Perth's annual celebration of the arts presents its vibrant mix of concerts, dance, exhibitions and opera. Perth Concert Hall, Perth Theatre and St John's Kirk are the major venues, but festivities also spill out onto the streets.
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May 2013 (annual)
Perth's Dewars Centre, a purpose built ice rink, is the home to the annual Mercure Perth Masters Bonspiel. It starts the year by welcoming Scottish and international curling teams to sweep their stones to victory.
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Jan 2014 (annual)
The largest modelling event in Scotland is held at Dewar's Centre in Perth. If you're expecting the next Kate Moss you're in for a shock. There are, however, plenty of displays, competitions, demonstrations and a prize draw.
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Apr 2013 (annual)
The Perth Show at South Inch is one of the highlights of the local agricultural year. Two days of fun feature livestock competitions (from Clydesdale horses to Shetland ponies, Aberdeen Angus cattle, goats and sheep), displays (including jousting) and stalls.
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Aug 2013 (annual)
Perth, the seat of the ancient kings of Scotland, hosts an annual Highland Games in early August. Visitors can sample a slice of traditional local life, marvel at the "heavy" sporting events (shot-putting, hammer-throwing and caber-tossing) and enjoy bagpiping and frenetic Scottish dances.
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Aug 2013 (annual)
The annual Scottish Game Fair is held at historic Scone Palace. Those interested in the Scottish countryside and its conservation will find displays of falconry, sheepdogs and fishing, while pipe bands, skydiving displays and tug-of-wars also keep the crowd entertained.
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Jun 2013 (annual)
With the current Earl of Mansfield a keen orchid collector, Scone Palace hosts its annual Orchid Festival every August. Including displays by top nurseries and suppliers from around the country, the festival complements the Earl's own collection, begun in 1971.
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Aug 2013 (annual)
Present-day Scone Palace, although only 200 years old, stands on the site of the medieval abbey and palace where Scotland's kings were crowned for centuries. A replica Stone of Scone (the Stone of Destiny) is on view at the Palace.
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Apr - Oct 2013 (annual)
The Newburgh Coble Boat Race is a unique event with competitors racing in the open boats once used for salmon fishing. The local Firth of Tay fishing industry may have ended, but this race maintains the link to Newburgh's fishing heritage.
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Aug 2013 (annual)
The Newburgh Highland Games at Robbie's Park features traditional competitions such as hammer-throwing, shot-putting and caber-tossing. Highland dancing, music and piping provide light entertainment alongside the grunting and puffing.
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Jun 2013 (annual)
As traditional as whisky and tartan, Highland Games are an essential part of the Scottish summer. Blairgowrie & Rattray Highland Games, on Bogles Field, includes the usual "heavy" sports as well as Scottish dancing and bagpiping.
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Sep 2013 (annual)
Scotland's premier music festival, T in the Park returns this summer with scores of acts across five stages at Balado near Kinross. The legendary T in the Park funfair and cinema also return, and don't forget Friday is fancy dress...
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Jul 2013 (annual)
The Big Tent Festival at Falkland Palace in Cupar is an environmental festival born out of activist opposition to the G8 summit at Gleneagles. After a break in 2011 it's back for 2012 in a 'tented village' which hosts debate, live music and alternative therapies.
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Jul 2013 (annual)
First held in 1870, the Crieff Highland Gathering celebrates a new, often celebrity chieftain each year (with Ewan McGregor, his uncle Denis Lawson and TV's Elaine C Smith recent incumbents). Expect the usual "heavy" events and both Scottish dancing and piping.
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Aug 2013 (annual)
Early in the season, Blackford's Highland Games in late May date back to 1870. Alongside the sporting elite's competition in the various "heavy" games, it's also for teams to show their prowess in the arts of piping and dancing.
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May 2013 (annual)
The annual Dundee Flower & Food Festival at Camperdown Country Park boasts seven marquees devoted to the best in floral designs and garden layouts. Expect plenty of masterclasses - both horticultural and gastronomic.
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Aug - Sep 2013 (annual)
Winner of the European Industrial Museum of the Year award, Dundee's Verdant Works recaptures the life and times of the city's mercantile and industrial heritage. The former jute mill transformed the raw product imported from colonial India into a myriad of products and brought wealth from textiles to the Scottish town.
