Ten Things To Do This Week 20/10/14 – 26/10/14

By Contributor -

Look out for these woodland creatures at the Tweed Valley Forest Festival 2014

1. Read On

Bookworms’ dreams come true at the Dundee Literary Festival from Oct 22-26, with five days of stories, writing, debates and ideas from world famous authors, writers making their public debut and the award of the renowned 2014 Dundee International Book Prize.

2. Prost!

From October 22 – 26, drink German bier, eat bratwurst and party the night away Bavarian-style at Glasgow Oktoberfest 2014.

3. Sing Out!

St Andrews Voices (October 23-26) is an inspiring festival of vocal music held in the beautiful surroundings of St Andrews. From opera to jazz, folk to choral, early music to contemporary and featuring international singing stars alongside some of Scotland’s best home-grown talent, this is one of Scotland’s must-see musical events.

4. Make Music

Fife’s strong tradition of folk music is celebrated annually at Dunfermline Folk Weekend, which is held throughout the town from October 24-16.

5. Go Amber

Celebrate the tenth anniversary of Perthshire Amber – the Dougie MacLean Festival – with ten days of world-class music from top Scottish and international musicians, as well as a programme of specially-arranged Homecoming 2014 heritage events. October 24 – November 2.

6. Paddle!

Take your first paddlestrokes in a kayak, listen to top explorers tell their tales, stock up on outdoor gear and cheer on the teams in fast-paced canoe polo matches – all for free at An Fhèis Mhòr, Scotland’s Festival of Paddlesport, which is at Dewars Centre, Perth on October 24-26.

7. Go Into The Valley!

From 24 October until 2 November, Tweed Valley Forest Festival celebrates local customs with conker championships, a wood market featuring unique handmade wooden gifts, carving and local food, spooky events and Hallowe’en activities.

8. Star Gaze

Enjoy an awesome evening of star gazing at the Dark Sky Party on the Isle of Skye on October 25. Keen amateurs and professional astronomers will be on hand to point out stars and planets and there will be a planetarium, presentations and refreshments at the Clan Donald Centre, Armadale.

9. Enjoy The Skirl of the Pipes

Established in 1974, the Glenfiddich Piping Championship was established to inspire the world’s finest individual pipers. The 41st Glenfiddich Piping Championship will commence at 10am on October 25 in the majestic location of Blair Castle, Blair Atholl.

10. Discover Granny’s Scottish Secrets

As part of the Scottish International Storytelling Festival, from 11am – 1pm on October 25/26, the Scotland Galleries at the National Museum Scotland will be holding storytelling sessions to introduce under-fives to the riches of Scotland’s story. Free, drop-in event.