Spring & Summer events in Inverness & Loch Ness
From Brit award winners and beer festivals to bagpipes and birdies, Loch Ness and Inverness are set to host a packed programme of events for visitors throughout the spring and summer months this year. A host of festivals and events catering for wide-ranging tastes - from Ed Sheeran in concert to the Scottish Open at Castle Stuart and traditional Highland games to loch-side ale festivals – mean that visitors get to appreciate this amazing area at its best.
Music Festivals
Music fans flock to the region’s two established music festivals to enjoy exclusive performances in some of the country’s most stunning surroundings. In June festival-goers gather on the very shores of Loch Ness itself for the popular Rock Ness event. This three day festival (8th-10th June) features headline performances from talents such as double Brit Award winner Ed Sheeran and indie folk favourites Mumford and Sons and Noah and the Whale, alongside Scotland’s own Biffy Clyro.
August 3rd sees the start of the three day Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival in a beautiful setting just outside Beauly. This family-friendly and eco-conscious event also attracts true talent, with headliners in recent years including Texas, Ocean Colour Scene and Scouting for Girls.
For those who prefer their music with a more traditional local flavour, the area also plays host to the Northern Roots Festival (1st-3rd June), which is held on Bogbain Farm just a short hop from Inverness city centre, offering an enticing mix of folk, roots and country acts including Blazin’ Fiddles and the Groanbox Boys.
There are also a number of events for the Blas festival – a celebration of Gaelic and Highland music that runs across the region from 7th-15th September. Blas highlights for 2012 include al fresco entertainment on the waters of Loch Ness with a floating performance by traditional musicians Allan MacDonald and Friends, music on the Mountain at Cairngorm’s Ptarmigan Restaurant and an exciting array of events at Eden Court Theatre in Inverness on the banks of the River Ness.
And the traditional theme continues in October when Blazin’ in Beauly (15th-19st October) brings together fiddlers from across the country and further afield for five days of classes, concerts, ceilidhs and craic in the heart of the Highlands.
Visitors looking to discover even more of the region’s history and heritage can take advantage of a selection of other events over the summer season all offering an insight into the area’s unique identity – from Highland Games and Piping shows, to world class sporting competitions or showcases of the area’s finest exports.
Highland Games and Gatherings
Kilts and cabers are the order of the day on 21st July, when the city of Inverness plays host to the largest of the area’s numerous Highland Games events. The games showcase such Highland arts as Highland dancing and traditional music alongside the special sporting disciplines that have become synonymous with this area of Scotland. The games coincide with the Highland capital’s Armed Forces Day so spectators can also enjoy performances by the military pipes and drums that typify the region’s military traditions and are much in demand at tattoos across the world, including the Inverness Tattoo, which will be held from 6th-11th August.
Other local areas holding their own Highland Gatherings and Games showcasing such traditional disciplines as caber tossing and hammer throwing include Abriachan on July 6th, Glengarry on July 7th and the Loch Ness-side community of Glenurquhart on August 25th.
For visitors whose sporting tastes are a little more traditional, the month of July sees the arrival of the Scottish Open in the area (12th-15th July), with Castle Stuart Golf Links continuing its hosting duties for the event. Set on the shores of the Moray Firth, just a short drive from the city of Inverness, the Open offers fans the opportunity to witness top level golf in a spectacular setting, with panoramic coastal views and the unique opportunity to spot some of the region’s resident dolphins, before heading off to sample some of the other stunning local courses open to enthusiasts, from Nairn to Dornoch.
And if all this activity and excitement gives visitors to the area an appetite, then there are a range of events showcasing the finest local foodstuffs. Inverness hosts regular famers markets throughout the summer months, and in September ale drinkers are drawn to Drumnadrochit for the annual Loch Ness Beer Festival (September 14th-22nd ), held at the Benleva Hotel and showcasing the finest Scottish brews as well as guest appearances from ales from other areas.
And getting the season off to an upbeat and humourous start, May sees Inverness play host to an exciting new comedy festival – Happyness (23rd-28th May). The inaugural festival presents comedy of all kinds, from slapstick to stand up, and features world renowned comedy stars as well as newcomers, break-through acts and Gaelic talent. Well-known faces include Ardal O’Hanlon, Bill Bailey, Dylan Moran and Scotland’s own Fred MacAulay.
