2020 Events in Inverness & Scottish Highlands
Highland Games - Festivals - Music

Pipe band at Piping Inverness, Scotland
Photo © The Internet Guide to Scotland

Scroll down for 2020 event listings by date

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) with some Highland dancers from one of the local dancing schools. 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

Taste of the Highlands
An evening of traditional entertainment with bagpipes and Highland dancers, with a 3 course meal at 7pm on Thursdays and Sundays in July, August and September 2019 at the Beaufort Hotel (11 Culduthel Road, Inverness). Learn to ceilidh dance with top traditional musicians! Tickets £30 per person.

The Highland Malt Whisky Experience
From April to October, every Monday and Thursday at 7pm MacGregor's (bottom of Academy Street) hosts the 90-minute Highland Malt Whisky Experience. Taste 5 malts, learn a bit of history, enjoy some music and tall tales. Pre-booking essential. Tickets £35 per person (or £15 for non drinkers).

Supper with music
Café Artysans (a charity/social enterprise cafe in Strothers Lane near the bus station in Inverness city centre) offers a relaxed evening of good food and traditional music from Feis Rois from 6pm-8pm on the first Thursday every month. Tickets cost £15 per person. This includes a delicious two-course supper, tea/coffee and live music entertainment. Check their Facebook page for details.

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.

Other venues and events:

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.

Concerts, shows and other spectacles take place at Eden Court Theatre (near the cathedral on the river). It also has 2 small cinemas with a daily programme of screenings.

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

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 2020:

18 - 19 January: The Strathpuffer annual 24-hour endurance mountain biking event in Strathpeffer.
25 - 26 January: Sled Dog Rally near Aviemore by the Siberian Husky Club of Great Britain
27 February - 4 March: The Inverness Music Festival
7 March: The Snowman Rally - annual event organised by the Highland Car Club.
9 March: Inverness Half Marathon and 5K
28 - 29 March: Highland Adventure Festival at Inverness College UHI
3-5 April: A Taste of Nairn showcasing local food and drink.
16 - 22 April: Clan MacKinnon Gathering special events in Inverness
18 April: Annual Commemoration Service at Culloden Battlefield at 11am
25 April: OutDores - music gigs at Dores Inn/beach
26 April: Etape Loch Ness cycle race
tbc late April - May: Inverness Science Festival
1 - 3 May: Crime & Thriller Festival - book festival with many guests and novellists.
8, 9, 10 May: Doors Open Days at Inverness Castle - find out about the plans to transform it into a tourism attraction
tbc mid May: Inverness Classic Vehicle Show
24 May: Race for Life 10K in Inverness - with Cancer Research UK
29 - 31 May: The LochNess360 Challenge - 3 marathons, an ultra marathon or a mountain bike challenge
30 May: The Gathering one-day music festival in Inverness
13 June: Truckness at Dores, by Loch Ness
13 June: Woodzstock family friendly music festival on the Black Isle at Woodside of Drumnamerg
27 June: European Pipe Band Championships at Bught Park, Inverness
28 June: Westlife in concert at Invernesss Caledonian Stadium
5 July: McFly in concert at the Big Top Tent in Bught Park
tbc July: XPO North Festival
17 July: Highlands Strongest Man and Woman
18 July: Inverness Highland Games
24 - 25 July: Loch Ness Film Festival
30 July - 1 August: Belladrum - Tartan Heart Festival on the Belladrum Estate, by
1 August: Nairn Show with livestock exhibitions, craft fair, food stalls and amusements is held at Kinnudie Farm, Auldearn.
6 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.
7 - 8 August: Highland Field Sports Fair at Moy Hall (between Aviemore and Inverness).
15 August: Nairn Highland Games
15 August: Nairn Half Marathon
20 - 21 August : Northern Meeting Piping Competition at Eden Court
22 August: Glenurquhart Highland Games at Drumnadrochit, Loch Ness
tbc August: Groove Loch Ness music festival
31 August - 1 September: Doors Open Days in Inverness and area (More info)
8 - 13 September: Nairn Book & Arts Festival
13 September: Kirking of the Council
15 - 19 September: Spirit of Moray book festival (Elgin)
September / October: Highland Archaeology Festival - events throughout the region.
tbc late September: Agricultural Working Vintage Rally & Display at Daviot Estate near Inverness
1 - 3 October: NessBookFest - Inverness book festival
3 October: Inverness Gin Festival at Eden Court with live music.
4 October: Loch Ness Marathon plus 5K and 10K River Ness fun runs.
8 - 17 October: Gaelic Royal National Mod including a Torch Light Procession on the 9th and Massed Choirs Procession and Show at Inverness Castle on the 17th
10 October: World Porridge Making Championship at Carrbridge
23 - 25 October: Loch Ness Knit Fest at Inverness College UHI
30 October: Deacon Blue in concert in Inverness
30 - 31 October: Halloween on Ness Islands
5 November: Civic Bonfire and Fireworks Display, Bught Park, Inverness
15 November: Inverness Christmas Lights Switch On and carols
11 - 13 December: Winter Wonderland
31 December: Red Hot Highland Fling - free Hogmanay party, Northern Meeting Park, Inverness