SHOWCASING SCOTLAND ’16
Packed programme for year ahead
THROUGHOUT 2016, the Year of Innovation, Architecture and Design celebrates all of Scotland’s fascinating achievements, attractions and more in these areas, with a packed programme of events and festivals across the country.
The world as we know it would be a very different place without the pioneering and creative spirit of Scotland.
From the telephone and television, to great feats of engineering, world-famous textiles and stunning built heritage – they’ve all come from Scotland.
Take a ride on the Falkirk Wheel – the world’s only rotating boat lift, which connects the Union and Forth & Clyde canals – and experience engineering at its most impressive.
While you’re in the area, stop off at Andy Scott’s iconic Kelpies, the almost 100ft-high horse head sculptures.
Scotland has a proud history of iconic buildings too, including hundreds of castles and baronial homes, each with their own unique stories to uncover.
Look out for the instantly recognisable designs of Charles Rennie Mackintosh at attractions including the House for an Art Lover, The Lighthouse, Glasgow School of Art and Scotland Street Museum and innovative eco-friendly accommodation.
The Scottish parliament building in Edinburgh, the Riverside Museum in Glasgow and the Mareel arts venue in Lerwick, Shetland, are just some of the contemporary designs to be found across the country.
Don’t miss the Festival of Architecture, a year-long, Scotland-wide programme of exhibitions, films and events including a touring exhibition of the top 100 buildings in the country over the last century as voted for by the Scottish public.
The festival kicks off with Hinterland, a fascinating light and sound event at the great modernist ruin, St Peter’s Seminary, at Kilmahew near Cardross in Argyll.
Marking 50 years since the building first opened, the event will showcase St Peter’s as it’s never been seen before.
Scotland has also built an enviable reputation for design and creativity and the city of Dundee enjoys the honour of being the UK’s first UNESCO City of Design.
It is home to a thriving innovative gaming industry, a hotbed of design and creative development with students attending Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and, in 2018 it will welcome the much-anticipated V&A Museum of Design. In Edinburgh, summer 2016 sees the opening of ten new galleries at the National Museum of Scotland, which will exhibit thousands of science and technology, decorative art, design and fashion artefacts.
Many of these will be on show for the first time.
Meanwhile, visitors to the National Museum of Flight in East Lothian can also enjoy two newly developed Second World War hangars when they open in spring.
The craft and textile industry in Scotland is second to none with fabrics such as Harris Tweed and cashmere regularly used by the world’s leading fashion houses.
Learn about these intricate designs and textiles and purchase a memento by visiting workshops and open studios across the Outer Hebrides, the Verdant Works in Dundee or the Borders Textile Towerhouse in Hawick to discover more about the traditions involved in production.
It was in Scotland that the game of golf was pioneered and with more than 500 courses throughout the country, you can experience for yourself the excellent mix of innovation and design, from challenging links to impressive parkland courses.
Clubhouses, too, have their own unique history, including the recently refurbished Members’ Clubhouse in Gullane, East Lothian, which blends the old with the new.
The new Queensferry Crossing Road Bridge is also due to open at the end of 2016 and, like the current road bridge and the newly inscribed UNESCO World Heritage Forth Bridge, will span the Firth of Forth, linking Edinburgh and Fife.
This is just a taste of what’s to come in 2016. Find out more at www.visitscotland.com/iad2016 or join in the conversation and share your experiences using #IAD2016. In the world of literature, the contribution of Scotland’s Bard will also be celebrated.
The Homecoming Burns Supper at Ayr Racecourse will host a vast array of entertainment on the night, including the Edinburgh Police Choir and John Carmichael and his broadcasting band.
To continue the celebrations, Professor David W Purdie, Grant Stott and several others will provide speeches in honour of the Tam O’Shanter composer.
Scottish boy band Rewind, who have supported the likes of Little Mix and Pixie Lott, will also be on the bill for Burn’s Supper. The fourcourse meal, including a beef main, is certain to send a few into a post meal nap by the fire.
Tickets for this brilliant Scottish event are priced at £75.00 per person and the event itself will be held on Saturday, January 23.