Places to Visit Around Scotland in May

By theorkneynews on May 15, 2021

New Kids on the Block – Glasgow Foodie Experiences 26 April onwards

Glasgow is known for its vibrant and varied food and drink scene and the last year has not stopped new restaurants, bars, and cafés from making their mark in the city. Summer 2020 saw the launch of 111 by Modou as chef Modou Diagne took over the reins at the former 111 by Nico in Glasgow’s West End. In January 2021, the city received its first Michelin Star in 18 years as Scottish chef, Lorna McNee brought the accolade home to the city just over five months into her first head chef role at Cail Bruich. Other exciting openings to look out for in the coming weeks and months include award-winning Scottish chef Graeme Cheevers’ first solo venture, Unalome, the opening of Beresford Lounge, a 1930s’ Art Deco-style bar and restaurant in the Beresford Hotel, and The Duke’s Umbrella, an elegant new pub and dining spot a stone’s throw away from Glasgow Central Station, the perfect location for those hopping on the train for a daytrip to the city.

Ray Harryhausen creatures overrun Edinburgh 26 April 2021 onwards

National Gallery of Modern Art (Modern Two), Edinburgh

To celebrate the reopening of the Ray Harryhausen: Titan of Cinema exhibition on 26 April at the National Gallery of Modern Art, the National Galleries of Scotland released special images of Ray Harryhausen creatures in iconic Edinburgh locations. The Kraken towering over The Forth Rail Bridge and Medusa on Calton Hill are examples of some of the creative images that have been released. For all hi-res images and captions: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/nyl3sqiybq4lsi9/AACA7hqU38nNmeaL19PQ8hU8a?dl=0.
More information: https://www.nationalgalleries.org/.

The Palace of Holyroodhouse reopens with brand new exhibition in The Queen’s Gallery 26 April 2021 onwards

Edinburgh

The Palace of Holyroodhouse, Edinburgh’s Royal Palace, reopens on 26 April with a brand new exhibition, Victoria & Albert: Our Lives in Watercolour, a collection of 80 watercolour paintings encapsulating and celebrating Queen Victoria and Prince Albert’s love for Scotland. All exhibitions and events have Covid-secure procedures in place and pre-booking is essential.

More information: https://www.rct.uk/visit/palace-of-holyroodhouse

The NEW Route 66… in Kintyre: launch of the K66 driving route Launched 30 April 2021

Spanning 66 miles, across six stunning regions featuring coastlines, white sandy beaches and breathtaking views, this new route has been designed to encourage visitors to slow down and enjoy the ride. Only a few hours from Glasgow and Edinburgh, the new Kintyre 66, or K66, is a circular loop around one of Scotland’s most scenic regions, taking in both the west and east coast of the unspoilt peninsula in Argyll, from the top at Kennacraig to the bottom at Campbeltown. Offering visitors the chance to explore natural heritage sites, wildlife watching spots, castles and ruins, fishing villages and local food and drink, there is something for everyone to enjoy. This new route also offers the perfect opportunity for visitors to engage in responsible tourism by supporting lovely local businesses and B&Bs.

Night Fever: Designing Club Culture at V&A Dundee 1 May 2021–9 Jan 2022

V&A Dundee

Opening on 1 May, Night Fever: Designing Club Culture is the first major exhibition looking into the relationship between club culture and design from the 1960s to today. Examining iconic clubs in New York, Paris, Florence, Manchester, London, Beirut, Berlin- and towns and cities across Scotland- the exhibition explores the progressive history of nightclub design and its influence on popular culture. V&A Dundee is the only UK venue for Night Fever: Designing Club Culture, which was developed by the Vitra Design Museum and ADAM- Brussels Design Museum.

More info: https://www.vam.ac.uk/dundee/exhibitions/night-fever-designing-club-culture

This is for you Dundee, a free mini festival designed for Dundonians to rediscover their city 14 May–23 May 2021 Online

Dundee Rep and Scottish Dance Theatre present This is for you Dundee, a mini festival curated by 26 freelance artists and creatives, full of interactive events online aimed at Dundonians to help them rediscover the beauty and vibrancy of the city from 14-23 May. The festival is a natural continuation from Where are you, Dundee? created by and for the people of Dundee and explores a wide range of themes, with accessibility at its core. The audio and digital spheres will explore many different art forms with nonverbal storytelling and dance with all projects captioned. The festival is free but ticketed.

