Connect Music Festival

Connect Music Festival is a Scottish music festival promoted by DF Concerts. It debuted in 2007 and 2008 on the banks of Loch Fyne at Inveraray Castle, drawing headline sets from the Beastie Boys and Franz Ferdinand. After a 14‑year hiatus the event was relaunched in August 2022 at the Royal Highland Centre Showgrounds beside Edinburgh Airport, pitching itself at “music fans who have grown out of T in the Park. Connect 2022 was headlined by The National, The Chemical Brothers and Idles; the 2023 edition featured Primal Scream, Fred again. and boygenius, attracting about 25,000 attendees over three days. Promoters confirmed a “fallow year” for 2024, stating that Edinburgh Summer Sessions will use the site instead.

The new format of Connect is aimed at more mature music fans and welcomed headliners such as The National, The Chemical Brothers and Idles in 2022. Jon Hopkins, Bonobo, Mogwai, Little Simz, and Bombay Bicycle Club are amongst the names to have played in 2022.

The 2023 festival included headliners Primal Scream, Fred again.., boygenius, and Loyle Carner along with Franz Ferdinand, Young Fathers, Confidence Man, Friendly Fires, Arab Strap and many more.

As well as a diverse music programme, Connect highlights the importance of wellbeing and community throughout the event with a plethora of comedy, spoken word, visual arts, and exceptional locally sourced food and drink, alongside a wellness programme featuring yoga, cold water therapy, life coaching, breathworks and motivational talks.

For 2022 and 2023, Connect teamed up with Scotland-based charity Tiny Changes, which was set up in memory of Frightened Rabbit singer Scott Hutchison. The Tiny Changes x Gardeners Cottage featured acoustic sets from musicians as well as secret sets which are announced on the day. The 2022 festival saw headliners The National play a secret acoustic set to rave reviews.

In February 2024 the festival promoters DF Concerts announced that 2024 will be a fallow year for the festival, with the Edinburgh Summer Sessions taking place at the location instead.