The organiser of MacMoray has spoken of his pride after Moray’s biggest music event was nominated for Scotland’s Festival of the Year.
MacMoray Festival, which takes place annually across two days in Elgin’s Cooper Park, has been longlisted for the honour at the Scottish Live Music Awards.
The Elgin event – organised by Andy Macdonald – is competing against Belladrum and TRNSMT, among others, for the title.
A shortlist will soon be sent to a panel of judges, with awards presented to winners later this month.
For Andy, the nomination is the next step on a “mad, emotional and joyful” journey since he founded the festival – which now welcomes 20,000 visitors across two days – in 2022.
The very first MacMoray was a one-day event that took place with a crowd of 7500, but it has since grown and is already a staple of the Moray calendar.
The beginnings
“MacMoray started the way most of my mad/silly ideas do,” Andy said of the festival’s founding.
“That is with a lot of love, a lot of passion, and absolutely no guarantee it would work!
“I believed Moray deserved a proper live music festival, one built for the people, not for profit and by one their own. What I didn’t expect was for it to sell out completely.
“That first year set the tone for everything that followed.
“The next year, we took a leap of faith and grew it into a two-day festival with a 10,000-per-day capacity.
“Bigger production, bigger challenges, bigger nerves… but once again, we hit capacity. And we’ve done that every single year since.
“The people believed in what I was building.”
In memory of Sarah
Tragedy struck 10 days before the very first MacMoray when Andy’s partner, Sarah, passed away.
Sarah suffered a stroke while she was pregnant with her and Andy’s baby. She was just 31.
Andy said that he feels Sarah with him “every step of the way”.
He said: “I created MacMoray with my first love, Sarah. We dreamed of building something special together: a family festival, a life in Moray, and a future with children.
“That first festival was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. Sarah was still in hospital recovering while I tried to hold everything together.
“In August 2022, she passed away – which I couldn’t believe.
“Losing her changed everything.
“The journey since has been incredibly difficult… but life also found a way to bring love back into my world.
“I met Angela, along with her two amazing daughters Abbie and Ella, who brought joy and light back when I needed it most. Together, we welcomed our daughter Macie, who is now 15 months old and the absolute centre of my world.
“I know, without any doubt, that Sarah is still part of MacMoray. I feel her with me every step of the way, and I know she’d be incredibly proud of what it has become.”
We thought it was the end…
Last summer, Andy admits he was “exhausted” and “ready to walk away” from MacMoray – but was inspired to continue by the event’s fans.
“MacMoray Easter 2025 was meant to be the end,” he said.
“I was exhausted, emotionally drained, and ready to walk away.
“But then something extraordinary happened. The fans, the council, the people of Moray, and my incredible events team stepped up in a way I’ll never forget.
“The “No Andy, No Party” movement reminded me just how much this festival means to people… and together, we turned it around and secured MacMoray’s future.
“What I thought was the end of a chapter, was just the beginning.
“This journey has been mad, emotional, exhausting and joyful all at once. And none of it would exist without the MacMorians… the fans who show up, rain or shine, year after year, and remind me why we do this.
“I’m in such a happy place now. I have got absolutely everything I need in life. Whether I win the award or not… I’m already a winner!
“MacMoray is here to stay, MacMoray will continue to get better and I cannot wait to see what the future holds.”
A festival for the community
Andy has always insisted that MacMoray is a festival for the fans – and has worked to keep prices down.
He added: “From day one, I’ve been absolutely determined to keep MacMoray affordable.
“Festivals shouldn’t be priced out of reach for families and young people.
“MacMoray has never been about squeezing every penny out of people… it’s about giving them something they feel proud to be part of.
“One of my proudest moments was the Summer Special MacMoray. It was a one-off thank-you to the fans… a huge, high-budget lineup, bigger than anything we’d done before. And despite the cost, we didn’t raise ticket prices. It was our way of saying thank you for believing in us.”
Andy donated £100k of free tickets provided to low-income families ahead of Easter MacMoray in 2024, and 4000 tickets were provided for free in 2025. In addition, 1500 tickets were given free-of-charge to people living around Cooper Park.
He added: “I don’t actually like to boast about exactly what I have done as I don’t do it to tick boxes or look good. I do it because I want to, and when I can… I do!
“Something a lot of people don’t realise is that I don’t take a wage from MacMoray. I’m fortunate enough to earn a good living through my other businesses, so every decision I make with MacMoray is about sustainability, fairness, and community not personal gain.
“MacMoray has generated millions of pounds for the local economy, bringing people from all over Scotland and beyond. Seeing Moray showcased in such a positive way has been one of the most rewarding parts of the journey.”
The nomination
On hearing of the award nomination, Andy said he “immediately” poured himself a dram and did a family toast.
“I felt really greatful and honoured,” he said. “I would love to say best of luck to the rest of the competition… But I wouldn’t mean it!
“I believe that our community and our festival deserve to do well.
“We’ve come along way together and we are the most popular event in the UK based on customer interaction and popularity so it would be great for our community and our beautiful county to be recognised on the national scale.”
You can vote for MacMoray by visiting scottishlivemusicawards.co.uk
Do you want to respond to this article? If so, click here to submit your thoughts and they may be published in print.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.grampianonline.co.uk ’
