2022 Events in Inverness & Scottish Highlands
Highland Games - Festivals - Music

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

Please check the latest Covid restrictions and check with event organisers if you are travelling for a specific event. See 2022 calendar below.

Cinema and Theatre
Eden Court Theatre and Cinema in Inverness by the River Ness.
Vue (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.

Music in pubs/bars/hotels:
These are some of the most popular local venues:

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.
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 on Academy Street features concerts in all genres of music.

The Inverness 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.

Events in 2022:

Due to Covid, please check with event organisers before making plans to attend any events.

15 - 16 January: Strathpuffer 24-hour Mountain Bike Endurance Event in Strathpeffer CANCELLED
12 February: Inverness Chinese New Year Celebrations and street parade
25 February - 6 March: The Inverness Music Festival
5 March: The Snowman Rally organised by the Highland Car Club. Start/finish at The Black Isle Showground, Muir of Ord. Parade through Dingwall.
13 March: Inverness Half Marathon and 5K
16 April: Annual Commemoration Service at Culloden Battlefield
24 April: Etape Loch Ness cycle race
6 - 8 May: Crime & Thriller Festival at Cromarty on the Black Isle
tbc - usually in May: Inverness Classic Vehicle Show
20 - 22 May: The LochNess360 Challenge - 3 marathons, an ultra marathon or a mountain bike challenge.
28 May: The Gathering is a music festival in Inverness at the Northern Meeting Park
11 June: Truckness at Dores, by Loch Ness. 10th anniversary year.
25 June: European Pipe Band Championships over 4000 pipers and drummers at Bught Park, Inverness.
2 July: Duran Duran in concert in Inverness at the Caledonian Stadium
2 July: Skipinnish in concert at Bught Park, Inverness
3 July: Texas in concert at Bught Park, Inverness
15 July: Inverness Highland Games (200th anniversary)
28 - 30 July: Belladrum - Tartan Heart Festival on the Belladrum Estate, near Beauly.
30 July: Nairn Show - livestock exhibitions, craft fair, food stalls and amusements.
4 August: Black Isle Show at the Showground, Muir of Ord. 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.
5 - 6 August: Highland Field Sports Fair at Moy Hall (between Aviemore and Inverness).
12 August: Amy MacDonald in concert at the Northern Meeting Park, Inverness
13 August: Olly Murs in concert at the Northern Meeting Park in Inverness
tbc 13 August: Strathpeffer Highland Gathering in the grounds of Castle Leod.
tbc 20 August: Nairn Highland Games
22 August: Glenurquhart Highland Games at Drumnadrochit, Loch Ness
tbc end August : Northern Meeting Piping Competition at Eden Court
27 August - 3 September: Nairn Book & Arts Festival
tbc end September - early October: Highland Archaeology Festival
tbc September: Blas Festival ceilidhs and concerts across the Highlands.
2 October: Loch Ness Marathon plus 5K and 10K River Ness fun runs.
6 - 8 early October: NessBookFest - Inverness book festival
8 October: World Porridge Making Championship at Carrbridge
Halloween: Whin Park - tbc
5 November: Bonfire night and fireworks - tbc
late November: Inverness Christmas lights switch on - tbc
November and December: Christmas craft fairs by Exclusively Highlands, venues to be confirmed
tbc November: Brodie Illuminated - when The National Trust for Scotland illuminates the grounds around Brodie Castle near Forres
15 December 2022: The Proclaimers in concert at the Inverness Leisure Centre