The Hoggies

The Original Brussels-based Scottish Ceilidh Band

The Hoggies are a Brussels-based Scottish Ceilidh Band, established in 2011, by a group of enthusiastic musicians with a love of celtic music and an inspiration to make live ceilidh dances in Belgium available for everyone. The group currently includes a mix of different nationalities, with Scots/Irish, Belgian, Austrian and Polish musicians, who bring a diverse mix of musical backgrounds together, with a wide range of electric and acoustic instruments. We also take our dancers through every step of every dance with simple instructions, and will 'call' along with the music to make sure all of our dancers are comfortable and confident!

TEstimonials

 
 

Some recent testimonials:

“THANK YOU SO MUCH! I had the best time last night!

The music was phenomenal, Alastair had the perfect energy, and I am extremely grateful for your patience and support in managing the event Chris.Truly thank you for the most wonderful wonderful evening.”

- Eilidh

"The Hoggies are not just an authentic and high-quality Scottish traditional music group – they are true friends you can always count on. With their talent, energy and warmth, they have been part of every one of our Burns’ Nights and ceilidhs, and we know they’ll be with us for many more to come."

- Marc

“Having been inspired by a friend’s wedding ceilidh, my (now) husband and I decided to email the Hoggies to ask if they were free for our own wedding (which we were planning whilst living in UK to take place in Belgium). We did this knowing that we are both quite clumsy dancers who don’t enjoy attention, so we wanted everyone on the dance floor together. To add, we were worried as this was a Belgian-British party, with half of the guests coming over from the UK, and the other (Belgian) half not having the faintest clue as to what a ceilidh was.

Our worries were short lived: the band were fantastic, and genuinely the best wedding related thing we decided on. I’d say over two thirds of our guests were on the dance floor at all times, and despite a language barrier, everyone danced together because of the fantastic instructions. It was surreal to see my very Belgian 70+ uncle dance with my British 7-year-old niece, or my Belgian auntie with our friend from LA. Several people stayed longer than they had planned, including the 7-year-old who refused to go to back to her hotel!

Looking back at the pictures, one thing is clear: everyone is smiling and happy in them, and everyone is having fun. My Belgian cousins were talking about it for days, and my brother in law is already thinking of organising a ceilidh for his football pals or even his own wedding in the future. At risk of sounding cliché, our wedding party was “everything we hoped it would be” - and the Hoggies made that happen.”

- Hanne