KT Tunstall headlines Big Burns Supper

KT Tunstall said she was looking forward to being in Scotland to celebrate Burns Night

Scottish singer-songwriter KT Tunstall is to headline the Big Burns Supper in Dumfries in January.

Frank Turner, Ed Byrne and Craig Charles are also part of more than 100 events across 11 days.

Organisers said the eighth edition of the south of Scotland festival would provide a "toast to Scotland's national bard like no other".

The event, which brings the Spiegeltent venue to the town, starts on 24 January and runs to 3 February.

Frank Turner will be among those performing at the eighth edition of the festival

Executive producer Graham Main said: "Our 2019 festival is packed full of surprises, featuring big name acts alongside quirky and interactive moments for everyone to enjoy.

"There isn't a Spiegeltent programme in the world that beats our artistically diverse and intimate programme, offering local audiences and visitors a warmly authentic winter festival experience."

He said they were "hugely grateful" to their faithful local audiences and the thousands of visitors attracted to the area.

"It's the sense of togetherness, of coming together to celebrate culture in the dark winter nights that Burns himself held dear and which Burns suppers all over the world seek to mark, we just pride ourselves in doing it a bit differently here in Dumfries," he added.

Comedian Ed Byrne has been confirmed at the Big Burns Supper for next year

KT Tunstall said she was delighted to be part of the festival.

"It's always fun to celebrate Burns Night, but it's been a long time since I spent one in Scotland, so I'm definitely doing it right in 2019," she said.

Ben Macpherson, minister for international development, said the event was a "great occasion" to showcase Scottish and international talent.

"Burns Night is one of Scotland's most well-known and best loved national days, and an opportunity to celebrate the vibrancy and diversity of what it means to be Scottish," he said.

"This year, I invite everyone in Scotland to join the celebrations as a fitting finale to Scotland's winter festivals."