PERTH ALL SET TO PARTY
Action-packed list of events will attract thousands to the Fair City
Thousands are expected to descend on Perth this weekend as the city prepares for Super Saturday.
It’s set to be an actionpacked day in the Fair City, with numerous events taking place in the city centre.
This includes the first ever Pride march, Perth Medieval Fayre, the Great Perthshire Tattie Run, the Women’s Tour cycling race and the Touch of Tartan half marathon.
One of the highlights of this Saturday will be Perthshire Pride, a full-day event celebrating the region’s LGBT community.
It will include the first ever Pride march for the city, which will leave from the South Inch car park at noon.
The parade will go down Tay Street and finish at 1pm at the Pride Village, which will be set up on Horsecross Plaza outside Perth Concert Hall.
The village will be open from noon until 6pm with live entertainment, public speakers and stalls.
As well as the entertainment on stage, Horsecross Arts will be running a barbecue and a bar.
Charities and community groups will be running stalls, and there will be a sensory area run by Perth Autism Support and a youth zone run by GLOW, Perth’s youth LGBT group.
Dog Friendly Perthshire will also be running a ‘pups of Pride’ competition, with categories including waggiest tail, coolest party trick, dog doppelganger and the pup of Perthshire Pride.
Organisers of the parade are also wanting to encourage dog owners to bring their four-legged friends along to join marchers.
And they are hoping to set a world record attempt for the largest ceilidh – but to keep up the Pride spirit, it will be called a ‘gaylidh’.
Ceilidh band Can You Reel It? will be performing at Horsecross Plaza at 4pm, and as many people as possible are needed to join together to set the record attempt.
Perthshire Pride will be capped off with an official after party at The Bank bar and nightclub, which will have a ‘Disney does Gaga’ drag theme.
Although entry to both the Pride parade and event during the day is free, tickets to the after-party cost £3 and can be bought from a stall a the Pride Village or on the door. The party is for over- 18s only.
While the organisers of Perthshire Pride are looking to the future, only a few streets away others will be taking a step into the city’s past. Runners sporting tartan at last year’s event
Perth Medieval Fayre will be taking over much of the city centre once again with stalls, entertainment and food on High Street, St John Street and King Edward Street.
This is the fifth year the medieval fayre has entertained crowds in Perth, and once again looks set to celebrate the city’s ancient roots with a day of free events and activities.
There will be medieval reenactments, crafters, puppets and storytellers dotted throughout the city centre from noon until 5pm.
‘Ye Olde Perth Dunk Tank’ will also make a return to the festivities, and there will be music on the High Street from tribal band Clandonia.
One of the highlights of this year’s medieval fayre will be a combat zone on King Edward Street.
The combat zone will be manned by the Scottish Knights League, who will demonstrate their skills in medieval combat at 12.30pm and 3.40pm.
This year The Great Perthshire Tattie Run will also be part of the medieval fayre.
The challenge will see participants given a sack of spuds to put on their backs while they race around the city centre, with the finish line outside Perth City Hall.
A number of different races will be held to suit all abilities and ages, including an individual run (2.20pm), junior run (2.40pm), spud and spoon race (2.55pm), special wheelchair relay race (2.55pm), and a tattie relay race (3.30pm).
Entry to compte in the Great Perthshire Tattie Run is free and can be done online in advance at www.greatscottishevents.org. uk or on the day. Everyone who takes part gets to keep their sack of potatoes.
Staying with the sporting theme, Saturday also sees the Touch of Tartan half marathon and the Women’s Tour cycling event.
Saturday’s half marathon leaves from Perth Airport at 11am and finishes on the North Inch.
Around 500 runners are expected to take on the 13.1-mile challenge over roads, pavements and forest trails, all while wearing a spot of tartan.
Those wanting to sign up for the race at the last minute can do so online via eventfull.biz/index. php/sporting-events/touch-oftartan-perth-half-marathon
Meanwhile on Tay Street, sports fans can see the conclusion of the second stage of the Women’s Tour of Scotland.
The cycling tour is a three-day, three-stage race featuring some of the top athletes in the world and will cover 350 kilometres.
Although stage one begins today (Friday, August 9), stage two on Saturday will leave from George Square in Glasgow and finish outside the council chambers on Tay Street in Perth at around 3pm.
The race will conclude at Holyrood Park in Edinburgh on Sunday.
To mark the race there will also be cycling-themed events throughout the city centre from 12.45pm until 4pm on Saturday.
And to celebrate the upcoming Solheim Cup, which takes place at Gleneagles next month, there will be free nine-hole golf, target golf and golf inflatables for all ages and abilities on the South Inch outside the pavilion.
Perthshire Pride, Perth Medieval Fayre and the Great Perthshire Tattie Run are all free for everybody to attend, and it will be free to spectate the Touch of Tartan half marathon and also the Women’s Tour of Scotland. The entertainment at Perthshire Pride 2019 will be performed on stage Daniel Clark meets members of the medieval realm at last year’s Medieval Fayre