Celebrating World Heritage Day this April

 

In Edinburgh we have two of the six Scottish World Heritage Sites in or close to the capital and we will celebrate World Heritage Day on 18 April 2017. On the day there will be six coordinated events for the first time. In Edinburgh we will have the Battle of the Bands (see below) and at the Forth Bridge there will be a Steampunk Festival. All of the events are part of the celebration of the Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology.

Tourism Secretary Fiona Hyslop, said: “These events will offer an ideal opportunity to celebrate Scotland’s iconic World Heritage Sites, representing thousands of years of Scottish history and attracting many thousands of visitors every year.

“The Scottish Government remains committed to protecting and promoting Scotland’s rich history and heritage: our six Sites are of outstanding universal value to all of humanity and I look forward to celebrating them on World Heritage Day. As 2017’s Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology continues, it is important that we all work together to ensure that our diverse historic environment is valued and cared for now, and for future generations.”

The free events, labelled “Scotland in Six”, will begin in Edinburgh Old Town and New Town with Medieval minstrels and classical Georgian-era musicians roaming the city, culminating in a lunchtime Battle of the Bands. In the Outer Hebrides, participants will build, excavate and explore St Kilda through the popular Minecraft video game. The Forth Bridge will play host to a Victorian steampunk festival and an army of knitters will head to New Lanark to cover the Institute in woollen yarn. At the Antonine Wall, Picts will chase down Romans over a 5k race, ending with a Great Roman Bake Off. The final event will take place at the Heart of Neolithic Orkney, as a group of young participants set out on a glow-in-the-dark adventure.

Tickets are now available on Eventbrite:

There are also events this summer in the DigIt! series which celebrate our heritage and our surroundings.

Dig It! 2017 is year-long celebration of Scottish archaeology with a packed programme of events from organisations across the country. It’s all about discovering Scotland’s past, present and future stories. Whether you’re getting muddy at a dig or strolling through a festival, now is the perfect time to let archaeology move you, surprise you and inspire you. Here are our suggestions for April :

Arthur’s Secrets begins on 4 April 2017 and runs till the end of August. This is a guided walk around Arthur’s Seat to learn about the thousands of years of our own extinct volcano and the wildlife in the Royal Park.

On 10 April 2017 there will be a lecture at 6.00pm by Professor Martin Carver about his excavations at Portmahomack on the Black Isle and the influence on European politics. Discoveries at Portmahomack in Easter Ross (1994 to 2008) were initially hailed as the first modern sighting of a Pictish monastery.

The intensive period of post-excavation analysis that followed has defined six successive settlements on the same spot: a high status cemetery-settlement with contacts in Cumbria and Sussex (6/7th century), a purpose-built monastery with vellum and metal workshops and pieces from a dozen carved stone monuments (8th century), a trading farm (9thcentury), a parish church (12th century), a fishing village (13th century) and a township of iron workers (15th century).

The publication of the results in 2016 advanced the idea that this sequence reflects contemporary political or ideological movements in wider Britain, Ireland and Europe.

Details here.

On 18 April 2017 there will be a battle of the bands at St Cecilia’s Hall with medieval and classical music in the air.

http://digit2017.com/events/old-vs-new-battle-of-the-bands-scotland-in-six/

The Beltane Fire Festival celebrates the beginning of summer

http://digit2017.com/events/beltane-fire-festival-2017/

Details here.

All the details of the events are on this website here. 

Photo by

Neil Hanna Photography
www.neilhannaphotography.co.uk
07702 246823