2012-02-05T12:14:28Z Festival Team Copyright 2012, Festival Team SPHPBLOG Welcome to the Inverness Festivals Blog. Sometimes it's hard to believe just how much our young Festivals' programme has grown since it was first launched in the winter of 2008; but here we are in 2012 with a year featuring a once in a lifetime visit by the Olympic Torch (on June 9th) and our free concert The Red Hot Highland Fling (on December 31st) now firmly established as Scotland's 2nd biggest Hogmanay Party behind Edinburgh's.There are a number of exciting new developments in the pipeline so make a note to return to this site in the weeks ahead to read all the latest news and views.
Best Wishes from The Festivals Team

Please scroll down to discover all the latest information about the events that you can enjoy as part of the 2012 Inverness Festivals programme.
Listed below are details of the major events that will be taking place in the Capital of the Highlands until December 2012. In addition to these events, you will find details of the smaller events taking place in the Highland Capital in our What's On Section which is edited by our friends at the Inverness City Advertiser.

As usual we have some GREAT events for kids in our programme and we have highlighted the ones that we think they will REALLY enjoy with a wee star! *


2012 Major Events Programme

Snowman Rally (18 February)
Inverness Music Festival (3-14 March)
Inverness Half Marathon (11 March)
Inverness Whisky Festival (6-7 April)
*The Great Easter Egg Hunt (TBC April)
Race for Life (TBC May)
*Inverness BID City Classic Vehicle Show (TBC May)
Northern Roots Festival (1-3 June)
* Olympic Torch Relay (9 June)
*Inverness Boat Festival (TBC)
Barclays Scottish Open Golf Championship (12-15 July)
* Inverness Bunkers Festival (13-14 July)
*Inverness Highland Games and Armed Forces Day (21 July)
Inverness Book Festival (TBC August)
Summer in the City - Status Quo (24 August)
Summer in the City - Runrig (25 August)
Summer in the City - Jools Holland
*Inverness Raft Race (TBC August / September)
Inverness Flower Festival (TBC August)
Northern Meeting Piping Competition (6-7 September)
Kirking of the Council (9 September)
Baxter's Loch Ness Marathon (30 September)
*Inverness Street Theatre Festival (TBC October)
*Ness Islands Halloween Show (26-27 October)
*Bonfire and Fireworks Display (5 November)
Inverness Film Festival (TBC November)
Remembrance Sunday (11 November)
*Christmas Lights Switch On (17 November)
*Rudolph's Winter Wonderland (8-9 December)
The Red Hot Highland Fling (31 December)

For further information please contact:
The Inverness Festivals Team
c/o Gerry Reynolds (Events and Promotions Officer) 01463 724216
Email: gerry.reynolds@highland.gov.uk

]]> http://www.invernessfestivals.com/winter08/blog/index.php?entry=entry120203-151055 2012-02-03T00:00:00Z 2012-02-03T00:00:00Z

The Olympic Torch will first appear on the evening on Saturday June 9th (which is our main celebration) before heading north to Orkney and Shetland and then it will be back on the morning of Monday June 11th before heading off to see our friends in Aberdeen.

Work is now well underway to organise the Saturday evening celebration which will mark the Torch arrive around 5pm at the west end of our city at the end of the longest of the 70 days that the Olympic Torch will be touring the UK.

An official announcement will be made shortly to reveal details of the Coca Cola sponsored headline act who will be appearing at our event; and having heard the whispers coming out of London about who we are likely to be welcoming all we can say is make a note in your diary.


]]> http://www.invernessfestivals.com/winter08/blog/index.php?entry=entry120202-043038 2012-02-02T00:00:00Z 2012-02-02T00:00:00Z
CLICK HERE TO SEE SOME GREAT FOOTAGE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnfZcj-QZNA]




The Inverness Highland Games and Armed Forces Day celebrations at Northern Meeting Park on Saturday always attracts thousands of spectators, glorious sunshine and a world class field of heavies to the Highland Capital every July.

Since combining with the city’s Armed Forces Day celebrations in 2010; the Inverness event is now one of the largest staged in Scotland, and features a wonderful parade through the streets of Inverness with 6 pipes and drums bands and hundreds of service personnel both past and present. The 2012 parade will start at Noon and pass Inverness Town House before making its way to Northern Meeting Park Arena.
The Games will once again feature a number of activities taking place outside of Northern Meeting Park itself with the Waterside Hotel sponsored Piping Competitions taking place in the grounds of Eden Court Theatre and the giant Highland Council Car Park being used to accommodate a Traditional Music Show and other attractions. The athletics and the heavy events will start at 1.30pm and will provide an outstanding afternoons entertainment.
]]> http://www.invernessfestivals.com/winter08/blog/index.php?entry=entry120201-153550 2012-02-01T00:00:00Z 2012-02-01T00:00:00Z


The Scottish Open Golf Championship returns to the Highlands this year and will be staghed at the magnificent Castle Stuart course situated between Inverness and Nairn on the Moray Firth coast.

