If you’d told the people of Elgin a few years ago that Cooper Park would soon be hosting the likes of UB40, The Fratellis and East 17 in front of crowds running into the thousands, you’d have probably been laughed out of the room. And yet here we are. MacMoray has gone from a one-day Easter event in 2022 to a full weekend, two-stage music festival that pulls in big-name acts and brings the centre of Elgin to a happy, balloon-decked standstill every spring.
I didn’t make it to the 2026 festival myself, but Janette went on the Saturday for the Fratellis-headlined day, then went back on the Sunday with our youngest daughter Lauren. Lauren had been a semi-finalist in MacMoray’s art competition to design a festival mascot, which won her a goody bag of merchandise and treats to redeem on the day. Between them they came home with hundreds of photos, a dog-eared programme, a video of Cammy Barnes that I genuinely wish I’d been there for, and a very clear verdict: this is now firmly part of the Moray summer calendar.
From Easter Sunday to Festival Weekend
MacMoray’s beginnings are small but deliberate. The first festival ran in 2022 as an Easter Day event with a single outdoor stage, a marquee for traditional Scottish music, food stalls, face painting and Disney princesses for the kids. It was very much a community-flavoured day out, organised by YBD Music with the local audience squarely in mind. The festival is also run in loving memory of Sarah Elizabeth Read (1991–2022), whose name and dates are still displayed prominently on MacMoray’s official site every year – a quiet reminder of why it started.
The growth since then has been quick. By 2023 there were two outdoor stages, more bars, more food stalls and a funfair. Each year the lineup has grown bigger and more ambitious. By 2026 – the year Janette went – the festival had become a full Saturday-and-Sunday weekend with a string of UK chart names, big production values and Cooper Park entirely transformed into a festival site for two solid days. Organiser Andy Macdonald runs the show, and his team have managed something unusual: a music festival that genuinely feels family-friendly, where prams and pushchairs share the grass with thirty-somethings reliving their dance music youth.
Looking ahead, 2027 has already been confirmed as a three-day event running Friday 30 April to Sunday 2 May, with Cammy Barnes returning, alongside Ben Walker, Scratchcard Wednesday and The Laurettes. If the trajectory continues, MacMoray is on the way to becoming one of the biggest annual music events in the north of Scotland.
Cooper Park as a Venue
Cooper Park is one of those places that nearly every Moray local has memories tied to. It was gifted to the people of Elgin in 1903 by Colonel George A. Cooper, with the layout reworked by the Aberdeen architect Marshall Mackenzie in 1902. Today it’s a 40-acre green space right next to the town centre, with a pond, tennis courts, a cricket club, a children’s playground, a skate park, and the River Lossie threading along its southern edge. Elgin Library sits inside the park grounds, in what used to be the old Seaforth Highlanders drill hall.
For a music festival, it’s a near-perfect fit. The space is large and flat enough to hold two stages and a sizeable crowd, the funfair tucks in beside the skate park, and you can walk to it from Elgin railway station in around fifteen minutes. The town’s hotels, B&Bs and restaurants are right on the doorstep, which solves a problem most rural Scottish festivals struggle with.
The 2026 Lineup
Saturday’s lineup leaned heavier on rock and indie. The Fratellis headlined the main stage in the evening with a full band including a brass section. Earlier in the day The Wanted, Norrie Tago MacIver, Alice Deejay, Punkrock Factory, Black Lace and George Bowie all played, and Stage Two ran a strong local programme with Bad Actress, Moray Concert Brass and MacTa.
Sunday went heavier on dance, reggae and 90s nostalgia. UB40 headlined with the classics – “Red Red Wine” and “(I Can’t Help) Falling in Love with You” – and the day’s earlier slots brought Basshunter, 2 Unlimited, East 17, Tide Lines, Cammy Barnes and Torridon. Stage Two on the Sunday featured Bomb Skare, Tweed and Sing Moray.
The biggest moment of the weekend, oddly, came after the official lineup had finished. As Sunday wound down, 90s dance act N-Trance – who had played at MacMoray a year earlier – took to the stage for a completely unannounced set, kicking off with “Set You Free”. There were also surprise cameo appearances from Scratchcard Wednesday and Ben Walker, both of whom Andy Macdonald used the moment to confirm for the 2027 lineup.
Janette’s Saturday – Fratellis Night
Janette went on the Saturday for the rock-and-indie day. The festival has a clearly defined VIP area and she’d opted for that side of the fence – separate entrance, dedicated bar, table seating in a marquee, and a much shorter walk to the front of the main stage.
