Scotland: Events

The highlight of Scotland's calendar is the Edinburgh Festival , held every August. This is one of the world's most important arts festivals, and its Fringe claims to be the largest in the world, with over 500 performers pushing the boundaries every year. The city's Military Tattoo is held in the same month, as is the Edinburgh International Film Festival , Edinburgh Book Festival and Glasgow's World Pipe Band Championships . September's Braemar Gathering is attended by the queen in Braemar, with other games held all over the country. All Scotland hits the streets for Hogmanay , the Scottish celebration of New Year, a riotous party indeeed. For some truly unruly rugby, try the Ba' in Kirkwall in the Orkney Islands, which has been held on Christmas Day and New Year's Day for centuries. It consists of two teams and some 400 alcohol-fuelled players, who turn the entire town into a giant rugby pitch for the day. The game starts at the cathedral and the harbour is one of the goals. Up in the Shetland Islands the Up Helly Aa festival, that celebrates the islands Viking heritage by burning a boat they've spent all year building in a dazzling spectacle.