Festivals & Events

With the illumination of Dundee’s brand-new Christmas lights on Friday night, it’s certainly starting to look like Christmas in Dundee, and the excitement is set to continue to rise with the commencement of activities in City Square, and the opening of Winterfest in Slessor Gardens in the coming days.

Event Scotland have supported the team at Dundee City Council to create Christmas in Dundee, crafting a winter wonderland in the City Square. From December 2nd-24th, the square is playing its part the city’s Christmas celebrations.

Nightly projections on the City Chambers and illuminated wishing fountains will sparkle into the evening, and those in the mood to get the ultimate festive selfie can head to the specially-commissioned Beano 3D Dundee Christmas Card filled with the comic’s best-loved characters.

Dundee’s iconic Pingoo will return too, and those wishing to help those most in need can donate gifts at Social Bite’s Tree of Kindness. Throughout the celebrations, there will be a free-to-enjoy activity tent, with a jam-packed schedule of festive workshops and the opportunity to write letters to Santa.

Visitors to the city centre can also check out the new “living tree” which is lit up outside the City Churches, with one of the area’s majestic evergreens chosen to take pride of place for the celebrations.

Friday November 26th will see the kick-off of Winterfest in Dundee’s Slessor Gardens. A celebration of all things festive, visitors can book a slot at the stunning new ice rink, then enjoy breathtaking views from the illuminated Big Wheel. They can also stroll through the Christmas Market picking up treats, then heat up at the Bavarian-themed bar with a delicious hot chocolate or mulled wine.

Taking to the ice at Winterfest, Council leader Councillor John Alexander said: “There’s been a real sense of excitement building in Dundee over the past few weeks as the fantastic new Christmas offering comes together.

“It’s great to see the new lights up, Winterfest getting ready to open in a couple of days and of course lots happening in the City Square throughout December. Businesses are gearing up too and it’ll be a busy few weeks for our shops, bars and restaurants.

“We promised we'd look to build a bigger and better celebration this festive period and I think we have delivered. So, get your skates on and come down to see everything the city has to offer this Christmas.”

Paul Bush OBE, Director of Events for VisitScotland, said: "We are delighted to support Christmas in Dundee through Scotland’s Events Recovery Fund, established by EventScotland in conjunction with funding from the Scottish Government.

"Events play an important role in our communities, enabling us all to connect, enjoy and share memorable experiences. Having them in our calendar further strengthens Scotland’s outlook and position as a world-leading events destination and reinforces Scotland’s place as the perfect stage for events.

"The variety of activities on offer across the programme, highlights that there is truly set to be something for everyone in Dundee this forthcoming winter season.”

Scotland’s ‘Best Visitor Attraction’, The McManus: Dundee's Art Gallery & Museum will be reopening on Thursday 20th August.

Visitors and Dundonians alike will once again be able to experience Dundee's museum collection in eight beautiful open gallery spaces. The galleries act as the City's civic memory, housing fascinating individual items of art, which provide an engaging insight into the history of Dundee. 

Earlier this year, The McManus: Dundee's Art Gallery & Museum struck gold at the 2019/20 Scottish Thistle Awards National Final in Edinburgh where they won Best Visitor Attraction. Now they are ready to celebrate and begin their journey out of lockdown with the opening two new major exhibitions to visitors. ‘A Love Letter to Dundee: Joseph McKenzie Photographs 1964-1987’ and ‘Time and Tide: The Transformation of The Tay’ will both focus on change in the city.

The Joseph McKenzie exhibition returns to Dundee of the 1960s-1980s. Stunning black and white photographs evidence the changing fortunes of the City and its people. McKenzie is considered by many to be the father of modern Scottish photography and his Dundee works are just the balm that we need coming out of lockdown. They remind us of Dundee's strength through changing times, the value of community and the knowledge that we can look forward to better times ahead.

Throughout the lockdown period, the River Tay has provided a calm backdrop to the anxiety around us. Time and Tide looks at the influence of the Tay without which, Dundee would not exist nor have transformed from a small medieval settlement to Scotland’s fourth largest city. This exhibition looks at how the growth of the city, particularly along the waterfront, has affected the Tay, its wildlife and the people who live here. From early settlement to industrial giant, to post-industrial leisure destination, the waterfront continues to recycle and reinvent itself.

Sinclair Aitken, Chair of Leisure & Culture Dundee said

“This is more positive news for cultural tourism in the city, as the reopening of The McManus will encourage even more people to spend time in the city centre. Leisure & Culture Dundee has an important role in supporting the health and wellbeing of everyone in Dundee and continues to contribute positively to recovery and renewal in the city.” 

Billy Gartley, Head of Cultural Services at Leisure & Culture Dundee said

"The McManus has long been a Dundonian favourite. We’ve missed our visitors - and with the prestigious accolade of Visitor Attraction of the Year - we hope many more will be tempted in. Our collections comprise Dundee's civic memory, reminding us of both good and challenging times from the past, highlighting the enduring spirit of our citizens. With two outstanding new exhibitions we can't wait to welcome you back."

Careful planning will ensure all appropriate measures are in place to protect the safety of staff and customers. The attraction will be part of the “We’re Good To Go” scheme, the official UK mark to signal that a tourism and hospitality business has worked hard to follow Government and industry COVID-19 guidelines and has a process in place to maintain cleanliness and aid social distancing.

 As ever, admission is free, but donations to support the work of The McManus in caring for the City's collections are welcome.