The 2011 Championship suffered from torrential rain which led to the postponement of play on Friday afternoon and the cancellation of play on Saturday. Everybody has their fingers crossed that 2012 will give the Castle Stuart team the gloriously sunny weather that they deserve for bringing such a brilliant event to Inverness Meanwhile back in Inverness....





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One of the big hits of 2011 was the Inverness Street Theatre Festival which was organised by Inverness BID and the Eastgate Shopping Centre.

Full details will be posted as soon as we get them!]]> http://www.invernessfestivals.com/winter08/blog/index.php?entry=entry120201-124440 2012-02-01T00:00:00Z 2012-02-01T00:00:00Z


The City of Inverness Kirking of the Council is a key event rooted in tradition dating back some 400 years. The Kirking involves a procession of Council members and officials from the Town House through the streets of Inverness to the oldest church in the City – the Old High Church. Followers of the procession then attend a service at the Old High Church to seek God’s blessing on the work of elected members, officials and the life of the City.

Colour and pageantry marks the occasion of the Kirking of the Council on Sunday 11 Septembe as the British Legion Pipes and Drums Band lead uniformed youth groups, together with officials and Councillors in bright red robes, in the procession from the Town House down Church Street to the Old High St Stephen's Church.

For an event to have survived 400 years throughout many changes in history indicates the strength of commitment from councillors, officials and the community to mark the annual Kirking of the Council.

]]> http://www.invernessfestivals.com/winter08/blog/index.php?entry=entry120201-104856 2012-02-01T00:00:00Z 2012-02-01T00:00:00Z “Red Hot Highland Fling”, in Northern Meeting Park Arena .

The show was hosted by Craig Hill who ensured that the crowd was laughing throughout the night with a brilliant blend of enegy, warmth and gags which left everybody in no doubt why he is a hit wherever he goes.


The Fling featured a fourth band for the first time in the event’s history and one of the Highlands hottest new bands Hoodja who were the stars of July’s Inverness Bunkers Festival showed why they are gathering a huge and well deserved reputation throughout Scotland.

They were followed by a pounding set featuring Bags of Rock ; an thunderous Celtic / Rock crossover band fronted by by former Red Hot Chilli Piper’s frontman Gregor 'G-man' James.

The legendary Wolfstone have been chosen to turn up the heat. Since they were founded in 1989, Wolfstone have played Highland music combined with rock and roll to the delight of festival audiences everywhere and fiddler Duncan Chisholm and his colleagues more than delivered on their promise to present an unforgettable set slected from their repertoire of original songs and traditional folk classics for the gig.

Closing the show, on either side of a wedding proposal and a great fireworks display to welcome in 2012, were Skerryvore . Described as “…a living, breathing, 12-legged party waiting to happen” the band from the Isle of Tiree in Scotland’s Inner Hebrides features blazing bagpipes, fiddles and accordions and the mesmerising voice of singer Alec Daglish; they more than exceeded everybody's expectations.

2012 certainly has something to be someything special to follow a night attended by a delighted 10,000 plsus spectators.



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Hosted by Santa Claus and his reindeer, the show featured the Ice King and Queen and 4 mischievous Giant Seagulls disguised as Calling Birds performing around the lake at Whin Park which was decorated with a number of colourful illuminated statures and trees.

The work of the Highland Council’s Lighting Department in creating a beautiful arena for families to explore in difficult stormy conditions earlier in the week was rewarded with two dry evenings with hardly a breath of wind. The still conditions transformed the boating lake into a mirror which had the effect of producing some spectacular optical illusions to the delight of all.

At one point, the lake appeared to simply disappear and those who saw it seemingly replaced by a giant hole with trees growing downwards into the darkness will never forget the sight.

Inverness Festivals Chairman Roy Pedersen said “The Winter Wonderland event was a great success and we were delighted to see so many families attending. A number of folk have remarked that they have never seen Whin Park looking so beautiful and I could not agree more.”


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KiUjms_FHcQ[/url][/url]

]]> http://www.invernessfestivals.com/winter08/blog/index.php?entry=entry111211-113321 2011-12-11T00:00:00Z 2011-12-11T00:00:00Z Once again we have had another bumper entry for our advent Calendar Draw and the following community groups will be getting a £100 cheque by way of an early Christmas Present. Huge thanks to everyone who entered for all the wonderful that you do for our city.

