SFFS Membership

Membership signup for the 42nd festival is now open!

Click here to purchase yours now.

Festival Membership isn't required, but it certainly helps to make the most of the weekend!

Membership Price

Festival Membership for 2024 is priced at  :

  • £20 for an adult
  • £10 for a child (under 18 on the first day of the festival)
  • £40 for a group/family (consisting of two adults and up to 3 under-18s)

As is the policy with tickets, children under the age of 2 on the first day of the Festival do not require a membership as long as they are not occupying a seat at any of the programmed events.

Child/Under-18 members will be given a different coloured wristband to adult members but please note, proof of age may still be requested at Festival bars.

2024 SFFS Membership is required for access to the Festival Club (including for the ticketed lates)

What does Membership entitle you to?

Membership is excellent value for money.  As well as making concert tickets considerably cheaper, it provides you with access to fantastic daytime programming and activities within our bustling Festival Club at Islesburgh Community Centre (numbers permitting).  The Festival Club is open to members Thursday to Sunday, 11am-6.30pm (exact times TBC)  You'll need to be a member if you want to buy a ticket for the late night Festival Club programming on Friday and Saturday too.

Early membership (purchased before 23.59 on 29th February) will entitle you to early booking of concert tickets. Early members will have access to ticket booking one week before concerts are on sale to anyone else, including access to tickets for late night festival club on the Friday and Saturday.

For those who missed out on early membership, they go back on sale at 5.30pm on Monday 25th March and as soon as your membership numbers are through you can progress to ordering some concert tickets at membership prices.

We are building on the success of the 2022 & 2023 Festivals where we had really positive feedback to our packed programme of daytime activity in the Festival Club, predominantly operating on the middle floor of Islesburgh Community Centre.  Of course, we actively encourage members to buy concert tickets too (particularly if you want to guarantee a seat or seeing a particular act) but in a cost of living crises, membership alone will provide attendees with a culturally rich experience.

Once again we will host a wide range of daytime activities within the Festival Club - workshops, album launches and programmed live music in Room 16, and let's not forget the sessions!  We'll be actively encouraging them too during the day as they are such an important part of the Festival for many, and we will have some resident club musicians whose role will be to help keep the sessions going.

For customers with mobility or impairment issues, please contact the Festival organisers in advance and we will be happy to make provisions for access and seating at our venues.

Changes to membership entitlement in 2024

Membership entitlement in 2024 is very similar to 2023 in that it is focused on giving members significant reduction in concert price tickets AND access to a wonderful daytime Festival Club (numbers permitting).  The Festival Club will be closed to members each day at 6.30pm on Thursday, Friday and Saturday and at 5.30pm on Sunday.

There will be a late night Festival Club (with 3am closing) on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights but please note that this will be ticketed on Friday and Saturday.  Only 2024 Festival members will be able to buy ticket(s) for this and performers will not be unveiled until the night.  Thursday late Club will be un-ticketed and predominantly for sessions only.  There will be no Sunday Festival Club Late as there has been in previous years (which instead will be open for volunteers and performers only).  In previous years, some concert attendees have felt pressure to leave concerts early on Friday and Saturday in order to guarantee late night Festival Club access and so ticketing the Club ensures that this pressure is removed. Children age 14 and over will be able to attend the late night Festival Club but ONLY if accompanied by a responsible adult at all times.

We continue to be grateful to NorthLink Ferries for their sponsorship and contribution towards the core costs of the Festival.  In 2024, they are once again in a position to offer a 30% discount to members travelling to the Festival and this discount applies to passage and vehicles only (not cabins).  The code required to secure the discount will be emailed with the membership confirmation and applies to travel between 24th April to 13th May 2024.

Membership Sales

Membership sales for the 2024 Festival will open on 1st February 2024.

Early SFFS Membership will be available to purchase online for 2024 from midnight on 1st February 2024 until the end of February (29th at 23.59).

You can pay online using a PayPal account, or by using a Credit/Debit card. You will be emailed a receipt of your purchase, so please make sure you enter your email address correctly.

For those who missed out on early membership, they go back on sale at 5.30pm on Monday 25th March and as soon as your membership numbers are through you can progress to ordering some concert tickets at membership prices.

Ticket Sales to Early Members

Early members will be able to order their tickets from 6pm (UK time) on 18th March (one week before going on sale to the general public). Only early members will be able to book tickets from this date. If you miss the February deadline for purchasing early membership, membership sales re-open on Monday 25th March 2024 at 5.30pm.

PLEASE NOTE: Concert tickets are always in high demand and so early membership is becoming increasingly popular. All tickets will be sold on a strictly first come first served basis. Due to high demand, even some early members will not be able to purchase tickets originally hoped for.

Each SFFS Member may only purchase one membership priced afternoon concert ticket and one membership priced evening concert ticket per festival day (plus one late night ticket per member on Friday and Saturday).  There will be adult priced tickets and under 18s priced tickets.  Some ticketed events will be over 18s only and at all other events, we expect minors to be accompanied by a responsible adult at all times.

Membership will not be required for purchasing tickets for our late night concerts at the Legion BUT early members will have priority booking of those tickets too.

Non-membership priced tickets will only go on sale on Monday 25th March at 6pm.  It is not possible for early members to buy non-membership tickets until that date.

Membership Receipts

In the past, membership receipts were sent to all members in the post. The email notification of membership numbers is now all that customers will receive. You must retain this email, as you will need the information when ordering tickets online and when collecting your membership wristband at the Festival Club once the Festival commences.

Notes on PayPal Checkout

In the past, a number of our members contacted us to let us know that they couldn't pay for their membership by credit/debit card on PayPal. This year we have added a separate ‘Pay with Card’ option (provided by Stripe), so click that button at checkout if you don’t have (or don’t want to use) a PayPal account. A ‘Pay with PayPal’ option and ‘Pay with Card’ option are available.

 

Memberships issued by the Shetland Folk Festival Society are non-transferable and non-refundable.