Events in Scotland
Major Events in Scotland for 2026
Rick Steve is a great resource of tourist information for Scotland
2026
January 1–2: New Year's Day and New Year's Holiday (continued Hogmanay celebrations; closures)
January 25: Burns' Night (poetry readings, haggis…whisky)
January 27: Up Helly Aa, Shetland Islands (Viking-inspired festival with torch processions and a burning galley)
April 3–5: Easter weekend (Good Friday through Easter Sunday; closures)
April 4–19: Edinburgh Science Festival
April 30: Beltane Fire Festival, Edinburgh (dancing, bonfire)
May 4: Early May Bank Holiday
May 25: Spring Bank Holiday
June 12–14: Scottish Traditional Boat Festival, Portsoy (east of Inverness)
July 17–26: Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival
June 18–21: Royal Highland Show, Edinburgh (Scottish-flavored county fair)
August 3: Summer Bank Holiday
August 7–29: Edinburgh Military Tattoo, Edinburgh (massing of military bands)
August 7–30: Edinburgh International Festival (music, dance, shows)
August 7–31: Edinburgh Fringe Festival (offbeat theater and comedy)
August 15–30: Edinburgh International Book Festival
August 15–30: Edinburgh International Film Festival
August 27–29: Cowal Highland Gathering, west of Glasgow in Dunoon (Highland games and dancing)
August 29–September 6 (likely): Largs Viking Festival (west of Glasgow)
September 5: Braemar Gathering, north of Pitlochry (Highland games and dancing)
October 9–17: Royal National Mòd, Glasgow (Gaelic cultural festival)
October 21–31: Scottish International Storytelling Festival, Edinburgh
November 5: Bonfire Night (a.k.a. Guy Fawkes Night; fireworks, bonfires, effigy-burning of 1605 traitor Guy Fawkes)
November 8: Remembrance Sunday (two minutes of silence at 11:00 to remember WWI dead, people wear poppies on lapels)
November 30: St. Andrew's Day (national day; ceilidh dancing and other cultural events)
December 2: St. Andrew's Day observance (bank-holiday closures)
December 25: Christmas Day (closures)
December 31–January 2, 2027: Hogmanay (Scottish New Year's, with music, street theater, carnival — most notably in Edinburgh)