The Early Bird ticket offer –  £50 for weekend tickets – for The Outsider festival will cease on 31st March.  These tickets offer incredible value for the three-day festival being held at Rothiemurchus Estate in the Cairngorms from 22-24 June 2007.

The Outsider, a new and unique festival combining music, cool contemporary entertainment, environmental debate and a huge range of outdoor activities has already announced KT Tunstall and Crowded House are to headline on Saturday and Sunday respectively.  Idlewild will now be appearing on the Saturday bill and Eddi Reader and Justin Currie on Sunday.

Guillemots, Willy Mason, King Creosote, Salsa Celtica, Shooglenifty, Blazin’ Fiddles Peatbog Faeries and DJ Fred Deakin of Lemon Jelly are also set to play.

Comedians Karen Dunbar, Stephen K Amos, Michael MacIntyre, Tony Law and Kevin Bridges have just announced they will be joining Craig Hill as part of the strong line-up of  comedians performing each evening in the Theatre Tent.

The event, which is to take place at Rothiemurchus in the Cairngorms from Friday 22 – Sunday 24 June 2007, is also host to the Merida Outsider Mountain Bike Event and Britain’s Most Beautiful Run. Glenmore Lodge, Scotland’s acclaimed National Outdoor Training Centre, alongside many local activity centres will also be providing a large range of outdoor activities from wild life watching to gorge walking and Canadian canoeing to rock climbing.

In addition the festival will also host The Outsider Forum where key environmentalists and climate change experts are set to discuss pressing ecological issues, including a debate led by Lord Steel (former Leader of Liberal Party and first Presiding Officer of Scottish Parliament) accessing whether ‘necessity will be the mother of invention’. A full programme of movies including specialist screenings and a selection of some of the world’s best mountain bike related movies will also be shown in the film tent.

Early Bird tickets offering substantial discounts are available until March 31st and can be booked through www.outsiderfestival.co.uk. Full price tickets go on sale on April 1st. Many of the activities are included in the ticket price but there will be a special festival rate for others. Details of how these can be accessed will be announced soon on The Outsider website.

The Outsider is funded by Highland 2007 with the Scottish Executive’s It’s Our Future campaign and Classic Malts acting as main sponsors. HIE Inverness and East Highland, The Highland Council, the Cairngorms National Park Authority and the Rothiemurchus Arts Community Group are also supporting the event whilst Scottish Natural Heritage and Forestry Commission Scotland are acting as location advisers.

Alison Magee, chair of Highland 2007 says “Highland 2007 is delighted to support this new festival as part of the programme for Scotland’s year of Highland culture.  The Outsider promises a weekend packed with opportunities to participate in outdoor activities combined with great music – and all this set against our fantastic Highland scenery!  This is a great way for us to draw attention to the Highland and attract a new audience to the area.”

Pete Irvine for Unique Events says “This festival has  been a long time in the making; it’s probably the most complex event that we’ve ever done. It’s a completely new concept and we hope that The Outsider experience will be something that people will want to get involved in and hugely enjoy. In this glorious setting, The Outsider will be an experience that will be unique to Scotland. Be among the first people to be part of it.”

Bryan Donaghey, Managing Director of Diageo Scotland, says “As a global business and a major employer in Scotland, we are committed to contributing to the sustainable development of the communities in which we operate. We are delighted to support this exciting and innovative event, and we hope that The Outsider will play a significant part in Scotland's greener future”.

For further information contact:

Fiona Duff/Laura Sutherland
Duff Publicity
0131 558 1199
www.outsiderfestival.co.uk

Notes to Editors:

The Merida Outsider will be part of the Merida Bikes MTB Marathon Series and takes place on Saturday 23 June. There are three different distances – 20km, 45km and 65km – to cater for all abilities who wish to experience a fantastic ride on world-class trails.
Britain’s Most Beautiful Run is a 12k trail run appealing to runners of all. It takes place on Sunday 24 June and run follows world-class trails through the famous Rothiemurchus estate and along the shores of Loch an Eilean. For details on how to take part follow the instructions provided on the website www.outsiderfestival.co.uk.

Tickets
Early Bird tickets are currently available via www.outsiderfestival.co.uk. Tickets can be bought for the individual days or for the whole weekend. Weekend tickets (Friday to Sunday) can be bought for the discounted price of £50, Friday night only £15, Saturday only £25 and tickets for Sunday will be £25.

After 31 March 2007, these tickets will rise to £65 for weekend pass, £20 for Friday night tickets, £35 for Saturday only and £35 for Sunday only. Children under 12 go free when accompanied by a ticket-holding adult. Maximum of 3 children per adult.  Tickets are available from website or from the credit card hotline at Tickets Scotland - 0870 220 1116.

Those wishing to camp can also purchase camping vouchers. These vouchers cost £10 per person and are valid for the whole weekend, again children go free.

Listings information (as of 23.3.07)

Friday 22 June –
King Creosote
Salsa Celtica
Peatbog Faeries
Motherfunk dj’s

Saturday 23 June –
KT Tunstall
Idlewild
Willy Mason
Capercaillie
Fred Deakin (Lemon Jelly) dj
Complete Stone Roses
Blazin’ Fiddles
Septeto Tipico de Tivoli (Cuba)

Sunday 24 June –
Crowded House
Guillemots
Eddi Reader
Justin Currie
Shooglenifty
Cherry Ghost