What began as a wild idea between two friends has now sold out and grown into one of the Highlands’ most exciting summer events.
The Dornoch Music and Beer Festival, taking place on Saturday 26 July, will welcome 2,000 people to the Meadows for a day of craft beer, food and live music headlined by the Red Hot Chilli Pipers.
Only a handful of tickets will be available on the day, and organisers are urging anyone without one to arrive early if they hope to get through the gate.
But this year’s celebration is about more than beer and bands.
It is also about a boy called Archie.
Archie is 20 months old and already a miracle.
He was born with an extremely rare metabolic condition called Ornithine Transcarbamylase Deficiency, known as OTC Deficiency, which affects fewer than 20 children his age across the UK.
At just three days old, he suffered a catastrophic medical emergency and had to be flown from Raigmore Hospital in Inverness to Glasgow Children’s Hospital by air ambulance.
Doctors warned his family to gather loved ones quickly, as they did not expect him to survive.
Against every prediction, Archie did survive, and he has been defying expectations ever since.
The illness left him with severe brain damage and cerebral palsy, and he now faces the urgent need for a liver transplant to improve his quality of life and give him the best chance at a longer future.
In September, Archie’s father will travel to King’s College Hospital in London to give part of his own liver to his son in a rare living donation procedure.
It is a moment of bravery and hope that has united the Highland community around the family.
But beyond the medical miracle, Archie’s family face a daily reality of caring for him full time.
They are trying to raise funds to build a small therapy suite at home, giving him space for equipment and physiotherapy that will help him reach his potential.
This is where the Dornoch Music and Beer Festival comes in.
Organisers Kenny and Stuart decided early on that the festival would do something tangible for Archie.
The event is cashless, with festivalgoers buying tokens to spend on food and drink.
Revellers are being asked to buy an extra token or two and donate them, or hand over any leftover tokens at the end of the night, with all proceeds going to Archie’s fund.
Collection buckets will also be at the site, and the family have set up a GoFundMe page for anyone who cannot attend but wishes to help.
To donate click HERE
Every penny raised will go towards building Archie’s therapy space and covering the extra costs that come with his care.
The festival itself is shaping up to be something special.
What started as a modest plan for 600 people under one marquee has grown into a full-blown outdoor celebration, with a 50-line bar, over 100 beers and ciders, food trucks, fairground rides and inflatables for families.
The music runs all day, with Highland favourites Scooty and the Skyhooks, Rhythm ’n’ Reel and The Impact joining the Red Hot Chilli Pipers on stage.
For Kenny and Stuart, who both work in hospitality but had never organised an event of this scale, it has been a whirlwind.
They have poured every ounce of energy into the festival, from the early conversations last autumn to the scramble for a new venue when their original site fell through.
That determination has paid off.
Tickets sold faster than anyone expected, and the buzz around the event has spread far beyond Sutherland.
Yet at the heart of all the excitement sits a quieter purpose, a community pulling together for a little boy whose courage has already inspired so many.
When the music plays on 26 July, it will be more than a celebration of summer.
It will be proof of what the Highlands can do when people come together.
