ITS town-centre architecture has been criticised in the past, but Cumbernauld is also a place that has enjoyed its association with the global TV hit Outlander.

Now the new town has another trick up its sleeve - a music festival.

The festival, Broadwood: Live by the Loch, will be held on Saturday, June 2, and the organisers are already hoping it will become an annual event.

The event will focus on traditional music, and has attracted acts of the calibre of Dougie MacLean, the Red Hot Chilli Pipers and the trad-rock band, Mànran.

Cumbernauld's multi-purpose Broadwood Stadium, which for the last 24 years has been the home of the Scottish League Two club, Clyde FC, will be the venue.

Gary Innes, founding member of Mànran, said: “Live by the Loch will be the first music event to ever have been hosted at the stadium and it’s really exciting to be a part of that.”

Dougie MacLean, for years one of Scotland's most widely respected musicians, told The Herald: "Gary asked if I would do the concert and I was more than happy to say yes. It's an interesting line-up, with the Pipers, who always put on such a colourful act, and Manran, who do the same, and me playing a solo set – just me and my guitar. It's nice programming. We're all very different and the fact that there are just three of us will give us a chance to connect with the audience.

"Stadiums can be great venues - not that I've played too many of them, as I'm more often in theatres or arts venues - but the idea that they're there, and can be used for music, is a really good one."

Using a local football stadium for music concerts is an approach that has already been seen in nearby towns of Falkirk and Airdrie.

Falkirk FC’s stadium has featured concerts by, amongst others, Elton John, Tom Jones and Status Quo, while Airdrie FC’s Excelsior Stadium played host to Elton John last summer.

The Broadwood stadium is operated by North Lanarkshire Leisure. Area manager Gerry McMahon said: “There’s a great opportunity here to use the stadium and the transport links to provide Cumbernauld and North Lanarkshire with a really good concert.

“It’s tough to rival Glasgow and Edinburgh, but our aim is to provide an annual music event for the local community and wider area, one that will grow year on year to compete with these cities’ big music events.

"Our aspirations for years have been to try to attract the big acts. Airdrie and Falkirk, for example, have both had Elton John. But we found out fairly quickly that it is very hard to break into the market in terms of the promoters. We want to showcase the stadium’s ability to host large-scale music events that will attract the big promoters."

Gary Innes was "very enthusiastic" when approached. "He told us, ‘We could do this concert, and look at a traditional music angle’. He said it might be possible to attract a couple of thousand of people along on the night, and that it would be great craic. That is what really sold us on the idea.

“The stadium is getting fantastic use as a leisure and sports centre but we’re not utilising the seats in the stands as best we could, so the festival is a clear vision for doing that. We want to continue the festival year on year and build on a legacy for the stadium.”

A group made up of pupils at nearby Greenfaulds High School has released a couple of Gaelic singles and the hope is that they will perform a ten-minute slot at the festival as well as experiencing the green room with all the musicians."

Emma Walker, Managing Director of North Lanarkshire Leisure, said: “It’s really exciting to be bringing a major new music festival to Cumbernauld – we’ve got a great line-up arranged and I’m sure people will look forward to coming along and enjoy the entertainment.”

Kevin MacDonald, a founding member of The Red Hot Chilli Pipers, said: “One of the founding members of the band, Willie Armstrong, still stays in Cumbernauld. I also lived in Cumbernauld for a number of years and I still have close family there so this truly does feel like a home town gig for us.”