2011 Advent Calendar Draw
Dec-01 4B Inverness Girls' Brigade
Dec-02 The Shirlie Project
Dec-03 Shop Mobility Highland 2
Dec-04 British Red Cross
Dec-05 Charleston Community Foundation
Dec-06 Highland Hospice
Dec-07 Maggies Highland
Dec-08 Inverness Hospital Radio
Dec-09 Women’s Royal Voluntary Service
Dec-10 The Archie Foundation Appeal
Dec-12 Ness Soaps
Dec-13 New Start Highland
Dec-14 Pets as Therapy
Dec-15 Carr Gomm
Dec-16 Highland Community Care Forum
Dec-17 Inverness City Football Club
Dec-18 Friends of Eden Court
Dec-19 James Cameron Community Centre
Dec-20 CLIC Sergeant
Dec-21 Salvation Army
Dec-22 Volunteering Highland
Dec-23 Oxfam in Scotland
Dec-24 Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland

Drawn by Sophie Sinclair (Aged 9) at the Christmas Lights Switch On event held on Sunday 20th November 2011
]]> http://www.invernessfestivals.com/winter08/blog/index.php?entry=entry111201-141955 2011-12-01T00:00:00Z 2011-12-01T00:00:00Z
INVERNESS CHRISTMAS LIGHTS SWITCH ON


The Countdown to Christmas will get underway in Inverness on Sunday (November 20) as hundreds of families will gather outside of the Town House to enjoy the celebration to mark the switching on of the Highland Capital’s Christmas Lights by Provost Jimmy Gray and Santa Claus.

Hosted by Ginno and Nicky from MFR's Breakfast Show, this year’s event will contain an enjoyable mixture of Christmas Carols and fun from 5.30pm and will feature a spectacular projection show by Arts in Motion which will bring the Town House to life with animations just in time for the arrival of Santa Claus and members of the cast of this year’s Eden Court Theatre “Cinderella”.

Following the switching on of the Christmas Lights, Santa and the Provost lead the crowd down Church Street to the Old High Church where the traditional Children’s Christmas Carol Service “Ding Dong Merrily Old High” will take place at 6.30pm.



]]> http://www.invernessfestivals.com/winter08/blog/index.php?entry=entry111115-152612 2011-11-15T00:00:00Z 2011-11-15T00:00:00Z The Highland Council Fireworks Display on Saturday (November 5th 2011) attracted an expectant crowd estimated to be in the region of 15,000 to Bught Park on a night that the Fireworx Scotland Display team described afterwards as a "Pyrotechnician's Dream".

The evening started with entertainment provided by the Merkinch based Falcon Drummers and an imaginative display of fire twirling by Fly Agaric which included a cyclist furiously pedalling a bicycle with flaming tyres around his fellow performers in the darkness.

Deputy Provost Alec Graham then stepped forward with 11 year old Struan Maclean to light the giant sixty feet high bonfire which had been constructed by the Highland Council's Technical Services team using thousands of wooden pallets dontated by the local business community; and on a night with hardly a breath of wind in the air, the flames quickly shot two hundred feet straight up as the bonfire roared into life.

The heat produced by the monster could be felt by the spectators located behind the barriers one hundred yards away; and for a while the field fell silent as everyone stood and simply watched the inferno.

Fifteen minutes later, after a countdown led by young Struan, the sound of Shirley Bassey demanding that the party got started filled the air and the twenty minute musically cheorgraphed firework display started.

For those who have witnessed the growth of the annual fireworks display in Inverness in recent years, it was a night when the music and fireworks combined like never before, and the roar of approval when the show closed with giant shell which had made the journey from a factory in China in order to explode a record 500 feet above the River Ness was richly deserved.

The contrast with the "Pyrotechnican's Nightmare" at Oban the previous evening, when all the fireworks detonated in less than a minute due to a techical hitch, could not have been greater.

The Fireworks Display Video ]]> http://www.invernessfestivals.com/winter08/blog/index.php?entry=entry111113-142638 2011-11-13T00:00:00Z 2011-11-13T00:00:00Z Click here to read Gerry Reynolds' Hogmanay Interview


A glimpse being the scenes of the workings of the Inverness Festivals Working Group as Gerry discusses the development of The Red Hot Highland Fling.
]]> http://www.invernessfestivals.com/winter08/blog/index.php?entry=entry111113-130623 2011-11-13T00:00:00Z 2011-11-13T00:00:00Z