Helmsdale solstice festival to honour heritage of ‘Herring Girls’
A new festival celebrating the vital contributions of women to Scotland’s fishing heritage will take place in Helmsdale later this month.
Running from Thursday June 20 to Saturday June 22, Salt & Silver is a unique solstice event hosted by Timespan, celebrating the legacy of the Herring Girls – the women who followed the fishing fleets along Scotland’s coast, gutting and packing herring and sustaining both local economies and cultural life.
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The three-day festival forms part of the public programme for Red Herring, a new exhibition by Joanne Coates, the award-winning visual artist recently appointed as the UK House of Commons Election Artist for 2024.
Salt & Silver is described by organisers as a tribute to the Herring Girls' enduring legacy, brought to life through today’s artists, local voices and community storytelling.
The festival will feature a range of talks, screenings, performances and community rituals, aiming to reflect on themes of women’s labour, working-class history, and collective memory.
The programme includes a shoreline walking tour led by Timespan curator Jacquie Aitken, guiding visitors through the places where the Herring Girls once lived and worked in Helmsdale.
A specially curated Solstice Ceremony will see the unveiling of the Herring Crown, co-created by local schoolchildren and artist Joanne Coates.
Highland performers April Sutherland and Aileen Ogilvie will provide live music and poetry, while the festival will also feature contributions from a range of national and local artists, scholars and activists, including Jennifer Jasmine White, Yvette Taylor, Fadzai Mwakutuya, Duncan Forbes, Beverley Carruthers and JJ Fadaka.
As part of the weekend programme, attendees will also take part in a group trip to Thurso Pride – the first ever Pride event to be held in Caithness – honouring how Highland communities continue to lead in celebration and inclusion.
The event was recently confirmed by organisers as a landmark moment for the region’s LGBTQ+ visibility.
Further details and a full programme are available here.