Darvel Music Festival
Darvel Music Festival is a music festival that has been held in the town of Darvel, East Ayrshire, Ayrshire, Scotland, since 2002. The Darvel Music Festival is a community-led initiative, managed and supported by the Darvel Music Company. It features ten days of music with seven concerts and twenty five international and national performers at Darvel Town Hall. The festival, which occurs during the month of May, began to run bi-annually in 2009. People from not only the Irvine Valley near Darvel, Scotland, but elsewhere in the United Kingdom and the world attend the festival—increasing tourism and benefitting the economy in the area. History The Festival is largely the result of the work of Neil McKenna and his wife Shelia, the director of the festival. When describing his reasons for wanting a music festival in Darvel, Neil McKenna said, "We moved to Darvel 13 years ago. In 2002 it was Darvel's 250th anniversary, and I managed a series of events. After getting involved in the community stuff, I wanted to focus on a central theme, which was essentially making Darvel a music town. It's already known for its lace and weaving, and Alexander Fleming, but we would love to make