Edinburgh gears up for first official Beardfest

The Auld Reekie Beardfest will take place at The Village Hotel on October 29, with activities set to include tips and trims from top barbers, stalls with recommended products, and competitions recognising the best beards.

The event has been organised by Scot Thompson, who set up the Aberdeen-based male grooming products firm Lumberjack Inc two years ago after spotting a gap in the market.

He said: “Beards are an identity thing. They’re now popular in a way they haven’t been since at least the 1970s so a lot of guys don’t really know what to do with them.

“The idea behind the event is to educate Scots with beards. There’s still a lack of knowledge on the consumer’s part so I’ve teamed together barbers and grooming companies from around Scotland to help people who might be self conscious about asking about grooming and so on.”

Interest in growing and grooming a beard has become increasingly common – Edinburgh’s Beard & Moustache Club boasts over 300 members on Facebook.

In February, the first ever Beard and Moustache Championships were held in Glasgow. However, Scot said the competitions at Beard Fest will be a less competitive affair.

“We’re not strict and don’t measure the beards. There will be different categories including short beard, which is less than 6 inches from the bottom of the bottom lip, and long beard, which is more than 6 inches.

“It’s not just the longest beard that wins either – we will give extra points to people who dress up or style their beard and make an effort. Other categories will include best moustache, best freestyle beard and even best bad beard.”

Three renowned Edinburgh barbers will be on hand to offer styling and recommendations: Dianne Philbin of Statement Barbers, Angela Dixon of Orbit Smoke, and Young Apprentice Barber of the Year Charley Thomson.

Around 300 people are expected to attend the event, which is one of eight organised by Scot around the UK. The festival lasts from 2-9pm but will remain open for beverages afterwards.

“I’m really looking forward to it,” said Scot.

“It’s a great opportunity to offer products to guys going for a more ‘masculine’ look.

“I’m not a big fan of the modern fashion styles these days. Now, male grooming is more of an acceptable vanity and guys are sharing images and sharing information with each other. Our products are aimed more at the sort of guys who are in their 30s and prefer that classic style.”

More info is available at lumberjackinc.com