2008 Events
April
Apr 1-30 “Creating Order”,
an exhibition in the Courtyard Gallery, Benmore
Gardens,10:30 – 17:30
Apr 1 - 30 “Hard Rain”,
Benmore Gardens. An exhibition remarking a world
gone wrong.
April 4 “Rush” Tribute
Band, Queen’s Hall, Dunoon,
8pm, Tickets £12; Tel: (01369)-702800
Apr 7 - 13 Lochfynehead Week
Fun for all the family, Lochfynehead week includes
a duathlon with a run to the top of Ben Buidhe,
string orienteering for kids, treasure hunt,
visits to Ardkinglas Mansion House, guided walks,
brewery tours and tree shop demonstrations. see www.lochfynhead.com for
further details.
April 7 Puppet Show, “Willie
the Wicked Wolf”, Queen’s Hall, Dunoon,
11am, Tickets £4; Tel (01369)-702800
April 9 Puppet Show , “Beauty
and the Beast”, Queen’s Hall, 11am,
Tickets £4; Tel (01369)-702800
April 18 “Mad About Musicals,
Queen’s Hall, Dunoon, 8pm, Tickets £15;
Tel:(01369)-702800
April 19 “Cowal Fiddle Workshop”,
Queen’s Hall, Dunoon, 7.30pm, Tel: (01369)-702800
May
May 1 - 5 Isle of Bute Jazz Festival
Now in its TENTH year, the Festival attracts
top jazz musicians from all over the world.
May 1-18 “Creating Order”,
an exhibition in the Courtyard Gallery, Benmore
Gardens;10:30 – 17:30.
May 1 - 31 “Hard Rain”,
Benmore Gardens, an exhibition remarking a a
world gone wrong.
May 3 & Jun 1 Loch Lomond Food and
Drink Festival - Loch Lomond Shores,
Balloch.
A celebration and demonstration of great Scottish
cooking and a showcase of excellent produce from
within Scotland's first National Park and throughout
Scotland.
May 3 -Jun 12 Art Exhibition – Tighnabruaich
Gallery
May 10 - 11 Loch Fyne Food Fair
Cairndow, near Inveraray, Argyll
A feast of West Coast food next to the famous
Loch Fyne Oyster Bar. Accompanied by wines, local
ales, and live music all day, there will be a
wide range of foods showcased, sold by the producers,
ready to eat or to take home. There will also
be a craft tent with over 20 craft producers
and children’s entertainment.
May 15 Walks & Talks ,Benmore
Gardens, 2pm, “Restoring the Benmore Fernery”
May 16 “The Singing Kettle”,
Queen’s Hall, Dunoon, 17.00; Tel:(01369)-702800
May 18 “Bluebell Day”,
Glenbranter forestry office, 1:30 – 16.00, £5
per person, children free, includes tea/coffee
and cake; Tel: Glenbranter Office, (01369)-860703
May 23 - 26 Bell Lawrie Scottish Series,
Tarbert, Argyll
Scotland's premier yacht racing event is held
annually in Tarbert, attracting up to 200 yachts
and their crew, racing on the clear waters of
Loch Fyne.
May 24 “Wildlife in Cowal”,
meet at Ardgartan Visitor Centre, 12:00 - 16.00, £2;
Tel: Glenbranter Office, (01369)-860703
May 24-Jun 1 Feis Ile - Islay Festival
of Malt and Music 2008, Island of Islay (all
day)
May 31 “The Gunna Sound Ceilidh
Band”, Park Hotel, Dunoon, 8pm-1am,
Tickets £7; Tel: (01369)-702383
June
Jun 1 - 8 “Hard Rain”,
Benmore Gardens, exhibition remarking a world
gone wrong.
Jun 15 & 16 Get Active Loch Lomond
Festival, Loch Lomond Shores, Balloch
Canoeing, mountain biking, wakeboarding, a 10k
race and even an invitation to join an evening
canoe trip, will be just some of the outdoor
activities on offer at loch.
Jun13 -Aug 30 “P.S. Waverley” Sails
on the Clyde (see leaflets)
Jun 14 -30 Jul Art Exhibition – Tighnabruaich
Gallery
Jun 21 “Family Woodland Fun Day”,
meet at Glenbranter forestry office, 12:00-16.00, £2,
Tel:Glenbranter Office, (01369)-860703
Jun 22 Swamp Soccer, Strachur
by Dunoon
Jun 20 - 22 ArtsFeastCowal -
Artsfeast 2008 at various venues and studios
in Dunoon and Cowal. A celebration of the Arts
and Food in Cowal. A feast of music, theatre,
art, photography, film and of course food. See
www.artsfeastcowal.com.
Jun 24-Aug 26 “P.S. Waverley – (Cruise
on Loch Fyne),Tighnabruaich; 13.40
Jun 28 - Jul 5 Mendelssohn on Mull Festival
A series of open rehearsals, recitals and concerts
given by a group of young musicians on the brink
of starting their professional careers, mentored
by a dedicated group their seniors. The week-long
festival plays to packed houses on the island
Mendelssohn himself admired so much.
July
Jul 5 - 6 Tarbert Seafood Festival,
Tarbert, Loch Fyne
This annual festival is set around the beautiful
natural harbour at Tarbert on Loch Fyne and showcases
some of the finest and tastiest seafood in Scotland.
Cookery demonstrations, street entertainment,
exhibitions, seafood, craft stalls, live music
and a carnival parade are just some of the great
events on offer.
Jul 10 - 13 Barclays Scottish Open,
Loch Lomond
A major event on the European PGA golf tour,
the Barclays Scottish open attracts an outstanding
field of players from around the world. The competition
is staged on the stunning and exclusive Loch
Lomond course that was recently ranked 21 in
the world's top 100 courses and has become an
instant favourite of players and visitors alike.
