Passionately promoting the Scottish heritage since 1996, the Hebridean Celtic Festival, also known as HebCelt, is annually held over four days on the Scottish Hebridean island of Lewis, offering fantastic entertainment to music lovers of all ages.
Led by festival director Caroline McLennan, Hebcelt features the best of new and traditional Gaelic music and delivers the perfect fusion of local Hebridean talent and leading Scottish, UK and world artists. HebCelt line-ups bring together household names and emerging talent to provide a veritable feast of music to appeal to all musical tastes. Some headliners have included Van Morrison, The Waterboys, The Fratellis, The Proclaimers, Runrig, Deacon Blue, and Texas.
The festival has now been going for 25 years, marking its 25th anniversary in 2022, and it’s the longest-standing client of 999!
Our collaboration dates to 2006. Since then, we have become sponsors and keen supporters of HebCelt; with time, the festival has grown into something close to our hearts, forging and maintaining a great relationship.
HebCelt is such a fun event that we don't really think about it as work. Our only challenge, if we can call it that, is keeping it fresh! And that’s good. It's stimulating, and we always come up with fantastic posters, concepts, and themes applied to leaflets, online and offline promotions, and merchandise.
Our design has always matched the festival's vibrant mood and how the client wanted it to be perceived. It’s safe to say that every designer at 999 has had the chance to express their creative flair to promote HebCelt, especially the young ones. As a client, it also plays an important part in our portfolio, highlighting our ability to successfully deliver a community-based project.
We believe that the secret ingredient to our long-lasting collaboration is that we know how important this festival is to the people of the island. And we deeply cherish the enthusiasm of the team and the community spirit surrounding it. It is thrilling to get around the streets and see the shops branded with the festival's theme, with posters and musical instruments hanging in their windows. Everybody feels a part of HebCelt, including us.
We are immensely proud and have enjoyed working with Caroline and her team for many years. So, as Caroline prepares to retire, let’s raise our pints and toast to her and HebCelt's 25th anniversary. To many more years of music, fun, and design!