The organisers of this year’s Stirling Summer Sessions have confirmed the event will not return to the city in 2025.
The four-day music extravaganza wowed crowds earlier this summer, with tens of thousands of music fans packing into the City Park in the shadow of Stirling Castle to hear from some of the biggest names in the industry.
Among those delighting the crowds were Shania Twain, Sir Tom Jones, James Arthur, Busted, Loreen and Young Fathers.
But despite optimism over the success of the event from organisers DF Concerts and praise from businesses and local leaders over the impact on the city, it has now been confirmed that the Summer Sessions will not be back next year.
However, a statement from DF Concerts did confirm potential optimism of seeing the concert series make a return to Stirling in 2026.
A Summer Sessions spokesperson said: “The Stirling Summer Sessions were incredible and brought a wide, diverse audience to Stirling to see some amazing artists. Unfortunately we will not be doing the event next summer but would hope to be back in 2026.” In the wake of the Summer Sessions, veteran DF Concerts promoter Geoff Ellis said: We are really happy with how the inaugural Stirling Summer Sessions went.
“Hosting such a huge line-up – including the incredible Shania Twain, who played to over 20,000 enthusiastic fans after her memorable legends slot at Glastonbury – was truly a highlight for everyone involved and something very special for the area.
“The setting of Stirling City Park, in the shadow of the historic Stirling Castle, provided the perfect backdrop for a great few days of live music.
“We are incredibly thankful to the fans who attended for their energy and passion, and also extend our gratitude to the people of Stirling and all our stakeholders for their unwavering support and dedication, which were instrumental in making this event a success.”
The Stirling gigs were an expansion for the popular series into a new city, with Summer Sessions events a regular fixture in both Glasgow and Edinburgh, as well as other venues across the UK.
Business leaders reported strong footfall from concert-goers at the city’s bars, restaurants and other hot spots, with a 51.1 per cent increase in visitors and “substantial” sales growth from businesses.
A Stirling Council spokesperson said: “We can confirm that Summer Sessions won’t be held in Stirling in 2025 but remain in close contact with organisers, DF Concerts, and are optimistic that we will welcome the concert series back in 2026.
“The festival reaffirmed Stirling City Park’s reputation as a superb venue for hosting large-scale events and we’ve already had interest in staging other events at the site next year, which we will be exploring further over the coming weeks.”