Dumfries and Galloway is inviting residents and visitors alike to enjoy a huge springtime celebration of the arts and creativity in one of Scotland’s most beautiful rural regions.
The annual Dumfries and Galloway Arts Festival (15 May to 1 June) will see 17 performing arts events take place in 23 different venues while the Spring Fling open studios weekend 24-26 May) sees more than 80 artists and craft makers throw open their doors.
Both are strongly supported by Dumfries and Galloway Council as Signature Events for the region – encouraging cultural tourism and boosting the economy.
The festival and the open studios weekend bring the arts to the whole of the region and to provide a platform for its creative community.
They are a great opportunity for residents and visitors to enjoy a wide range of events and activities while looking around one of Scotland’s most beautiful rural areas.
Councillor Maureen Johnstone, Chair of the Council’s Education, Skills and Community Wellbeing Committee said: “The second May bank holiday weekend is a particularly vibrant time to visit Dumfries and Galloway.
“There is so much to see and do and the region always looks beautiful and verdant at this time of year.
“Spring Fling and the Dumfries & Galloway Arts Festival make enormous contributions to our quality of life, tourism and the economy and I’m thrilled that there will be artists’ studios open across the region and many great Arts Festival events to consider going to.”
Councillor Lynne Davis, the Vice-Chair of the Council’s Education, Skills and Community Wellbeing Committee, added: “The Council is committed to delivering the Dumfries and Galloway Events Strategy 2023-2027 in full, and supporting great festivals and events that are sustainable and provide value for money for the public purse.
“Wherever people live in our region I hope they will get out and about over the Bank Holiday weekend and take in an artist’s studio as a result of Spring Fling or an Arts Festival event, or do both!”
Spring Fling involves an extraordinary range of art and craft from painting, printmaking, jewellery, photography, furniture, glassmaking and ceramics to handmade chef knives, carved wooden mobiles, decorative metalwork, installation art, tapestry, costume and hats.
Natasha Kinsella, Events and Exhibitions Development Manager for Upland CIC which runs Spring Fling, said:“Dumfries and Galloway is home to an extraordinary creative community. Spring Fling provides a rare opportunity to explore the studios of talented visual artists, jewellery designers, woodworkers, metalworkers, and more, all in some of Scotland’s most breathtaking locations.
“We can’t wait to welcome both locals and visitors from across the country to experience the exceptional contemporary arts and crafts we have to offer.”
The Dumfries & Galloway Arts Festival returns with a world class programme combining theatre, music, dance, and spoken word. The festival will bring artists and audiences alike together again, in and around venues across the region.
This year’s programme encompasses the best of Scotland’s performing arts scene with a focus on bringing audiences and artists together. It will shine a light on the best the region has to offer, through a meticulously curated programme of local and national talent, located in picturesque landscapes across Dumfries and Galloway.
Simon Hart, Director of the Dumfries & Galloway Arts Festival, said: “Since our first edition 45 years ago, the festival has steadily grown and developed to become Scotland’s largest and oldest annual rural performing arts event, enriching people’s lives through the transformatory power and joy of experiencing and participating in the arts.
“From supporting the talent and skill of brilliant local artists, to bringing national performers to present their work in villages and town across the region, our festival has something for everyone to enjoy and be inspired by. We look forward to welcoming you to an event this May somewhere in Dumfries & Galloway.”
- See the Upland website at www.weareupland.com.
- See the Dumfries & Galloway Arts Festival website at www.dgartsfestival.org.uk.
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