A YEAR IN
SCOTLAND
Pagan fire festivals, torchlight parades, piping championships, fiddle frenzies, Highland games and Viking battle re-enactments; there really is no shortage of exciting goings on in Scotland. In fact, it seems that there’s an event to mark just about any occasion.
Discover A Year in Scotland
Scotland play Wales in the Six Nations rugby tournament
Spring
As the snows melt and temperatures start to rise, walkers and cyclists begin venturing out on the country’s many long-distance trails. Sports fans, meanwhile, enjoy a Six Nations rugby match in Edinburgh or a game of shinty, the most traditional of all Scottish sports, in the Highlands. In May, major whisky festivals take place in Speyside and Islay alongside smaller ones in Stirling and Campbeltown.
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Street entertainer Mullet Man performing at Edinburgh International Festival
Summer
Summer sees the Scottish festival season in full swing, with the Edinburgh International Festival as the headline act. Meanwhile, other towns and villages throughout the country stage their own Highland Games – the most well known take place in Braemar and Cowal. Also popular are the many piping and folk festivals, among them HebCelt and the Shetland Folk Frenzy, held in July and August respectively.
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Autumn colours in the Highlands
Autumn
As the weather cools and the nights draw in, September sees the Scottish countryside ablaze in scarlet, orange, cardinal reds and yellow ochre. It’s the perfect season to walk the many trails without the crowds and observe wildlife, such as red deer in the Highlands, geese on Islay and grey seals on Orkney. The end of autumn is signalled by St Andrews Day, which honours the country’s patron saint.
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Skiers on Cairngorm Mountain
Discover A Year in Scotland
Burns Night celebrations
Winter
In December skiers and snowboarders hit the slopes of Scotland’s mountain resorts. Christmas is keenly celebrated across the country, as is New Year, where Edinburgh’s legendary Hogmanay sees it in with a bang. On 25 January, Scotland’s most cherished annual tradition, Burns Night, commemorates the country’s greatest poet with a Burns Supper of haggis, neeps and tatties, washed down with a wee dram.
Hogmanay
No one enjoys a party more than the Scots, and Hogmanay is the perfect excuse for a knees up. Street parties are held throughout Scotland; the largest takes place in the capital, which sees in the New Year with fireworks and a rousing rendition of “Auld Lang Syne” at midnight.
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whisky festivals
Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival (Apr)
Scotland’s largest whisky-producing region hosts some 700 events over six days.
Islay Festival of Music and Malt (May)
A boisterous, week-long festival of music, dance, poetry, and whisky on Islay, an island known for its peaty malts.
Highland Whisky Festival (May)
Highland whisky is celebrated at eight distilleries along the North Coast 500 route.
Campbeltown Malts Festival (May)
A small but lively event at the Springbank distillery on Kintyre.