Edinburgh Connect Festival lineup 2023: Primal Scream, Franz Ferdinand and Young Fathers to play

Primal Scream, Franz Ferdinand and Young Fathers have been confirmed in the line-up for Edinburgh’s big outdoor music festival this summer.

The Scottish favourites will be joined by American indie-rock supergroup Boygenius, which was formed by Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, and Lucy Dacus, Brit Award-winning producer Fred Again, rock-pop outfits Public Service Broadcasting and Lightning Seeds, and folktronica trailblazer Beth Orton, as well as Northern Irish musician and composer David Holmes, when Connect returns to Ingliston.

Irish singer-songwriter Róisín Murphy, rising Highland star Katie Gregson-MacLeod, Scottish indie-rock outfit Arab Strap, Glasgow punk group Humour and London hip hop artist Loyle Carner will all be appearing at the three-day event at the end of Edinburgh’s summer festivals season.

Confidence Man, Daniel Avery, Future Islands, Muna, Friendly Fires, Raye, Olivia Dean, Wonderhourse, Panic Shack, Rachel Chinouriri and Kelly Lee Owens are also confirmed.

Other music, comedy and spoken word acts are still to be announced for the festival, which will run from August 25-27.

Fans will be able to pitch their own tents at the festival site when it returns under plans to expand Connect at the home of the Royal Highland Show as well as make it a more family-friendly event.

The event, which is being staged for the second year in a row at the Royal Highland Centre, is expected to have a capacity of up to 25,000 – 10,000 more than last year. The capacity will depend on demand for tickets, which go on sale on Friday, with a pre-sale on Thursday.

Festival manager Katt Lingard said: “After such a fantastic festival in 2022, we’re really looking forward to welcoming everyone to an even bigger and bolder edition this summer. We have an unrivalled programme of music, acclaimed comedy and an expanded wellbeing schedule.

The Connect festival will be returning to the Royal Highland Centre at Ingliston in August.

"We're opening our doors to families, with dedicated entertainment for children of all ages, and adding a fantastic artisan food destination. Connect really is a unique event in Scotland, bringing together everything that’s great about live music, being outdoors and I really feel we’ve created something so much bigger than the sum of its parts.

“Connect is all about being with friends and loved ones, creating our own community for the weekend, full of like-minded people, at one of the most beautiful festivals in the country.”

Organisers said the new "bring-your-own-tent" campsite was one of the most requested additions after the event was revived at the 110-acre Ingliston site in August last year.

Other changes include a drive to make the event more family-friendly by offering discounted tickets for children under the age of 12, who are accompanied by an adult over 25, and the creation of a family viewing area at the “grand parade” main stage, complete with baby changing facilities and children’s entertainment.

The Connect festival was staged at Ingliston for the first time in 2022.

The three-day event will start much later, at 5pm on Friday, August 25, so fans do not have to take a day off and can also attend the festival after work. A dedicated food market, craft-making workshops, sauna and yoga sessions, and showcases for visual artists will all be part of the event.

Festival-goers are being encouraged to take public transport to the event to help keep its carbon footprint as low as possible. Tickets for a return bus journey between Glasgow and the Ingliston site will be going on sale for just £10.

Day tickets will cost £67.50 plus fees, a weekend pass will cost £169 plus fees, while three-day VIP tickets will be £245 plus fees.

The Connect site will also be playing host to a headline gig by The Killers and two sold-out Lewis Capaldi shows in the week after the festival. It was announced in February last year that Edinburgh has secured a revival of the Connect festival after a 14-year hiatus.

The Chemical Brothers were among the headline acts at Connect last year.

Franz Ferdinand, Björk, Mogwai, Teenage Fanclub, Jesus & Mary Chain, Kasabian, Goldfrapp, Elbow, Bloc Party, Paolo Nutini, Sigur Ros, Amy Macdonald and the Beastie Boys all performed in the grounds of Inveraray Castle in Argyll when the event was staged there in 2007 and 2008.

More than 80 acts appeared at the comeback edition in 2022, including The Chemical Brothers, Mogwai. The National, Jessie Buckley, Bernard Butler, Holly Humberstone, The Twilight Sad, Little Simz, John Grant and Caribou.

Connect only offered a range of “boutique” camping options last year, including luxury bell tents, pre-pitched tents and space for camper vans. However, a large camping area dedicated to “bring your own tents” is being created at the 110-acre site this year, with campers able to take advantage of the permanent hot showers and toilets at the historic arena.

Ms Lingard added: “Last year’s campsite was all pre-pitched tents and structures. Unlike traditional festival campsites, everyone had a pre-allocated pitch or space, which really supported the sustainability side of Connect.

‘People paid an eco bond on their pitch, which they got back if they returned it clean. We took just 5kg of waste off the campsite.

“It was less like what people might think about camping at a festival and more like what you would get at a proper campsite anywhere else. We really wanted to get everyone’s feedback after last year. One of the points that came back was that people would love to camp and have the option of bringing their own camping equipment.

DF Concerts revived its Connect festival at the Royal Highland Centre at Ingliston in Edinburgh last summer. Picture: Ryan Buchanan

“We really wanted to keep the format, organisation, sustainability and sense of community we had last year by having allocated pitches. All the facilities will be available to everybody camping, but they will all have to pay an eco-bond.

“We want to keep it as an exclusive, well-managed space. That will be paramount.”