Frommer's Scotland 8th Edition - To Parent Directory

SCOTLAND CALENDAR OF EVENTS 31perform at various venues aroundthe city. Call & 0141/204-4400;www.jazzfest.co.uk. First week inJuly.AugustLammas Fair, St. Andrews.Although there’s a dim medievalorigin to this 2-day festival, it’s notparticularly obvious. TemporaryFerris wheels and whirligigs arehauled in, cotton candy and popcornare sold, palm readers describeyour past and your future, andflashing lights and recorded discomusic create something akin toBlackpool-in-the-Highlands.There’s even an opportunity forbungee-jumping. Call & 01334/472-021. Second Monday andTuesday of August.World Pipe Band Championships,Glasgow. For this relativelynew event (it’s only 5 or 6years old), bagpipe bands fromaround the world gather on thepark-like Glasgow Green in thecity’s East End. From 11am toabout 6pm, there’s a virtual orgy ofbagpiping, as kilted participantsstrut their stuff in musical and militaryprecision. Call & 0141/204-4400. Mid-August.Edinburgh International Festival,Edinburgh. Scotland’s best-knownfestival is held for 3 weeks (see chapter4, “Edinburgh & the LothianRegion” for more information).Called an “arts bonanza,” it drawsmajor talent from around the world,with more than a thousand showspresented and a million tickets sold.Book, jazz, and film festivals are alsostaged at this time, but nothing topsthe Military Tattoo against thebackdrop of spot-lit Edinburgh Castle.Contact the Festival Society, 21Market St., Edinburgh, ScotlandEH1 1BW (& 0131/473-2001;www.eif.co.uk). Three weeks inAugust.SeptemberBen Nevis Mountain Race, FortWilliam, in the Highlands. A traditionsince 1895, when it was establishedby a member of theMacFarlane clan, it assembles asmany as 500 runners who competefor the coveted MacFarlane Cup, agold medal, and a prize of £50($80). Runners congregate at thebase of Ben Nevis (Britain’s highestpeak) to tackle a course that takesthem up narrow footpaths to thesummit and back. Bagpipes rise increscendos at the beginning and endof the experience. Call & 01397/705-184; www.visit-fortwilliam.co.uk. First Saturday in September.Highland Games & Gathering,Braemar. The queen and manymembers of the royal family oftenshow up for this annual event, withits massed bands, piping and dancingcompetitions, and performancesof great strength by a tribe ofgigantic men. Contact the touristoffice in Braemar, The Mews, MarRoad, Braemar, Aberdeenshire,AB35 5YP (& 013397/416-00;www.braemargathering.org). FirstSaturday in September.Ayr Festival, Ayr. This is the majorcultural event on the Ayr calendar,offering an array of film, theater,and music concerts. For exact dates,call & 01292/678-100.Hamilton Flat Races, Hamilton,near Glasgow. The races take placeover a period of 2 to 3 days. Call theHamilton race course at & 01698/283-806.OctoberHighland Autumn Cattle Show,Oban, in western Scotland. Sincethe days of Rob Roy, Oban hasbeen a marketplace for the longhairedtawny cattle whose elongatedhorns have been associatedwith the toughness of the Highlands.For this show, buyers and