhuinn Fire Festival 2015, 7-9pm on 31st October.
Grassmarket, Edinburgh. 


Our Samhuinn celebration takes place in Edinburgh’s Old Town which has historic significance as a site of ancient markets and All Hallows fairs, street theatre and performances (especially of the Galoshan plays from which our performance takes its structure). It is also an opportunity for us to bring our form of street theatre and performance right into the heart of the city. Samhuinn has grown steadily over the years and is viewed by audiences of thousands.

The story follows the ideas of the overthrowing of Summer by Winter, with a stand-off between the Summer and Winter Kings. This is overseen by the Cailleach, a Celtic representation of the Goddess, or Divine Hag. The transformation from Summer to Winter is supported by the energies and interactions of the Summer and Winter courts – through performance, music and dance. The narrative focuses on this conflict and its resolution, but also focuses on the transition that many aspects of life take during the changing of the seasons.