Jul 19 & 20 Dunstaffnage Music Festival,
Dunstaffnage, by Oban
A two-day music festival which has grown out
of an informal party at Achnacloich near Oban.
Set to become an annual event, the festival will
feature performances from 16 bands per day over
two stages from 12 noon to midnight each day.
July 21 “P.S. Waverley”,
Sail from Tighnabruaich 14.15 (not Dunoon), cruise
Loch Fyne; back 17.25.
Jul 25 - 27 Lomond Folk Festival,
Loch Lomond
This traditional and folk-music festival is
held annually at Balloch on the shores of beautiful
Loch Lomond. Featuring sessions, singing, instrument
workshops, craft fairs, street entertainment
and children's show.
August
Aug 2 “Wildlife in Cowal”,
meet at Ardgartan Visitor Centre, 12:00 - 16.00, £2,
Tel: Glenbranter Office, (01369)-860703.
Aug 2-28 Art Exhibition, Tighnabruaich
Gallery
Aug 9 Walking Theatre Company present “Treasure
Island”, 14.00-16-00, meet at Glenmorag
car park, West Bay, Dunoon, adults £5,
children free; Tel: Glenbranter Office, (01369)-860703.
Aug 14 Walks & Talks, “China
Now and Then”, Benmore Gardens, 14.00
Aug 14 Islay Show, Isle of Islay
Aug 16 & 17 “From Small Acorns”,
exhibition, Hunter’s Quay Holiday Village,
10am – 4pm; Tel: Jackie McBurney, (01369)-707772
or (07717)-404520
Aug 21 - 24 Mull of Kintyre Music Festival,
Campbeltown, Argyll
Campbeltown in beautiful Kintyre is the setting
for this weekend-long display of new, emerging
and established musical talent. Indoor and outdoor
venues host a range of concerts, sessions, ceilidhs,
choirs, pipe and brass bands and modern & Highland
dancing. With open-air and children's events.
Aug 28 - 30 Cowal Highland Gathering,
Dunoon
Dating back to 1894, the Gathering is described
as 'the largest and most spectacular Highland
Games in the world'.
The Cowal Highland Games annually attracts more
than 3,500 competitors - many from Scottish diaspora,
from as far afield as British Columbia and New
Zealand to compete in dancing, piping, heavy
events, athletics and shinty.
Aug 30-Oct 2 Art Exhibition ,
Tighnabruaich Gallery.
September
Sept 3 & 10 “Bat Watch”,
meet Glenbranter Information Centre, 19.30 till
late, Adults £5, Children Free, children
must be with an adult; Tel: (01369)-860703
Sept 20 “The Fraser McGlynn Duo”,
Park Hotel, Dunoon, 8pm – 1am, Tickets £7;
Tel: (01369)-702383
Sept 28 World Stone Skimming Championships,
Easedale
The tiny Hebridean island of Easdale welcomes
almost 200 competitors battling to win the coveted
World Stone Skimming Cup. With party, barbeque,
bands and children's entertainment, the championships
promise a fun day out for everyone.
Oct 3 - 12 Cowalfest – for
details go to www.cowalfest.org
Cowalfest, Scotland's largest
walking festival, is now also a major arts festival
with a 10-day programme of walks, arts, cultural
and social events that celebrate landscape and
the natural world's influence on creativity.
This is a unique and vibrant festival that's
redolent of place and imbued with local character
and charm. Its mountains and lochs, formed by
fire and ice, are graced by forest and ancient
woodland, and never far away are those stunning
west coast sea lochs.
November
Oct 4 - Nov 26 Art Exhibition,
Tighnabruaich Gallery.
Oct 10 - 12 Tunnock's Tour of Mull Rally,
Mull
Claimed to be 'the best rally in the world',
the thrilling Tunnock's Tour of Mull sees cars
compete against the clock over the island's often
single-track public roads, with lots of hairpins,
steep hills and big drops! Come and compete or
spectate and party in one of Mull's biggest events
of the year.
Oct 18 “Isla Accordian & Fiddle
Band”, Park Hotel, Dunoon, 8pm – 1am,
Tickets £7; Tel: (01369)-702383
Oct 18 “P.S. Waverley”,
sail from Blairmore Pier, 13.00, cruise to Lochgoilhead & Arrochar;
back 16.15.
Oct 19 “P.S.Waverley”,
sail from Dunoon Pier 12.45 to Rothesay & Tighnabruaich;
back 16.45
Nov 15 “Sileas Sinclair Ceilidh
Band”, Park Hotel, Dunoon, 8pm – 1am,
Tickets £7; Tel: (01369)-702383
Nov 29 -Jan 3 Art Exhibition,
Tighnabruaich Gallery
December
Dec 20 “Deoch ‘N’ Doris”,
Park Hotel, Dunoon, 8pm – 1am, Tickets £7;
Tel: (01369)-702383
Dec 31 Oban Hogmanay Street Party
Oban pushes the boat out with an event which
has all the ingredients of being a great family
occasion. A fantastic entertainment programme
has been lined up for the event with the sensational
ceilidh band Skerryvore topping the bill. They
will be ably supported by The Democrats and Chunks
as well as traditional piping and Gaelic music.
There will also be a fabulous fireworks display
from high above the town.
(Dates tbc) Helensburgh
and Lomond Real Ale Festival
Bringing together nine of the finest independent
Scottish breweries, alongside a plethora of local
musical talent, the inaugural Helensburgh and
Lomond Real Ale Festival promises to be one of
the drinking events of year.
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