The little fest in the West (Loopallu Festival)

Member Name: shell96

Product:	Loopallu Festival
Date:	10/12/08 (13 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Intimate, family friendly music festival

Disadvantages: Remote location (could be an advantage!)

For any keen music fan Loopallu is an absolute must in the Music Festival calendar. Usually held in the last weekend in September it makes a great end to the festival year. Set in what is probably the most stunning festival location in the UK, if not the world, this small, two day festival is held in the village of Ullapool in the Highlands of Scotland. Loopallu is easily one of the smallest festivals you can attend but the 2500 tickets normally available is double the usual population of the village which makes for an intimate and friendly festival.
Held at the Lochbroom Caravan Park the festival is in a central location and incorporates an area for fans who wish to camp, or who are forced to camp when they realise they have left it too late to book accommodation and the village is already full! This means the maximum staggering distance from festival to tent at the end of the evening is just a few hundred yards.
The fact that is held in a campsite with permanent toilet blocks also means the traditional festival portaloo horror is avoided and queues tend to be short.
On top of this some of the best festival food possible is available here coupled with some of the friendliest bar staff you'll find.
But for the most important part - the music! Previous acts have included international acts like Franz Ferdinand, The Saw Doctors, The View, Echo and the Bunnymen, Red Hot Chilli Pipers and Hayseed Dixie supported by lesser knowns such as the Ullapool Pipe Band!!
Ullapool is an excellent venue for this festival as it is packed with friendly locals and the small size of the festival means there is not the usual trouble or hassle that can happen at larger events. This makes it a brilliantly family friendly event and you will see a huge mix of people here from families with tots to hardened festival goers. It is only an hour from Inverness with reasonably good public transport links. Add to this the stunning venue on the shores of Loch Broom where, if the weather serves you well, you can sit and watch the sun set while sipping your drink and listening to the music from the tent and it really is unmissable.

Summary: A brilliant music festival that once you've been you will want to return to every year