Aberdeen enters Eurovision race

ABERDEEN City Council has thrown the Granite City’s hat into the ring to host next year’s Eurovision song contest. The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) today announced that the UK would host the competition on behalf of Ukraine. As this year’s winner, Ukraine would normally host next year’s contest. But Russia’s ongoing invasion means the EBU…

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Scottish Pipe Band Championships head to Dumbarton

LOCAL pipers Rowan Murdoch and Beth Turner will be hoping for strong home support when the Scottish Pipe Band Championships begin in Dumbarton on Saturday. More than 100 pipe bands will play for 25,000 visitors at one of the biggest free bagpipe competitions in the world. Rowan, 19, who will compete in the drum majors…

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Blas Festival line-up unveiled

THE line-up for this year’s Blas Festival has been revealed, featuring 40 concerts and ceilidhs across the Highlands and islands. Julie Fowlis, Mary Ann Kennedy, and Megan Henderson are among the artists who will be taking to the stages on 2-10 September. The festival opens with a new musical commission, The Summer Walkers, by Tain…

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Miss Scotland’s Ciara Harvie singing in Edinburgh

MISS Scotland finalist Ciara Harvie is singing in Edinburgh’s St Andrew Square this weekend to raise money for Smith-Magenis Syndrome Foundation UK. The 23-year-old classical-crossover singer, who appeared on television series The Voice, will perform in the square from 1pm on Saturday and Sunday. “Music completely changed my life, and this is the reason why I…

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Guided wellness walks launched in the Cairngorms

GUIDED wellness tours have been launched in the Cairngorms by the entrepreneur behind an Aboyne lodges and bothies business. Gordon Drummond, who runs Cairngorm Lodges and Cairngorm Bothies, has begun guided walks around Loch Kinord and Loch Muick. Drummond said: “I hope that those who take part in the walks will indeed get a great…

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Jute: its hidden history revealed

THE hidden history of jute is being explored in an exhibition that’s opened at the Victoria & Albert Museum’s branch in Dundee. The display tells the story of jute workers in Bangladesh and India. Artist, curator, and writer Swapnaa Tamhane has taken inspiration from the archives held at the University of Dundee and Verdant Works,…

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Orkney and Cairngorms to host outdoor art

ORKNEY and the Cairngorms have been selected to host “Green Space Dark Skies“, a series of massive outdoor artworks. Volunteers – including paddleboarders and kayakers – are being recruited to hold lights in the Cairngorms national park on 11 August. Residents on North Ronaldsay will hold lights on 16 August to form astronomical symbols and…

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Review: Jason Donovan steals the show in Joseph

Kenny Smith revels in the return of an old favourite. THERE’S a good reason why Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat keeps coming back again and again – it’s a damn good musical. Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s hit, based on a Bible story, is the show that keeps bouncing back, with a new…

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‘Hame’ festival launched for North-East

A NEW festival called “Hame” aims to celebrate “the people, culture, history, heritage, and diversity” of the North-East. Launched today by the Elphinstone Institute at the University of Aberdeen, the programme promises “music, song, dance, slam poetry, storytelling performances, audio-visual exhibitions, displays, public talks, local writing events, and guided walks”. The festival – which runs…

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