The whole site was geared up for a serious crowd. Two hundred metres of metal barrier along the front pit, two enormous PA stacks flanking the main stage, big-screen relays so people at the back could see, and the full festival branding everywhere – the gold cursive M logo on the stage scrim, balloon swags above marquees, and balloon archways at the entrances. The bar area had a row of barriers with YBD Music branding, and the staff were hustling in branded T-shirts behind a long, well-stocked bar.
By mid-afternoon the place was absolutely full. Alice Deejay’s set early evening was a highlight – a wall of late-90s and early-2000s dance music played to a crowd that clearly knew every word of “Better Off Alone”.
By the time The Fratellis came on, the sky had gone dark and the stage lighting had gone full festival mode. Janette got close enough to the front for “Chelsea Dagger” to come back as one of those genuinely big festival singalongs.
Stage Two, between the main-stage acts, was where the local talent shone. Local rock band MacTa had a great set.
Lauren’s Sunday – The Mascot Competition
Lauren’s involvement with MacMoray started months before the festival. The organisers ran an art competition open to local kids, asking them to design a mascot for the festival. Lauren came back as a semi-finalist, which won her a goody bag of MacMoray merchandise – including a pair of bright green festival sunglasses she’s now refusing to take off – plus a free donut and a free hotdog she could redeem on the day.
Janette took her on the Sunday. The first stop was the balloon archway in front of the main stage for the obligatory photo, sunglasses on, hat off. Then it was straight to A&Z Donuts to redeem the donut – jam-filled, by the look of it, dispatched in about ninety seconds.
The hotdog from G&M Whyte’s Steak Burgers came later in the afternoon and was, by Lauren’s standards, enormous.
A copy of the official “Return of the MacMoray” 2026 programme also made it back to the table for an obligatory “hold up the programme” photo. The pages were dog-eared by the time they got home.
The VIP setup on the Sunday was the same one Janette had used the day before: a marquee with balloon swags above, ivy-panelled fencing, red-rope walkways and the gold MacMoray M repeated across the décor. There’s a separate covered area with proper tables and chairs, and a clear walkway right to the front of the main stage. The Saltires and Lion Rampants flying off the bar tent gave the whole thing a friendly, distinctly Scottish identity.
Cammy Barnes and the Sunday Atmosphere
The talked-about set of the weekend, by everyone Janette spoke to, was Cammy Barnes. He’s a Lanarkshire singer-songwriter on a sharp upward trajectory, and his MacMoray set seems to have caught everyone unprepared – including the organisers. Andy Macdonald said afterwards that “everyone stopped what they were doing and came to the front” when Cammy came on, and that he immediately knew he’d have to book him back for 2027. We’ve a one-minute clip of his set on video below.
Videos from MacMoray Festival
The atmosphere on the Sunday was different in tone from the Saturday. There were more families, more pushchairs and more kids dressed up for the day. The food court was packed by mid-afternoon, and the funfair next to the skate park was doing brisk business – twirling chair-rides, dodgems, a Fun House, a Star Flyer and the dignity-destroying Blow Your Mind.
Cooper Park’s ordinary pond and library were undisturbed at the southern edge, but the rest of the park was a sea of camping chairs, pop-up shelters and picnic blankets. Around the front pit, the crowd was packed shoulder-to-shoulder for the headline acts.
Food, Drink, Stalls and Facilities
There are a lot of vendors. The food court ran along the western and northern edges of the park and included Loaded Fries, A&Z Donuts (whose lit “A&Z DONUTS” trailer is visible from a distance), G&M Whyte Steak Burgers, Coffee & Cake, ice cream vans, a dedicated wraps stand and several others. Most are cashless, so make sure to bring a card or set up Apple/Google Pay before you arrive.
The bars are inside large white marquees with Saltire bunting above the counter and YBD Music branded barriers funnelling queues in. Drink prices are festival prices – i.e. not cheap – but the queues moved quickly and the choice was reasonable. If you’ve gone for VIP, you get table seating with proper chairs in a covered marquee, which on a typical Moray May day is no small thing.
There’s also a separate stall area with non-food vendors. Hippy Chicks were doing a roaring trade in tie-dye and festival fashion, and there were jewellery and accessories pop-ups including Pretty Links permanent jewellery alongside.
Toilets are the standard plastic-cubicle festival type from GAP, lined up under the trees at the edges of the park, with hand-wash stations alongside. Welfare staff are visible across the site, the medical tent is well-marked, and security and stewards are evident in high-vis everywhere – both days felt well-organised throughout.
