Bella Buzz - May Edition
Under 70 days to go!
Hello, our wonderful Bella family!
We genuinely cannot believe we're saying this, but it is officially less than 70 days until we open those gates, and goodness, the time is absolutely flying in. The to-do lists are long, the excitement is real, and we’re definitely feeling a bit of buzz in the air for what’s to come. We've had an absolutely brilliant few weeks and lots of updates to share with you, so grab a brew, get comfy, and let's begin.
The Football Top That Broke the Internet (Well, Almost)
We launched our official Bella football top at the start of the month and wow. Just wow. You absolutely loved it. It sold out within three hours of going live, which honestly left us a little speechless and entirely full of gratitude. Thank you, truly.
The good news? We managed to secure more stock. The shirt is Scottish-inspired (naturally) with youth shirts proudly sponsored by Herchers Funfair. You can order yours online now, personalised shirts have up to a six-week lead time, but if you order a non-personalised one, it’ll land with you in plenty of time for the first World Cup game. Ideal.
We’ve even got a bucket hat to match, aren’t we good to you! Simon, our merch man, has truly delivered. Thanks Simon.
Get in quick though, we suspect these won't hang around for long either.
We're Taking Over HMV. Come Say Hello
This Saturday we're heading into HMV in the Eastgate Centre, Inverness, for a proper wee Bella mini-takeover and we'd love to see you there.
Local artists Siobhan Neylon, Lucid Liars, and Space Van will all be making appearances between midday and 1pm, it's going to be a brilliant atmosphere and a lovely early taste of what July/August has in store.
And yes… there is a secret special guest joining us at 1.30pm.
We're working with limited space, so we'd really encourage you to get along early if you want to bag a spot.
We can't say more than that, but, it'll be worth it.
FIRST FESTIVAL WEEK
Digging in the Archive. Look Who Played Bella Once Upon a Time
We've been joining in with First Festival Week this week - a great initiative run by our friends at the AIF (Association of Independent Festivals). Now, we'll be honest, we might not fit neatly into the "independent" box these days in the traditional sense, but the way we run Belladrum, the size of our team, the values we hold and the community we cherish hasn't changed one bit. We're proud and grateful to be an honorary member, and we support this initiative and all of the AIF members wholeheartedly!
The spirit of First Festival Week is to celebrate festivals as a whole, but also the role festivals play in an artist's journey - that magical moment when someone plays a smaller stage and the world hasn't quite caught on to them yet. So we've been diving into the archive, dusting off our photos and old video footage, and marvelling at some familiar faces. Ed Sheeran. Lewis Capaldi. Catfish and the Bottlemen.Twin Atlantic. Tom Odell. Self-Esteem. CMAT.Nathan Evans. And so many more who called Bella one of their firsts, or who played just before they reached that ‘mega stardom’ milestone.
We say it every year, and we'll keep on saying it: please, please look beyond the main headliners, as incredible as they are. Discovery and wonder are at the very heart of Bella. Your next favourite artist is on one of our stages this summer. Go out and find them.
The Running Order Is Starting to Take Shape
We've started releasing our 2026 stage times and things are getting very real very quickly. First out of the gates was the Ice House stage, followed closely by the Free Range Acoustic Stage both looking absolutely fantastic.
And we have it on very good authority that later this evening, something country-inspired is headed your way. We'll say no more than that for now.
Making Bella Accessible for Everyone
We put out a full accessibility update recently and wanted to make sure everyone sees it.
This year we're delighted to have Accesoloo, Able 2 Adventure and Beauty Mobility Hire all on site with us for the full festival.
We're committed to making Bella as welcoming as it possibly can be, and we'd encourage anyone with access requirements to take a look at the full update on our website.
Meet Your 2026 Food Traders. A Delicious Bunch
We've also revealed our full lineup of food traders for 2026 and, even if we do say so ourselves, they are an absolutely delicious collection. From hearty highland comfort to exciting flavours, there's something for every appetite and, every age. We've written a dedicated blog post introducing each trader, so you'll want to read it ahead of time and that way you’ll know exactly where you're heading first!
That's everything from us for this month, and what a month it's been. Shirts, surprises, stage times, food traders, archive gold and accessibility updates all in one go. The build-up is well and truly underway, and we honestly couldn't be more excited to share it all with you in person very soon!
With love, The Bella Team x