Events in Inverness & Highlands
Highland Games - Festivals - Music

Pipe band at Nairn Highland Games, Scotland
Photo © Franco Ricci | Dreamstime.com

Annual Events:
To entertain visitors, the Inverness Royal British Legion Pipe Band performs in Inverness High Street every Tuesday from 8pm until 8.30pm (usually from end June until early September). You are likely to see a piper or other musicians busking in the streets of Inverness and sometimes other entertainment around the Eastgate shopping centre.

Inverness Townhouse Ceilidh
New for 2019 - this will be held every Tuesday (with one or two exceptions) from 18 June to 17 September from 7pm to 8.30pm. Featuring local musicians, singers, pipers and dancers. Tickets £19.50 for adults and £14.50 for children. Booking recommended - Townhouseceilidh.com

Music in pubs/bars/hotels:
Pubs for traditional Scottish Music include Hootananny / Mad Hatters (Church Street), MacGregor's (bottom of Academy Street), and the Gellions (Bridge Street). There's often live music atJohnny Foxes (Bank Street, overlooking the river), Encore Une Fois (in Young Street just over the bridge), the Market Bar (Church Street), The Tooth & Claw (tucked away in Baron Taylor's Street), as well as The Dog House (opposite the post office in Queensgate). MacNabs at the Columba Hotel on the river has live music on Saturday nights.
Piano music at weekends in the bar at the Glenmoriston Hotel on the riverside.
For ceilidhs, try Hootananny on a Saturday afternoon.

The invernessGiGs web site includes music news, events listings, reviews, etc.
The Ironworks Live Music Venue at 122b Academy Street features concerts in all genres of music. Tel: 07787 535306.
What's Happening Inverness Facebook page is another good source of local entertainment and activities.

Vue is a cinema multiplex a couple of miles outside the city centre.

Concerts and other spectacles take place at Eden Court Theatre (near the cathedral on the river).
For art events, The Castle Gallery at 43 Castle Street (tel: 01463 729512) has exhibitions of original contemporary fine and applied art.

The Farmers' Market is held on the first Saturday of each month (except January), with stalls of local produce (meat, fish, fruit, vegetables, cheese, homebaking) in the Eastgate pedestrian area of Inverness city centre.

On Sundays there's a car boot sale at Tulloch Caledonian Stadium from March - December.

For additional events listings, see:

The Inverness City Advertiser - detailed events listings covering music, nightclubs, cinema, theatre, sports, exhibitions, restaurants, etc.
What's on list for Inverness
Visit mi inverness for savings, discounts and deals on restaurants, retail outlets, visitor attractions and local events
invernessGiGs for live music
What's on at Strathpeffer Pavilion
Visit Inverness & Loch Ness - events in the area

Events in 2019:

9 February: Snowman Rally (Highland Car Club)
28 February - 2 March: The Inverness Music Festival
10 March: Inverness Half Marathon and 5K
13 April: Inverness Whisky & Gin Festival - food, music and drink!
12 - 14 April: A Taste of Nairn food and drink festival in Nairn
26 April - 12 May: Inverness Science Festival
27 April: OutDores - music gigs at Dores Inn/beach
28 April: Etape Loch Ness cycle race
5 - 9 May: Cromarty Crime & Thriller Festival
11 May: Inverness Classic Vehicle Show
1 June: The Gathering - a brand new family-friendly music festival at the Northern Meeting Park featuring Tide Lines, The Vatersay Boys, Elephant Sessions, Hó-ró, Siobhan Miller, Torridon, The Trad Project plus the City of Inverness Youth Pipe Band
9 June: Highland Garden Fest at Inverness Botanic Gardens
15 June: Truckness at Dores, by Loch Ness
29 June: European Pipe Band Championships in Inverness for the first time - the biggest piping event in the Highlands!
3 - 4 July: XPO North Festival
6 July: Big Top Tent at Bught Park - music featuring The Proclaimers and other bands
July - August: Caledonian Ceilidh Trail at various venues in the Highlands
19 July: Highlands Strongest Man and Woman competitions in Inverness
20 July: Inverness Highland Games at Bught Park
21 July: Inverness Gala featuring Proud Ness (LGBT) parade to Bught Park, Ruff Ness dog show, Junior Shinty Festival, Clan Village, Inverness Gigs musical showcase and much more
26 - 27 July: Loch Ness Film Festival
27 July: Nairn Show with livestock exhibitions, craft fair, food stalls and amusements is held at Kinnudie Farm, Auldearn.
31 July - 1 August: Black Isle Show at Mannsfield Showground, Muir of Ord (tel: 01463 870870). This is the largest agricultural show in the North of Scotland. It attracts over 2,000 cattle, horse and sheep entries, more than 300 trade stands and over 25,000 visitors to the show each year. There is plenty to see and do, craft fair, food fair, 'On the Farm' exhibition for the kids, agricultural stands, vintage rally and sheep shearing.
1 - 3 August: Belladrum - Tartan Heart Festival on the Belladrum Estate, by Beauly. Family-orientated outdoor festival of rock, country, blues and world music.
2 - 3 August: Highland Field Sports Fair at Moy Hall (between Aviemore and Inverness).
10 August: Strathpeffer Highland Gathering
17 August: Nairn Half Marathon
17 August: Nairn Highland Games
18 August: Groove Loch Ness
24 August: Glenurquhart Highland Games at Drumnadrochit, Loch Ness
29 - 30 August : Northern Meeting Piping Competition at Eden Court
early September: Doors Open Days in Inverness
early September: Blas Traditional Music Festival (various venues around the Highlands) - culminating in a huge concert in Inverness on Saturday 15 September with young musicians and singers performing alongside Skipinnish and Trail West.
8 September: Kirking of the Council - Town House & Old High church
10 - 15 September: Nairn Book & Arts Festival
tbc late September: Agricultural Working Vintage Rally & Display at Daviot Estate near Inverness
September / October: Highland Archaeology Festival - events throughout the region.
3 - 5 October: NessBookFest - Inverness book festival
6 October: Loch Ness Marathon plus 5K and 10K River Ness fun runs.
12 October: World Porridge Making Championship at Carrbridge
12 October: NessCon (Inverness Comic Convention)
16 - 20 October: Loch Ness Knit Fest
26 - 27 October: Halloween at Ness Islands
5 November: Fireworks Display and Bonfire at Bught Park
tbc November: Inverness Film Festival
17 November: Inverness Christmas Lights Switch On
13 - 15 December: Winter Wonderland at Whin Park
31 December: free Hogmanay concert - Red Hot Highland Fling

For 2020:
After the success of the one-day music festival in June 2019, The Gathering will be back on 30 May 2020.
Inverness will be hosting the Gaelic Royal National Mod from 9 to 17 October 2020 including a Torch Light Procession on the 9th and Massed Choirs Procession and Show at Inverness Castle on the 17th.

Whisky
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