Wickerman Gone For Good

Wickerman took a break in 2016, but was to return next year. Its co-founder Jamie Gilroy died in late 2014. Acts had already been booked and tickets sold for the 2015 edition, so Gilroy’s wife and daughter decided to pull through with it.

“After taking a year out in 2016, they had pledged to bring Wickerman back next year and sought a third-party promoter to take it on. But negotiations broke down and at the weekend Jennie [Camm] and Patsy [Gilroy] took the hard but inevitable decision that the festival must close,” writes Willie Johnston, a longtime festivalgoer in a heartfelt obituary for the BBC.

Over the years, acts such as Nile Rodgers, Dizzee Rascal, Scissor Sisters, The Undertones, Primal Scream, Fun Lovin’ Criminals, Texas, the Charlatans and many more played the festival, which took place on Gilroy’s East Kirkcarswell Farm, attracting between 15,000 and 20,000 people.

The official statement, released on the festival’s Facebook page, reads: “After much thought and consideration Patsy Gilroy and Jennie Camm have decided that the Wickerman Festival will not be continuing. Since it’s creation by Jamie Gilroy, Founding Director, the festival has provided us all with an eclectic mix of memories. It’s these that we wish people to look back on and remember. Thank you all for your loyal support over the years and please feel free to post your favorite moments for all of us to enjoy.”