Activities

• Cullen: The Cullen Skink World Championship is held annually in November and celebrates the famous Cullen Skink soup, made with smoked haddock, potatoes, and onions. Participants from around the world compete to create the best version of this traditional dish.
• Portsoy: The Scottish Traditional Boat Festival is held in Portsoy every June and is a celebration of the area’s rich maritime history. The festival features traditional boat races, live music, food and drink stalls, and plenty of family-friendly activities.
• Banff: The Banffshire Challenge is an annual charity walk that takes place in September. Participants can choose from a range of routes, from a gentle stroll to a more challenging hike through the beautiful countryside surrounding Banff.
• Peterhead: The Peterhead Scottish Week is a week-long celebration of the town’s history and culture. The festival includes live music, traditional Scottish dance performances, and plenty of food and drink stalls. The highlight of the week is the parade, which features colorful floats and marching bands.
• Fraserburgh: The Fraserburgh Vintage Car Rally is held every August and features a wide range of vintage and classic cars, motorcycles, and other vehicles. The rally also includes live music, food and drink stalls, and plenty of family-friendly activities.

Aberdeen City and Shire plays host to a variety of exciting events and festivals throughout the year. Celebrate Hogmanay at an ancient fire festival in Stonehaven, witness the colorful spectacle of the Highland games and enjoy music, comedy, dance and much more.

The region boasts a proud maritime and cultural heritage that is kept alive today by vibrant festivals.

The Doric Festival celebrates the unique dialect, music and customs of Aberdeenshire with events held across the region’s smaller towns and villages.

Get a sense of the region’s seafaring past at the Boat Festival in Portsoy and watch as traditional vessels from far and wide congregate in one of the oldest harbors in Europe.

Visit between May and September and you’ll have to chance to attend one of the region’s exciting Highland Games, the most famous one being the Braemar Gathering. Take in traditional Highland competitions like the caber toss and hammer throw, Highland dancing and the rousing sound of the bag pipes.

Bring in the New Year at the Stonehaven Fireball Ceremony and watch as locals reenact the ancient custom of parading down the street swinging great fireballs over their heads before flinging them in the harbor on the stroke of midnight.

The city of Aberdeen is the setting for a diverse array of events and festivals. The Aberdeen International Youth Festival brings together talented young performers from the world of dance, music and theatre while the New World Festival explores the spoken and written word in performances across the region.

Catch gigs by up-and-coming contemporary acts at the Lemon Tree, the heart of the city’s thriving local music scene, and enjoy everything from ballet and opera to West End musicals at His Majesty’s Theatre