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Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

Scottish festival line-ups still favour men over women headline acts

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ArabellaScott · 17/08/2026 13:27

https://www.theferret.scot/scotlands-music-festivals-headliners-male/

'The majority of Scotland's leading summer festivals – including TRNSMT, Eden and Belladrum – have given no headline slots to solo female artists in the last two years, The Ferret has found.
In total just five solo women headlined main stages this summer according to our exclusive analysis.
Only three had headliner slots on main stages in 2025. The summer festival circuit, which is now drawing to a close, brings hundreds of thousands of people together every year and is estimated to contribute hundreds of millions to the economy.
Due to rising costs the industry has been under growing pressure, with several big events cancelled this year. But festivals have also been subject to long-standing criticism about the lack of prominent female artists on their bills.
We found that some progress had been made in terms of gender equality. Several Scottish festivals had around 40 per cent women, non-binary and trans artists on their line-ups in 2025 and 2026, and some female musicians told us they feel better supported and welcomed.
But others told us that while gender balances on summer line-ups were improving, the industry still had “a way to go”.* *Every Scottish summer festival analysed had more men on the line-up than women, except one festival in 2025.'

Leaving aside the weaselly 'trans non binary' bullshit, the music scene is overwhelmingly and increasingly male.

At Scotland’s major summer music festivals, four in five headliners are men

Only one in eleven major summer festivals analysed by The Ferret has a 50/50 gender split, with representation across all festivals declining at headline level.

https://www.theferret.scot/scotlands-music-festivals-headliners-male/

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