Supporting Local Bands and Festivals: Why it Matters

Live Music: The Heartbeat of Culture

Katie Jane and Brian Campbell of the Katie Jane Band playing violin and bodhron at the Central Highland Games.

Live music is the heartbeat of culture. It has a way of connecting us, whether it’s the sound of fiddles at a summer festival, a small band playing in a corner pub, or a community gathering around a stage at the park. These moments of shared music carry traditions forward, bring people together, and remind us that art is not just entertainment. It is culture in motion.

What Local Bands and Festivals Bring to Communities

The Katie Jane Band community before playing at the celtic festival at the Whidbey Island Community Center.

Local bands and festivals infuse life into neighborhoods and towns. They create spaces where people can gather, celebrate, and be inspired. A festival is more than a lineup of musicians. It is the food vendors, the laughter of children, the stories woven between sets, and the connections made in the crowd. Local bands often grow out of these spaces, bringing with them unique sounds shaped by heritage, friendship, and the communities they represent.

Challenges These Groups Face

Celtic Spoons Band at Tacoma Highland Games.

But keeping live music alive isn’t easy. Many bands and festivals face challenges with funding, visibility, and audience reach. Organizing a festival takes resources, from renting sound equipment to securing permits and paying performers. Bands often juggle day jobs alongside their music, struggling to find the time and means to record, promote, and share their work. In a crowded digital world, reaching an audience beyond the local community can feel daunting.

How Stanis Creative Supports Them

This is where we step in at Stanis Creative. We believe in the power of music and the importance of storytelling. By filming live performances, creating highlight reels, and capturing the spirit of a festival, we help local artists and organizers extend their reach far beyond the stage. Promotion isn’t just about visibility. It is about helping audiences experience the energy, the joy, and the cultural richness that music brings.

Examples from Summer Festivals

A video reel made of the highlights of the Prosser Highland Games.

For us, summer festivals have been a special place to do this work. From the soaring tunes of fiddles to the powerful beats of drums, Celtic gatherings celebrate tradition while welcoming new audiences. We have captured close-ups of musicians pouring their hearts into a song, sweeping shots of dancing crowds, and the vibrant atmosphere that makes these events unforgettable.

At Realms Unknown, Mary Queen of Scots’ knighting ceremonies make the magic of the realm come alive!

Festivals also highlight other art forms beyond music. The Court of Mary Queen of Scots, brought to life by the Gilded Thistle, blends history and imagination through theater, pageantry, and immersive storytelling. At the Renaissance festival Realms Unknown, jousting adds the thrill of medieval sport to the artistry of the event, while the presence of many different courts celebrates the fusion of varied interests and traditions. Together, these performances show how festivals create layered cultural experiences, where music, drama, and living history stand side by side to captivate audiences.

Visit us at the Vashon Lowland Gam

Next up, we are excited to attend the Vashon Island Lowland Games on September 27th! The Lowland Games are a community-powered celebration and fundraiser to help bring a full-scale Highland Games to Vashon Island in 2026. Attendees can enjoy a day filled with Celtic food and drink, live music and local vendors, games and booths, and family fun for all ages. A special feature of this year’s event is the chance to learn the caber toss with Jeff Thornton, Men’s Lightweight National Champion and world-record Highland Games athlete, who has twice been invited to Worlds in both Lightweight and Masters divisions. We can’t wait to see our own Jonathan try his hand at this!

These experiences show that culture is alive not only in sound, but also in performance, artistry, sport, and community.

How Readers Can Support Their Own Local Artists

Supporting local artists does not always mean grand gestures. It can be as simple as buying a ticket to a show, sharing a band’s video on social media, or telling a friend about a festival you love. Small actions add up. Each share, each clap in the audience, each donation helps sustain the artists and organizers who keep culture alive in our communities.

Support equals sustainability. By showing up, spreading the word, and valuing the artists among us, we ensure that music, our cultural heartbeat, continues to thrive.

Awsome performances at Realms Unknown by the Dragon Theater: https://www.dragontheater.com/puppets