The Blues are the guardians and preservers of the rituals and traditions of our festivals. On the night of Beltane, they open and hold the space in which the May Queen comes to life, serving as guides and protectors of Her procession as She leads the Green Man to his death and rebirth, and the lighting of the Beltane Fire.

During the festival preparations, the Blues likewise have a foot in both worlds ~ holding the ritual, myth and traditions that form the core of our festivals, and guiding the development of the performance that tells those stories anew each year. We act as bridges between the Court and the many groups that make up each festival, helping to weave the stories and visions of 300 performers into a single, spectacular tapestry that is more than the sum of its parts.

The Blues are a year-round group, composed of members with a broad experience of performing and organising elements of our celebrations of the four cross-quarter days. In that sense, we are like ‘elders’ of Beltane drawing upon our knowledge and experience to guide each festival’s participants as they create a performance that is fresh and new while nevertheless rooted in the heritage of both our own and wider Scottish seasonal traditions.

Read about our current Blues below, or read how Blues are selected, how they relate to the board, and how long they are Blues for.