Scotland’s SKERRYVORE Returns to BC this October
Four-time best ‘Live Act of the Year’ winners celebrate 20 years of
music with live concerts in Vancouver and Victoria
After a four-year absence from Canadian stages, SKERRYVORE is returning to British Columbia, bringing their distinctive blend of Scottish traditional and contemporary music to Vancouver’s Hollywood Theatre on October 7, following a show in Victoria the night before. Both performances are part of Vancouver Island’s CeltFest 2026, which is partnering with CelticFest Vancouver to present the concert at the Hollywood Theatre.
Formed on the tiny Isle of Tiree in Scotland’s Inner Hebrides in 2004, SKERRYVORE took shape when brothers Daniel and Martin Gillespie began playing with fellow musicians who shared a connection to the island. Named for the Skerryvore lighthouse off Tiree, the band grew from those early days in Scotland into an eight-piece ensemble with an international following. They regularly tour extensively throughout the UK, Europe, North America and Australia, establishing themselves as a distinctive Scottish voice on the world music scene.
Traditional Celtic instrumentation meets a contemporary and expansive sound in SKERRYVORE’s music, with fiddle, accordion, Highland pipes and whistles joined by guitar, bass, drums and keys. Their repertoire ranges from traditional melodies and pipe tunes to rock-influenced arrangements, pop songwriting and powerful instrumental passages. That musical breadth, combined with their experience as a live band, has taken them from intimate Scottish venues to major concert and festival stages around the world, which included mainstage performing at Boston’s FIFA World Cup™ opening ceremony this year.
The past year has marked an important milestone for the group. Following their 20th anniversary worldwide tour in 2025, SKERRYVORE released Skerryvore XX: Live at Floors Castle, a live recording celebrating 20 years of music. They also claimed the Scots Trad Music Awards’ ‘Live Act of the Year’ title for an impressive fourth time, making them the most decorated band in the history of the category. Now, with a new studio album, Beautiful Mistakes, scheduled for release in November 2026, the band is entering their next chapter with new music alongside a deep catalogue of fan favourites.
The upcoming BC dates will feature music from across the band’s career, including selections from Skerryvore XX: Live at Floors Castle and songs from the forthcoming album. After two decades of touring and performing together, SKERRYVORE continue to draw on Scotland’s musical traditions while expanding them into a sound that reaches well beyond the confines of the genre, making them a band best experienced live.
SKERRYVORE: Live in Vancouver
Wednesday, October 7, 7:30 pm
Hollywood Theatre, 3123 West Broadway, Vancouver
General Admission tickets are $65 and are available online here.
(For ages 19+, cabaret-style.)
Fans in Victoria can see SKERRYVORE on Tuesday, October 6 at the McPherson Playhouse. Tickets are available here.
