The artist-led organisation Routes To Roots is bringing a new cross-cultural music festival to the northern isles this summer. Rumbo North Isles will stage performances and creative exchanges between musicians from Orkney and Shetland and artists from Argentina, following the group's inaugural event, Rumbo Oaxaca, in January.
What is Rumbo North Isles?
Routes To Roots, founded by violinist and singer-songwriter Catriona Price, has designed the project to foster musical collaboration across vast distances and cultural backgrounds. The organisation previously ran Rumbo Oaxaca from 15–18 January 2026, bringing together a variety of international performers in Mexico.
Rumbo North Isles will present two headline events in the north of Scotland in August. The first of those is scheduled for Saturday 1 August at Mareel in Lerwick, Shetland. A second headline concert will follow the next day on a Sunday in August; details of that performance and the host venue will be confirmed by the organisers.
“It’s about connecting artists and communities through music wherever meaningful relationships can be built,”
Price has said the festival aims to develop sustained relationships rather than one-off appearances. She credits connections formed during the Global Leaders Institute for Arts Innovation, and partnerships with cultural managers in Mexico, for helping to shape the Routes To Roots model.
Organisation and artistic team
The organisation’s leadership includes Price as artistic director, with Joni Strugo (Creative Director) and Juan Grabina (Musical Director), both from Argentina, forming part of the directing team. Price first met Strugo and Grabina at WOMEX, where they performed as El Guapo; subsequent collaborations led to the creation of Routes To Roots and the Rumbo festival series.
- Previous event: Rumbo Oaxaca, 15–18 January 2026
- Headline dates (North Isles): Saturday 1 August at Mareel, Lerwick; second headline on a Sunday in August
- Focus: live performances and creative exchanges between Scottish island and Argentine artists
For Orkney audiences, the festival represents an opportunity to hear international, collaborative projects performed in a local setting and to observe the exchanges that such residencies and cross-continental partnerships can produce. Routes To Roots has framed the programme as a means to build long-term ties between artists and their home communities rather than merely touring acts through a venue list.
| Item | Known detail |
|---|---|
| Organiser | Routes To Roots |
| Artistic director | Catriona Price |
| Previous Rumbo | Rumbo Oaxaca, 15–18 Jan 2026 |
| North Isles headline events | Sat 1 Aug at Mareel, Lerwick; second headline on a Sunday in Aug (venue TBC) |
Organisers have indicated further programming and collaborator names will be released in the coming weeks. Local audiences in Orkney and Shetland who wish to follow developments should monitor Routes To Roots announcements and the Mareel events schedule for ticketing and additional performance details.
