Scotland’s Favourite Sound and Light Show Creates a Splash Once Again

Scotland’s favourite sound and light show, The Enchanted Forest, welcomed hundreds of visitors back to the familiar, majestic surroundings of Faskally Wood, Pitlochry, tonight (4 October), with its 21^st anniversary show, ‘From the Deep’, designed to create a bigger splash than ever before.

This year’s show, which runs from 5 October to 5 November 2023, sees visitors transported into the depths of an underwater world. Blending light, video, and sound to create a truly unique visitor experience, Faskally Wood has been transformed into an underwater forest with a deep watery glow of aqua blue and green.

Set against the impressive backdrop of Faskally Wood, the 21^st anniversary show has been delivered by a collaboration of some of the UK’s leading event production companies and creative talents. Led by Karen Falconer, creative director at event management agency Wavemakers Live, creative design has been a collaborative process between lighting designer Grant Anderson, animation designers Bright Side Studios and composers and sound designers Jon Beales and Rachel Cullen, with technical production for the show provided by Catalyst Event Production Services. Special technical studio services have been provided by DM Audio.

The creative team has succeeded in delivering the biggest, most technically advanced, show in the event’s 21-year history, with more lights and installations than ever before, all helping to transport visitors to a unique and inspirational place, delighting people of all ages. An installation named ‘An Toiseach’ which will serve as an introduction to visitors’ underwater journey around the forest with the unveiling of a very special friend, the protector and guardian of all life, under the surface of the water. Another installation, ‘The Beastie in the Boathouse’, will reveal a massive underwater beastie hiding in the boathouse as visitors make their way around the loch, and ‘Tamu Massif’ offers visitors a chance to explore the world’s largest underwater volcano, with the heat from the spectacle of lava adding to the sensory experience.

There is once again a spectacular light show over Loch Dunmore, ‘Living light on the loch’, which uses music, animation, projection, beams, lights, and lasers to tell the story of bioluminescent creatures that are found throughout marine habitats, from the ocean surface to the deep seafloor. The show culminates in at the final installation ‘Purpose’. It marks visitors’ journey from the deep to the surface of the water, where the forest comes alive in an amazing finale light show. The musical soundtrack to this installation features the voices of local Pitlochry Primary and High School pupils singing a phrase in Gaelic ‘sgaoil an solus’ (pronounced ‘skoo-il na solas’) meaning ‘share the light’, which is included in a vocal harmony choir.

Nela Popovic, executive director of The Enchanted Forest Community Trust, said: “It’s fantastic to see the months of planning finally come to life in this year’s ‘From the Deep’ show. We have been working hard behind the scenes to raise the creative bar even further this year to create a truly original experience where people of all ages can set their imaginations alight. I cannot wait to see the look on peoples’ faces as they walk round the forest and enjoy the immersive experience of the show this year. We very much hope that they enjoy this oceanic spectacle of light and sounds in the magnificent surroundings of Faskally Wood at The Enchanted Forest.”

An independent economic assessment report commissioned by the Enchanted Forest Community Trust found the 2022 Enchanted Forest event was responsible for delivering an impressive economic impact of nearly £10 million to Highland Perthshire last Autumn. It is expected that this year’s show, with more than 80,000 visitors expected, will again deliver a higher impact and a genuine boost to tourism operators in the region. The success of the 2022 show has enabled the Enchanted Forest Community Trust to donate £55,200 to registered charities and community interest groups operating within Highland Perthshire through the Enchanted Forest Community Fund.

While selling very quickly indeed, some tickets are still available for this year’s event. To book, or to find out more information, please visit: www.enchantedforest.org.uk