The 14 action packed days of this year’s Craignish Arts Festival (23 July- 7 August) are shaping up be bigger and better than ever! A dedicated team has married the best of all things creative, sporty, outdoors and fun to ensure a non-stop whirl of activity catering for everyone from across the generations. The mainstay of the Festival will remain the local exhibiting artists, showcasing the best of Argyll’s home-grown talent in a range of venues, both large and small, indoors and out, around the villages of Ardfern and Craobh Haven in Argyll. In addition to this, the Festival program ensures every day offers an action packed agenda to choose from, from sun up to sundown and beyond… Check www.craignishartsfestival.org.uk  for full details.

Workshops will give locals and visitors alike the opportunity to try their hand at something new or develop existing skills, while outdoor sports and evening music events will ensure there is never a dull moment. The fantastic festival program, which continues to evolve, can already boast:

53 Creators – painters, sculptors, weavers, craft makers etc

5 Main exhibition venues and a sculpture garden

4 Open studios

7 Additional event venues

8 Creative art workshops for adults

7 Pirate themed workshops specifically for children

11 Live music events

3 Sunday Producer’s markets

4 Guided walks – archaeological, geological & 2 within Arduaine Gardens

2 Nature toddles

5 exciting outdoor sports – sailing, canoeing, riding, bushcraft & archery

2 Yoga and Tai Chi Movement for Wellbeing sessions

3 Literary gatherings for a poetry night, storytelling workshop and story-telling night

250 dancers aiming for the Guinness Record for the longest Reel of the 51st (Aberdonian)

1 Viking re-enactment camp and battles

1 Car boot sale

1 Massive all singing, all dancing sea salty Pirate Parade

1 Walking Theatre Company performance of “Treasure Island”

1 Fun Sports Day

2 Alternative music nights – gospel singing & Karaoke

1 Internationally famous yacht race mustering and departing from our shores

2 Open mic nights

4 Great permanent places to eat and drink plus Sunday BBQs and market fresh foods

27 Weird & wonderful scarecrows competing to be the best!

1 Super exhibition chronicling the history of the peninsula from early days to the present, complied by the children of Craignish Primary School as part of the School’s 150th anniversary celebrations

Source: J Pollock