The Spirit of Speyside Festival has announced record-breaking ticket sales for its 25th anniversary year. It has been a particularly significant year for the festival, which this year has 51 participating distilleries and more than 700 events.

So far, Spirit of Speyside has seen ticket sales up 20% on 2023. More than 7,500 tickets have been sold, exceeding £425,000, with more tickets expected to sell over the remaining four days of whisky festivities.

Wednesday 1 May saw the festival open its doors for 86 events and the annual ‘Touch of Tartan’ opening dinner, which this year was hosted by the Macallan — one of the five participating distilleries celebrating 200 years in 2024.

At the raffle held during the opening dinner, £6,933 was raised in aid of Mikeysline, a mental health charity based in northern Scotland, who announced plans to open a new centre in Elgin. The Macallan pledged to triple match the proceeds raised.

Festival chair George McNeil shared his reflections on the festival: “This has been a truly momentous year for the Festival in all manner of ways. Not just celebrating the 25th anniversary but also the increase in visitors and ticket sales.

“There is a real buzz of excitement this year, unlike anything we have experienced before. Partners like Event Scotland, and some of the big distilleries have been with us since the start, and that helped us put the Festival on a global stage. It’s always been about showcasing Speyside, but we’ve achieved that and much more in 2024 and we now look forward to all the hard work paying off for every business that’s taken part, with a brilliant week of events.”

McNeil steps down this year after three years at the helm of the Spirit of Speyside Festival. Sarah Burgess, current vice-chair and master whisky maker at the Lakes Distillery, will succeed McNeil as festival chair.

The Spirit of Speyside Festival runs from 1–6 May 2024.