More information: www.dundeerep.co.uk/whats-on

Aye Write Book Festival 14-16 May & 21-23 May 2021 Online

The Aye Write book festival has announced its full programme of online events featuring 140 authors from Scotland and further afield. Over two weekends in May (14-16 and 21-23) the festival will host a wide variety of online panels, events and discussions including Bestselling Fiction with award winning authors, Douglas Stuart, Maggie O’ Farrell, Kate Mosse and Monique Roffey, Popular Crime Thrillers, Scotland’s Writing Talent and Thought Provoking Memoirs. Hosted by Glasgow Life, a charity dedicated to delivering culture to the city, the festival has promised to be engaging and exciting despite running a little differently for previous years.

More information: www.ayewrite.com

Perth Festival of the Arts 20–29 May 2021 Perthshire, Online

Each May, the festival becomes a highlight in Scotland’s cultural calendar. With performances in Perth Theatre, Perth Concert Hall and other venues, the Festival features the best in classical music, opera, theatre, rock, folk, jazz, comedy, literature and visual art. This year, concerts and events will be broadcast over 10 days from venues around Perth and there will be a Festival Drive-in Cinema at Scone Palace.

More information: https://www.perthfestival.co.uk/

Edinburgh International Children’s Festival launches 2021 hybrid programme 25 May–6 June 2021

Edinburgh

After months of planning, the Edinburgh International Children’s Festival has announced its 2021 hybrid programme of online and live theatre and dance events for young people. The online programme will consist of streamed performances and live digital interactions whilst the live festival programme includes a series of free pop-up encounters, walkabout characters and sound trails in outdoor spaces across Edinburgh with the majority of the programme taking place in the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh and site-specific venues in Granton and Craigmillar. All events are free but visitors to the Royal Botanic Garden will need to pre-book a slot to comply with Covid restrictions and guidance.

More information: http://www.imaginate.org.uk/

Spring Fling goes online 29 May–6 June 2021 Dumfries & Galloway, Online

The Spring Fling is back for 2021 and is taking on the online world. Here to showcase the best contemporary visual arts and crafts Dumfries & Galloway has to offer through digital exhibitions, workshops, demonstrations, live talks and more.

More information: https://www.spring-fling.co.uk/whatson/

The Macallan Estate and Distillery reopen for visitors 29 May 2021 onwards

Moray Speyside

From 29 May, the world leading hospitality destination, The Macallan Estate, reopens to visitors. Located amongst the gorgeous landscape of Speyside, visitors to the Estate will be taken on a journey of discovery, exploring The Macallan’s history and dedication to the craft of Scotch whisky with the aid of immersive tours and tastings. Work has been undertaken to ensure the safety of every visitor with social distancing measures and enhanced cleaning schedules. The Estate has also been accredited by the industry standard ‘We’re Good to Go’. Pre-booking is essential.

More information: https://www.themacallan.com/en

Marine Fest 2021 31 May–13 June 2021

Scottish Seabird Centre, East Lothian

The Scottish Seabird Centre will host its first ever Marine Fest from 31 May to 13 June 2021 to raise awareness of the diversity of Scotland’s marine environment and wildlife, and the pressures facing them. The programme includes a range of events, talks, walks and workshops in person at the visitor centre in East Lothian and digitally – from live science shows, rockpool rambles, bird identification walks, beach cleans and bio blitzes, to puppet shows, storytelling walks, felting, sand sculpting, sketching, and even a workshop to address football’s plastic problem. The new festival, supported by EventScotland as part of the Year of Coasts and Waters 20/21 and Scotland’s Events Recovery Fund, will enable festival goers to learn more about Scotland’s seas and the challenges they face (especially the climate emergency). People will be prompted to think about the behavioural changes they can make to reduce the negative impacts of human activity on marine and coastal habitats.

More information: https://www.seabird.org/events/marine-fest-2021

Responsible travel

VisitScotland encourages visitors to respect local communities and plan ahead with the help of www.visitscotland.com. Helpful guidance can be found in VisitScotland’s new Visitor Charter and the Scottish Outdoor Access Code, which offers practical advice for all when enjoying Scotland’s beautiful countryside.