Biggar Django Festival 2026

Scotland's only dedicated Django Reinhardt-inspired festival, Biggar Django Festival brings world-class gypsy jazz, Gaelic swing, workshops, dance and film to the historic market town of Biggar in South Lanarkshire.The inaugural festival brings together international headline artists and Scotland's finest jazz musicians across a weekend of intimate, community-rooted celebration of the hot club tradition, establishing Biggar as a unique cultural destination in the Scottish calendar.Headline performances include the internationally acclaimed Robin Nolan Trio on Saturday night, featuring one of the world's leading gypsy jazz guitarists, Robin Nolan, with Chris Quinn on guitar, and John Wheatcroft on upright bass.

Scotland's celebrated jazz violinist Seonaid Aitken closes the festival on Sunday with her new ensemble Manouche Nouveau, and Liverpool trio The Manouchetones also feature on the bill.

House band Moonshine Whisky is joined by visiting musicians from across Scotland and the UK for our Big Friday Swing Sesh and throughout the weekend.A distinctive highlight is Gaelic swing — hot club classics reimagined in Scots Gaelic by local singer Maggie McGeary, rooting the Django tradition firmly in Scottish culture in an unexpected and beautiful crossover.Workshops offer hands-on access to professional performers, with sessions in guitar, fiddle, viola, cello and rhythm led by festival artists Seonaid Aitken, John Wheatcroft, Jim MacKay and Tom Anderson.

A free Swing and Lindy Hop workshop and social dance with live band Chardon Bleu (led by Stephen Tyler) also feature in the programme.The festival also includes a screening of Django Legacy (1991), directed by John Jeremy, presented from a restored archival master, with part of the licence fee supporting Family Friends Travellers.Whether you're a seasoned jazz fan or simply curious, the Biggar Django Festival offers a warm, welcoming atmosphere with something for all ages and musical tastes.