Oban celebrates festival’s winter wonderland
Oban Winter Festival was launched in fine style as Santa’s parade – complete with reindeer Hamish – made its way through the town culminating in the big Christmas lights switch-on. Rachel Carre and Erin Jackson had the honour of turning on the lights.
The seventh Oban Winter Festival kicked off last Friday with Ballet West’s beautiful winter wonderland and bumper turn-outs to weekend events, promising plenty more fun in store.
Organiser Pamela Lockhart said many events and stallholders had sold out, with Oban Distillery’s food and craft market drawing 2,500 visitors through the door alone. ‘The town was busy,’ she said, ‘all the car parks were full.’ Volunteers at Argyll Animal Aid served 650 portions of clootie dumpling and 500 ‘snow fairy’ cakes at their busy craft fair in the Corran Halls.
Around 250 visitors of all ages attended the family fun science event at the Ocean Explorer Centre, Dunstaffnage, part of the Oban Winter Festival. In the absence of Sir David Attenborough and his Blue Planet II team, it was students from the Scottish Association for Marine Science UHI who educated visitors on topics as diverse as plastic pollution, underwater sounds and dolphin strandings.
The winners of the Rotary Club of Oban’s design a Christmas card competition enjoyed their moment of glory later that evening, with Lois MacLean of Park Primary and Elin
MacLean of Salen Primary taken on a tour of victory through the town, pulled by reindeer in Santa’s sleigh. The older winners, Erin Jackson of Strath of Appin Primary and Rachel Carre of Lochnell Primary, had the honour of switching on the Christmas lights in Station Square.
Ahead there’s plenty to look forward to, including today’s latenight shopping, plus a spectacular light show and haunting pipes tunes at Dunollie, where the stories of Oban’s ancient castle are brought to life, with a warming pie and broth.
Oban Pipe Band holds its annual St Andrew’s night ceilidh on Saturday at 7.30pm in the Argyllshire Gathering Halls. The versatile Crackin’ Craic will headline, supported by Argyll Ceilidh Trail, Sinclair School of Dance, Mary Catherine MacNeill, Sileas Sinclair, world class piper Angus MacColl and, of course, Oban Pipe Band. Admission is £7, and tickets are available from Oban Music or at the door.
Saturday also sees Murder on the Orient Express at Oban’s Phoenix Cinema, a Tartan Dash parkrun, the haggis hurling championships, and this year’s live music act OMG featuring Supa and Da Kryptonites in the Corran Halls.
The Rockfield Centre hosts contemporary art events including a workshop and Locating Lorne, a series of events aiming to build collaborations between artists in North Argyll.
A charity Zumbathon is raising money for the Hope Kitchen and Homestart Lorn at the end of the Oban Winter Festival.
The 90-minute workout to Latin American music will be led by four local instructors, Magdalena Sadlik, Deslyn Mothae-Hall, Karen Banaghan and Sam Ford. If you wish to take part, the Zumbathon takes place on Sunday November 26 from 2:30pm-4pm in Oban’s Corran Halls, and all proceeds from the £8 tickets go to these two local charities.
Sunday also features the whisky and haggis festivals, Victorian afternoon teas, Selkirk sand art, Atlantis Leisure’s roller disco, wine tasting, and Rockfield’s winter wonderland grotto, which invites you to bring a present to Santa for the annual shoebox appeal, supported by Mary’s Meals and the Salvation Army.
The festival finishes with the ‘something old, something new’ family hat parade starting at the Corran Halls at 5pm, ready to watch the fireworks finale illuminating McCaig’s Tower at 6.30pm.
For those wanting more, there’s an extra St Andrews night ceilidh dance in Skippinish Ceilidh House on Thursday November 30.