Craigievar Ceilidh Band

They have been around since the 1980's and they are run by Scots who appreciate the value of money and the importance of the client. Their director, Stuart Forbes has brought his Scottishness to this band which he started over 40 years ago and with the aid of his brother, Alistair, son Alex, wife Jill and Anne Reid this team has maintained its traditional music. He manages every engagement to ensure that there are no slip-ups and each client feels that there is the personal touch at all times. Most of their work is repeat bookings or personal recommendations. Their notable achievements include Wedding in San Francisco St Andrews in Caracas, Venezuela St Andrews in Oman Burns Night in Thessalonikki Staff party at Windsor Castle for the late Queen Mansion House for the Lord Mayors Charity Reeling parties for the Caledonian Societies of the following Universities: UCL, Oxford Brookes, Bath, Bristol, RAU, Leeds and for the following schools, Wycombe Abbey, Winchester, Eton, St Marys Ascot, Tudor Hall. Rokeby, The members of the 15 strong team have all played in the band for a minimum of 10 years . This means they can do events during the day, evening, weekdays and weekends. They operate 52 weeks in a year and often can do more than one event at a time. In the 2025 Burns season, they managed to do 8 engagements in just 3 days! For reeling parties, from the stage, they can walk through the dances beforehand. For reeling beginners or ceilidhs, they use an on-the-floor caller who has a radio mic and will give clear concise instructions and ensure the smooth running of the evening. They strongly feel that for many occasions, musicians calling while they are playing are either not an effective caller or not a brilliant musician and that such a band is restricted to what this caller/musician ca do. They strongly believe that their aim is to provide the best possible evening for their client. During Lockdown when dancing indoors was not permitted, they gave 43 concerts outdoors, but within the regulations. They purchased a generator and gazebo and can play for garden parties. Here is a profile of the main musicians: Stuart Forbes - Fiddle - Born in Buckie, Banffshire. Learned fiddle, move to Reading in 1972. Founder Reading Scottish Fiddlers which ran from 1981 to 2010. Played in many bands, but started Craigievar Band in 1985. Alistair Forbes his brother - Accordion/Keyboard/Saxophone Came to England in 1984 and played with Stuart since then Alexander Forbes his son - Keyboard/ Double Bass played since 1994 Jill Forbes his wife - Principal caller since the 1980's Anne Reid - Keyboard/MIDI bass since 2012. Piano teacher. Played in bands for over 50 years. Other players include music teachers and professionals.