Aberdeen prepares to welcome Festival of the Sea
The countdown is on as a new festival celebrating Aberdeen’s maritime heritage and future drops anchor next week.
Port of Aberdeen is thrilled to support the Festival of the Sea, a two-week celebration from 15-28 July 2024, exploring Aberdeen’s relationship with the sea and coastline through a wide range of events across the city.
The Festival will include Stories of the Sea, a free family fun weekend in Union Terrace Gardens on 20-21 July. Attendees can enjoy a life-sized inflatable whale with a storytelling centre inside, a one-man desert island comedy performance featuring a giant crab, and a selfie-loving mermaid.
Life-sized inflatable whale with a storytelling centre inside
Aberdeen Art Gallery and Museums will feature the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition, as well as maritime trails and fun creative sessions and workshops. Additionally, a host of events will take place in Fittie and Torry, coordinated by Open Road, celebrating both communities’ close relationship with the sea through exhibitions, film showings, arts, crafts, nature walks, and more.
With the Festival also marking one year until The Tall Ships Races arrive in Aberdeen from 19-22 July 2025, three Tall Ships will visit Port of Aberdeen over the two-week Festival.
Tall Ship Reaper
The tall ship Swan will dock in the port's North Harbour, with her crew taking young people aged 15 to 25 out on sail training sessions.
The TS Royalist, the Sea Cadet’s flagship, and sailing ship Reaper, visiting from the Scottish Fisheries Museum in Anstruther, will also visit the port.
The Reaper, which was built near Fraserburgh in 1902 and featured in several film and television programmes, including the hit series Outlander, will be available for visitors to board on 19-20 July.
To find out more about the Festival of the Sea and to view the programme of events, visit the Aberdeen City Council website.