Getting There and Practical Information
If you’re driving, the dedicated festival parking is at Moray Sports Centre – a 15- to 20-minute walk from Cooper Park, charged at £15 for the weekend in 2026. Disabled parking is at Lossie Wynd at the same price. UHI Moray’s car park was used for caravans and motorhomes. Several of the streets around Cooper Park (Lodge Lane, Cooper Park Road and King Street) are closed off during the festival, so don’t expect to park on the doorstep. Lossie Wynd Car Park itself is closed to general use from 9am Saturday through to 11pm Sunday.
For public transport, Stagecoach run extra services covering Lossiemouth, Buckie, Forres and Dufftown, all within the £2 fare-cap trial in 2026, plus late-night runs each evening to get the crowd home. Ember run additional evening services from Elgin too. Trains are the usual ScotRail Inverness–Aberdeen line via Elgin station, no extra services laid on, with last trains in 2026 leaving Elgin at 11.29pm Saturday and 10.59pm Sunday for Inverness, and 10.16pm Saturday and 9.46pm Sunday for Aberdeen. Plan that bit carefully if you’re train-side – the headline acts run close to last train.
MacMoray is non-camping, so accommodation has to be booked separately. Elgin’s hotels and B&Bs sell out quickly for festival weekend; Lossiemouth, Forres and Inverness are practical alternatives.
FAQs
When is MacMoray Festival held?
Annually in spring at Cooper Park, Elgin. The 2026 festival ran Saturday 2 May and Sunday 3 May. The 2027 festival has been confirmed for Friday 30 April to Sunday 2 May, expanded to three days.
How much do tickets cost?
Pricing varies year to year, with day, weekend and VIP options. Saturday weekend tickets typically sell out earliest. Tickets are sold via the YBD Music site at ybdmusic.com.
Is MacMoray family-friendly?
Yes – there’s a funfair, food stalls aimed at kids, face painting, an art competition for local children, and a generally relaxed daytime crowd. We saw plenty of families and pushchairs both days.
Can I camp at MacMoray?
No. MacMoray is a non-camping festival. You’ll need to book accommodation separately in Elgin, Lossiemouth, Forres or further afield.
Where do I park?
Dedicated festival parking is at Moray Sports Centre (around 15–20 minutes’ walk to Cooper Park). Disabled parking is at Lossie Wynd, and motorhome and caravan parking is at UHI Moray. Most central Elgin streets are closed during the festival.
Are the food stalls cashless?
Mostly, yes. Bring a contactless card or have phone payments set up. There are ATMs on Elgin High Street if you really need cash.
Is the festival accessible?
Cooper Park is largely flat with paved paths, accessible parking is provided at Lossie Wynd, and there are designated viewing areas. Contact MacMoray directly through their website for specific access requests.
Key Information
- Location: Cooper Park, Elgin, Moray, IV30 1HS
- Grid Reference: NJ 220 631
- Managed by: YBD Music Ltd (organiser: Andy Macdonald)
- Entry: Paid – day, weekend and VIP tickets via ybdmusic.com
- Parking: Festival parking at Moray Sports Centre (£15 weekend); disabled at Lossie Wynd; motorhomes at UHI Moray
- Facilities: Multiple bars, street-food court, toilets, welfare, market stalls, funfair, dedicated VIP area
- Accessibility: Mostly flat park; accessible parking provided
- Dogs: Not permitted – assistance dogs only
What Else is Nearby?
Elgin makes for a great base before or after the festival. You can walk from Cooper Park to almost everything below.
- Elgin Cathedral – Just over the road from the festival site, the ruined “Lantern of the North” was once one of the finest cathedrals in Scotland, founded in 1224.
- Elgin Museum – Scotland’s oldest continuously operating independent museum, with Pictish stones, fossils and a strong local-history collection.
- Moray Motor Museum – A short walk from Cooper Park, in an old mill building, with vintage cars and motorbikes from the early 1900s onwards.
- Glen Moray Distillery – On the western side of Elgin, offering tours and tastings of one of Speyside’s well-known single malts.
- Lady Hill – A small wooded hill in the centre of Elgin, with the ruins of an old castle on top and a great view back over the town and Cooper Park.
Final Thoughts
MacMoray has come a long way in five years. From a one-day community Easter event to a two-day festival with chart-topping headliners and a genuine family atmosphere – and with 2027 already on track to be a three-day event – it’s now one of the biggest things on the Moray calendar. Janette’s verdict, after both days, was that the production values rival much bigger UK festivals, the family-friendliness genuinely lives up to the marketing, and Cooper Park works far better as a festival venue than its day-job as a town park would suggest.
If you’re reading this from outside Moray and looking for a reason to come north for a weekend, MacMoray is a solid one. Pair it with a couple of days exploring Elgin, Lossiemouth and the Moray coast, book early – accommodation goes fast – and bring a waterproof. Lauren is already badgering us about the 2027 event
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