The festivals of Scotland are many and varied and range from the Edinburgh Festival Fringe - the world’s biggest festival of the performing arts - which is held over the course of three weeks in August every year, to the variety of whisky appreciation festivals which are held particularly in the Highlands and Western Islands on a regular basis, to the festivals of traditional Gaelic (pronounced, “gah-lick” - as in, “garlic,” without the letter, “r,”) music and dance which are celebrated around the country. These festivals in Scotland are in addition to the religious celebrations and holidays which are celebrated on a much wider basis and, although many of the old festival traditions in Scotland have long since died out, those detailed in this article continue to thrive to this day.

If one is to consider a cross-section of the festivals of Scotland in chronological order, the first which one has to account for is Burns’ Night, celebrated on 25th January each year, to commemorate the anniversary of the birth of Scotland’s bard, Rabbie Burns, in 1759. Although Burns’ Night receives great press in Scotland every year, the reality is that in modern times, it is very much only the minority who actually acknowledge the event by partaking in the traditional Burns’ Supper celebrations. This is a festival of Scottish origin which is of course recognised around the world, particularly in those locales with significant levels of Scottish ex-pats or people of Scottish descent.

The summer in Scotland sees a great many festivals every year, though almost all are localised in nature. Many small towns and villages will hold their gala days and host events such as crowning their gala queen. In the Royal Burgh of Lanark, however, in early to mid-June every year, an event is held which is known as Lanimer Day. Lanark was the town where William Wallace (Braveheart) was married and where his young bride was brutally murdered. A plaque exists in the town to this day where Marian Braidfute’s home (Wallace’s wife) is believed to have lived. Lanimer Day, however, does not relate to Wallace but to the traditional annual checking on horseback of the March stones, which marked the boundaries of the Royal Burgh. Lanimer Day always takes place on a Thursday and all the shops and offices in the town close on that day for the festivities. Similar celebrations are held in many towns in the Scottish borders, where they are referred to as Common Riding.

The biggest festival by far which takes place in Scotland is the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, which occurs in August every year and lasts for three weeks. Also referred to simply as, “The Fringe,” or, “The Edinburgh Festival,” the Edinburgh Festival Fringe is a celebration of every aspect of the performing arts. Performers come from all over Planet Earth to take part and a whole section of The Royal Mile is closed each year for street performers to entertain the crowds. The indoor venues which are utilised for this purpose are spread across the city and in some cases slightly beyond.

The Edinburgh Military Tattoo is the crowning glory of the Edinburgh Festival. Tickets for the Tattoo sell out often months in advance. The Edinburgh Military Tattoo is held in the forecourt of Edinburgh Castle, at the top of The Royal Mile, where temporary grandstands are constructed each year, and features musical performances and a variety of displays, both from Her Majesty’s Forces and from guest representatives from around the world.

The year is completed in Scotland of course with what is colloquially known as, “Hogmanay” - New Year’s Eve. Hogmanay traditionally was a time when the end of the old year and the start of the new would be celebrated through the observance of a great many traditions. These traditions included emptying all the waste from the house before midnight, spending the midnight hour at home with family prior to venturing forth to visit neighbours, taking the first drink of the evening only when the witching hour struck and eating such as black bun, shortbread and steak pie, either in the early hours of New Year’s Day or later on that same day. These specific traditions have largely died out in Scotland in modern times and although Hogmanay is still celebrated, the actual celebrations take very much the form of those elsewhere in the world, with the revelling and drinking beginning hours beforehand at privately organised parties.

Although very different from what many perceive as the traditional festivals of Scotland, those which do still take place today still afford great variety, cultural representation and entertainment. As times change, of course, new festivals come in to being and cater to more modern and cosmopolitan tastes. As with elsewhere in the world, however, this merely represents changing and developing social tendencies and trends.