Belladrum set to become the UK’s best-connected greenfield festival site
“How is the phone signal on site?”
“What’s the best network for Belladrum?”
“Will I be able to get in touch with my family and friends over the weekend?”
The reality is that phone signal can be patchy at the best of times here in the Highlands, never mind when you head into a huge field and are joined by 24,500 festival-goers, plus all the staff, artists, traders, vendors, production teams and crew who bring Bella to life.
Providing full site-wide connectivity at a greenfield festival is a mammoth task, and while we would still recommend planning ahead for areas where signal may be limited, we are very excited to share a major step forward for this year’s festival.
Thanks to Highland Broadband, Belladrum is set to become the UK’s best-connected greenfield festival site.
Following a major digital installation ahead of this year’s festival, festival-goers, traders, production teams, media, guests and those working across the site will benefit from ultrafast broadband across up to five Wi-Fi zones.
This is our biggest move yet when it comes to improving connectivity at Bella. Over the last two years, we have been trialling Wi-Fi on site, and this partnership with Highland Broadband marks a significant step forward for both the festival and the experience of those joining us.
The Wi-Fi zones will be particularly helpful for checking in with friends and family off site, getting in touch if you need to, and helping people stay connected across the weekend. Behind the scenes, the installation will also support everything from card payments and vendor services to production, broadcasting, media facilities and the wider operational needs of a busy festival site.
The new broadband installation looks set to bring speeds that may exceed those found in many major UK cities, marking an exciting step forward for Bella’s festival infrastructure.
That said, we would still encourage everyone coming to Belladrum to prepare for the possibility of patchy phone signal when away from the Wi-Fi zones. As always, it is a good idea to arrange meeting points with your group, download your tickets in advance, save any important information to your phone before you arrive, and make sure your Co-op membership is saved to your wallet if you plan to use it on site.
Festival producer Dougie Brown said:
“This year, we’re increasing connectivity across the site to allow families to stay better connected, while also supporting the operational side of the festival, including payments, production, media and broadcasting facilities.
We have a firm focus on working with Highland businesses, so to work with Highland Broadband is a huge bonus. The fact we are now the best-connected greenfield festival in the country is a huge credit to Highland Broadband and very exciting for us.”
Highland Broadband is the only full-fibre provider building exclusively in Scotland, with a growing network that now connects more than 50 per cent of rural communities in the Highlands. The company is on track to provide full-fibre connectivity to more than 150 towns and villages in the coming year.
Colin Woodward, Managing Director of Highland Broadband, said:
“Our mission is to close the digital divide by bringing world-class infrastructure to the communities that have been overlooked by national providers. Since 2004, Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival has become known as a family-friendly celebration of music and the arts and has put the Highlands on the map, drawing tens of thousands of people each year from all over the country. Highland Broadband is very proud to support the festival by delivering a reliable, ultrafast connection for the enjoyment and convenience of those attending.”
To celebrate the partnership, Highland Broadband will also be offering festival-goers the chance to win a range of prizes by connecting to the ultrafast broadband at Belladrum. Prizes include two years of free broadband, Amazon vouchers, Highland Broadband merchandise and tickets for next year’s Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival.
Keep an eye out for the Highland Broadband Wi-Fi zones and giveaways when you arrive on site with us later this month.
We can’t wait to welcome you back to the fields !