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Daily
Open your mind to the possibilities of science at Sensation Dundee, which celebrates the scientific accomplishments of the city and adds a sense of fun and adventure to understanding not just the universe, but also our everyday lives.
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Daily
Starting as one evening in 1982, the Dundee Mountain Film Festival at Bonar Hall is now Britain's longest-running such festival. It also has close ties with Canada's Banff Mountain Film Festival, showing a selection of its film highlights.
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Nov 2013 (annual)
Opened in March 1999, Dundee Contemporary Arts (DCA) encompasses five floors of galleries, cinemas, artists' facilities and education resources as well as the University of Dundee visual research centre and a hugely popular Cafe Bar.
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Daily; not Mon
The Royal Research Ship Discovery is moored at Dundee's Discovery Point on the Firth of Tay. It is most famous for taking Captain Scott on his first expedition to the South Pole in the year of its launch - 1901.
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Daily
All Britain's principalities join in The Last Night of the Proms, with parties across the land. The Scottish Last Night of the Proms returns to Dundee's Caird Hall, with a live broadcast for al fresco audiences in the City Square.
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Sep 2013 (annual)
There are 60 high street favourites - including Gap, FCUK, Mango, Next, Oasis Warehouse, W H Smith, H&M and Sports Soccer - to occupy the mind and the wallet in Dundee's Overgate Shopping Centre. The centre is Europe's only single-sided shopping mall, set beside a spectacular curved glass wall, with well-appointed balcony cafés for shoppers to rest before another retail onslaught.
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Daily
Overlooking historic St Andrews golf course and Fife's beautiful coastal scenery, RAF Leuchars Airshow, Scotland's largest, provides a perfect setting for a spectacular seven-hour flying display. Pride of place goes to the RAF's Battle of Britain Memorial Flight.
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Sep 2013 (annual)
The Perthshire village of Comrie lights up for New Year. Hundreds of locals gather in the village square for a ceremony of eight flambeaux (fired torches), which process around the village before being ceremonially thrown into the River Earn.
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Dec 2013 (annual)
The Alva Highland Games has been taking place since the 19th century and in 2006 celebrated its 150th gathering. It continues to be characterised by sports, including the "heavy" events, and the celebration of local culture - from whisky to bagpipes and tartans.
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Jul 2013 (annual)
The stunning architecture and beautiful gardens of Glamis Castle make it one of Scotland's leading visitor attractions. The setting for Macbeth and childhood home of the late Queen Mother, Glamis is tied to the history and myth of the nation.
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Mar - Dec 2013 (annual)
Kirkcaldy's Promenade transforms under the weight of a huge funfair and street festival. The mile-long "market" is filled with every conceivable fairground attraction - some scary, some tame, as well as food stalls for those who can stomach it.
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Apr 2013 (annual)
A Pro-Am competition, the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship visits three of Scotland's finest golf courses - St Andrews, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns - in four days in order to determine the eventual winner. Celebrity amateurs play alongside the world's top golfers.
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Sep 2013 (annual)
Arranged by Links Golf St Andrews, this week-long event takes place at various St Andrews links. It comprises five rounds of golf on five different courses, tuition from pros, a reception & prize giving, and a main gala dinner.
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7 - 13 Apr 2013 (annual)
Originally, in 1998, tied to National Poetry Day in October, StAnza: Scotland's Poetry Festival has been so successful that it now has a stand-alone spot in March. As usual, it takes place at venues throughout St Andrews.
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Mar 2013 (various dates)
The Pitlochry Festival Theatre hosts its annual summer programme in the midst of some of Scotland's most spectacular scenery. Visitors can see up to five different shows a week at one of the country's most famous summer seasons.
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May - Nov 2013 (annual)
Although best known for golf, St Andrews also hosts an annual Highland Games, now taking place on Station Park. A relative newcomer to the calendar, it features running, cycling and tug-of-war in addition to bagpiping, dancing and the "heavy" events.
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Jul 2013 (annual)
Not to be confused with the Atholl Gathering (and its associated Highland Games at Blair Castle), the Atholl and Breadalbane Highland Games take place in early August, on Aberfeldy's Victoria Park. Expect a taste of traditional Highland fun and games.
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Aug 2013 (annual)
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