Hundreds of dedicated crew have been working their magic to transform a Highland estate into the site of the iconic Belladrum festival.
For more than a week now, Belladrum estate has been “growing arms and legs”.
Stages are being marked out and built, big tops are being erected and long lengths of fencing are winding their way around the festival grounds.
The festival is less than a week away, with tens of thousands expected to don their wellies between July 28 and 30.
Dougie Brown is event producer and has been at the Tartan Heart of the festival since 2005.
Walking around the grounds and watching them take shape, he revealed just how much work goes into making Belladrum the phenomenon it is.
‘Forced hibernation’
It has been three years since Belladrum was able to be held in its home near Kiltarlity, about 10 miles west of Inverness.
Despite this “forced hibernation”, Mr Brown said it is coming together like a well oiled machine.
“We’ve got a team that knows this site inside out and are as much a part of the festival as anyone,” he said.
“They each run their own areas and know what they’re doing, we’re maybe a little rusty after the three-year forced hibernation but we’re all very excited to be back doing the event that we love.”
Along with the usual festival preparation, staff at Belladrum have also spent the last week constructing a maze, decorating a huge Nessie with foliage and painting caravans.
Ready to welcome festival goers to Belladrum
Photos from the Belladrum estate in the week before the festival show bars ready to be stocked with drinks, murals being painted and the main stage in all its glory.
Mr Brown said the set-up is in a “very good place” as they prepare to welcome festival-goers.
He added the recent heatwave has made for a different set-up experience to other years: “The weather helps a lot.
“When you have weather like this it makes life a lot easier, the only concern is at times it gets a bit too hot, but it’s nicer than hiding from rain.”
Talking about the scale of the festival, Mr Brown said: “We are creating a small town for a weekend, it takes a lot of people to run a town.”
Festival family helps run Belladrum behind the scenes
Considering security, bar staff and everyone involved in the set-up, Mr Brown was unable to give an exact number for how many people are behind Belladrum – but was certain it was in the hundreds.
He said many who have been working the last couple of weeks have been with the festival since its humble beginnings in 2004.
Even those doing the jobs that often go “thankless” are a core part of the festival family.
“Some of the jobs maybe feel a bit thankless at times because they’re not the kind of thing festival goers appreciate, the amount of effort that goes into fencing or lighting for example,” said Mr Brown.
“I always feel like those jobs are the toughest, where you maybe don’t have the appreciation for the number of hours that goes into getting the site ready and safe.”
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