The Group Organiser training day is the first time that the GOs for each festival get together. Because every festival is slightly different in terms of the groups involved and the details of the performance, a big part of the GO day is figuring out the storyline for the festival and deciding what happens when. This is the first building block of the festival. It’s hard to believe that in less than two months, we’re going to have a fully planned, exhaustively rehearsed and totally awesome public ritual and celebration of Samhuinn, complete with amazing costumes, polished performances, stunning acrobatics, perfectly timed drumming and super-organised tech and logistics!

Experiencing, or even observing, this process as it happens shows just how much time and effort goes into every single festival. This is all created and co-ordinated by volunteers, from the Board of Directors to the performers and the tech team. Keep an eye on our blog over the next couple of months to watch everything unfold and see behind-the-scenes pictures and stories from all the groups before joining thousands of people on the streets of Edinburgh to be a part of this huge, free, public celebration.

It has begun!