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submitted: Aug 9th 2008 | by: WickermanXXX | Total views: 2 | Word Count: 731 | |

Dumfries and Galloway is a region of Scotland found in the southwest corner which is becoming increasingly popular with tourists as a vacation destination. While this area of Scotland has all of the usual tourist attractions, ruined abbeys, stately homes and castles, it is the lush countryside and fantastic Solway coast which attracts most. The rather moderate weather and the numerous sandy coves have led to the areas nickname of the "Scottish Riviera" and, with a close association with Robert Burns and the wonderful village of Kirkcudbright (a one-time artists' colony) there is plenty to discover in Dumfries and Galloway.

Dumfries and Galloway is one of the most beautiful regions in Scotland. Found in the southwest corner Dumfries and Galloway has a number of beautiful picturesque places to visit and it was considered so beautiful and inspirational that many artists have, in the past, lived in the quaint village of Kirkcudbright. So beautiful is the Solway coast that it has been dubbed the "Scottish Riviera" and it is becoming extremely popular as a Scottish vacation destination.

Towards the end of July each year the peaceful Dumfries and Galloway is rocked by the raucous sounds of one of Scotland's most exciting music festivals, the Wickerman Music Festival. The site for the festival is at East Kirkcarswell, near Dundrennan right in the heart of Dumfries & Galloway and for as far as the eye can see there is beautiful countryside populated only by sheep, cattle, and a whole horde of very friendly festival folk.

Interestingly the Wickerman Music Festival is themed upon a 1973 film called "The Wicker Man" which starred Edward Woodward, Christopher Lee and Britt Ekland. The British movie is somewhat strange and rather disturbing at times. Having steadily gained a cult status it was remade by Hollywood in 2006 and starred Nicolas Cage but it failed to meet much success.

As with all music festivals there are the usual funny and interesting costumes but at Wickerman this takes on a whole new perspective as the costumes of the festival goers is all part of the experience. Many people sport animal costumes similar to those which appeared in the movie and the festival site is littered with all manner of references to the movie including an open air cinema. However the most exciting aspect of the Wickerman Music Festival is the burning of the Wicker Man on the Saturday evening which includes various fire acts accompanied by haunting bagpipes.

Facilities at the Wickerman Music Festival are superb. With a special family and quiet camping area and such things as a fairground and circus the festival is generally accepted as one of the most family friendly music events in the UK calendar. Unlike many other music festivals the toilet facilities at Wickerman are usually clean and are emptied regularly. For those who prefer more luxurious facilities there is the down and dirty area which, for a small fee, gives you a better class of toilet and even showers.

The order of the day seems to be saving the planet and the organizers of the Wickerman Music Festival are to be congratulated on their efforts to massively reduce the impact of the festival upon the environment. The immediate festival site is permanently kept clean of litter and other debris, usually seen at other festivals, by a squad of volunteers known as "wickerpickers". All waste is carefully sorted ready for recycling and this goes as far as packing up all of the abandoned tents and donating them to good causes.

Strangely I have left the music aspects of the Wickerman Music Festival until the very last and this is for a simple reason that virtually all types make an appearance at this extremely diverse event. Punk, Ska, reggae, folk, dance, electronic, pop, rock, world music and many, many other types appear across a multitude of stages and tents making it, possibly, the most varied UK music event of the year. Obviously this means that many different types of people attend Wickerman but it also gives people the opportunity to experience types of music which they may not otherwise be exposed to. The really great thing about this music festival is that, even though there is an extremely diverse crowd, all folk are warm and friendly to such a degree that the atmosphere is one of the things that will remain with you long after the festival itself has finished.

About the Author

Wickerman is a wonderful festival and the internet has many Wickerman photos 2007 and more Wickerman 2008 photos are appearing all of the time, so go and take a look

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