The Gathering 2026

About The Gathering

The Touring Network supports, represents and connects a vibrant community of independent promoters and performers who present high-quality live performance across the Highlands and Islands of Scotland.

Each year, we bring promoters and performers together, along with producers, funders and other creative professionals, to network, build key skills and showcase new work at our annual Gathering.

The Gathering 2026 will be held on Friday 20 – Saturday 21 March at The Birks Cinema and The Town Hall, Aberfeldy.

Right now we’re welcoming:

• applications from performers who want to showcase at the event
• interest from promoter members who want to join the showcase selection panel

Perform at The Gathering 2026

We are now welcoming applications from performers to showcase at The Gathering 2026.

Acts selected will get the opportunity to perform a 15 minute low-tech excerpt or stripped back set of your tour-ready, small-scale work.

Showcasing at The Gathering is an excellent way for performers to get your show seen by promoters across the region.

Who we’re looking for

• Experienced, professional touring performers whose work aligns closely with our programming policy
• Performers who are ready to take bookings for dates from August 2026 – April 2028
• Performers who are committed to paying fair fees for all performers and crew
• Performers who are financially viable within promoters’ and our funding budgets

What performers at The Gathering will get

• A pass to attend The Gathering, plus a meal and refreshments on the day of your showcase 
• Pre-event technical support from our Showcase Day Stage Manager 
• Access to a green room before and after your performance slot 
• A 15-minute showcase slot, a personal introduction from someone in The Touring Network, and a further five minutes to pitch your show or take questions from the audience
• Your Tourbook profile displayed to our network via our website 
• The opportunity to network with promoters and venue representatives throughout the day you attend
• Fee to cover costs, by agreement up to £800 

Interested? What to do next

1. Read our Showcase Guidelines (also available in Word format) for full details on who we’re looking for, what to expect, and the selection process.
2. Ensure that you have an up-to-date presence on Tourbook in the form of a Performer and a Tour profile before applying.
3. Apply for the opportunity to perform at The Gathering using our online application form, which is accessible via our Showcase Guidelines. Deadline for applications is Thursday 20 November at 12pm. Successful applicants will be informed by mid-December.

For performer members who aren’t quite ready to apply to showcase, there will be a separate opportunity at the event to share your work more informally as one of our ‘Wee Turns’. 

Join The Gathering 2026 selection panel

We’re looking for promoter members to join The Gathering showcase selection panel.

The panel will be drawn from promoter members, representatives from our board of directors and staff team. You’ll work to ensure the showcase programme closely aligns with our programming policy, provides a balance of artforms, and is within our budget. This will be a paid opportunity.

This is a great way to use your experience and insight to help select artists that will be able to entertain and inspire audiences in our region.

You’ll need to ensure you are available for an online meeting week commencing 24 November, where we’ll explain the role and scoring system. You will then have two weeks to score applications, with the final selection being made week commencing 8 December.

To express your interest, please contact Fee Shaw, Network Development Manager: [email protected].