Both exhibitions open on Thursday 20th August.  A Love Letter to Dundee: Joseph McKenzie Photographs 1964-87 runs for over a year, until Sunday 24th October 2021. Time and Tide: The Transformation of the Tay runs until Sunday 18th April 2021.

Keep up to date with developments through The McManus website, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.  Full details on upcoming exhibitions will follow.

#WelcomeBackDundee

V&A Dundee will reopen on Thursday 27 August with its first major fashion exhibition, Mary Quant, and an exciting new programme extending throughout the whole museum. 

Mary Quant is the first international retrospective on the iconic British designer who disrupted the fashion establishment, captured the spirit of London in the 1960s, and started a fashion revolution that a whole generation wanted to take part in – and still continues today. 

The exhibition will run from 27 August to 17 January 2021, with tickets on sale from today at www.vam.ac.uk/dundee This will be followed by Night Fever: Designing Club Culture from 27 March to 5 September 2021. 

Turner Prize-winning architecture collective Assemble will begin work in V&A Dundee on Making Room from 27 August, a project with Dundee Central Library, local school pupils and the museum’s Young People’s Collective.  

Making Room is taking inspiration from historic buildings in Dundee to produce a new interior room that will be built in V&A Dundee before being moved to Dundee Central Library, where it will function as an area for digital learning and making for the city. 

Scotland’s first design museum has also curated a new exhibition in response to the coronavirus pandemic, looking at how designers responded to the crisis. Now Accepting Contactless: Design in a Global Pandemic will be shown in the Michelin Design Gallery, in spaces throughout the museum and, for the first time, outside the museum as well. 

Other design projects will be shown across the museum, including Sewing Box for the Future and films from the Schools Design Challenge, as well as the reopening of the Scottish Design Galleries including Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s iconic Oak Room. 

A number of measures will be in place across the museum to ensure a safe, welcoming and inspiring experience for visitors and staff alike. All visitors will need to book free tickets to enter the museum, as part of the essential steps to keep visitors safe and to ensure physical distancing. Those free tickets can also be booked from today at www.vam.ac.uk/dundee 

Mary Quant at V&A Dundee is supported by Barclays Private Bank. Making Room and the Schools Design Challenge are both supported by players of People’s Postcode Lottery. 

Leonie Bell, incoming Director of V&A Dundee, said: “I am hugely excited to be preparing to join the team at V&A Dundee, particularly at a time when Scotland’s first design museum will be reopening and welcoming visitors back with Mary Quant, its first major fashion exhibition, and its most ambitious programme to date.  

“That programme also includes the brilliant architecture collective Assemble working with young people in Dundee and an exploration of how designers responded to the pandemic, underlining the importance of design to everyone’s lives.” 

Sophie McKinlay, Director of Programme at V&A Dundee, said: “Everyone at V&A Dundee is delighted to be preparing our remarkable museum to reopen once again, and we have all been working hard to welcome visitors back for a safe, enjoyable experience. 

“Mary Quant is a remarkable designer who did so much to revolutionise the fashion industry and to empower women to wear clothes that looked great and felt great, and it’s the perfect choice for our first major fashion exhibition. 

“Across the rest of the museum visitors will see more than they’ve ever seen before, with displays inside and outside the museum that explore creative responses to how the world has changed and how we hope it may change in the future.” 

Dundee City Council leader John Alexander said: “The reopening of V&A Dundee will be yet another important milestone in the city’s journey out of lockdown. 

“I am pleased that the Assemble partnership with Central Library will see local young people given the opportunity to get involved in an exciting design project that reaches out into the community. 

“I also hope that our local economy and businesses will be given a boost by visitors who come to the city because of the tremendous attractions of V&A Dundee and its Mary Quant exhibition.” 

Mary Quant designed clothes that made people feel good. She made quality designer fashion affordable through licensing her youthful and playful brand, creating dressmaking patterns, make-up and accessories that all showcased her iconic daisy logo. 

Mary Quant encouraged a new age of feminism, inspiring young women to rebel against the traditional clothing worn by their mothers and grandmothers. Her shop Bazaar opened in 1955, the year after World War Two food rationing ended, and her colourful designs were a reaction against the austerity and drabness of post-war London. 

Mary Quant is famous for popularising the miniskirt, but her designs offered many different versions of femininity and challenged the conventional gender stereotypes of post-war Britain. 

Key objects featured within the exhibition include the pioneering ‘Wet Collection’ PVC rainwear, a jute miniskirt, and designs that playfully subverted menswear at a time when women were still banned from wearing trousers in formal settings such as restaurants. 

The exhibition in Dundee will also feature the stories of women who made outfits from Mary Quant’s dressmaking patterns, gathered through V&A Dundee’s #SewQuant campaign, as well as a new film looking at contemporary female designers who, like Mary Quant, are forging their own way through today’s rapidly shifting fashion industry. 

Mary Quant was curated by Jenny Lister and Stephanie Wood of the V&A and shown at V&A South Kensington from 6 April 2019 to 16 February 2020.  

#QuantDundee  

#welcomeback

Image:  © PA Prints 2008

The “coolest little city,” the UNESCO City of Design and the home of jute production. We have design and fashion running through the veins of Dundee. With such a rich textile history, the city was already set to be a fashion centre in Scotland. Now, design institutes and successful contemporary fashion designers born and or based in the city, have continued the momentum that started over a century ago.

Jute may have been the beginning of the fashion journey in the city, even earning Dundee the name ‘Juteopolis’ in the 1900s. It started at the beginning of the industrial revolution. The burgeoning British Empire brought the trade of flax, which began the development of jute. It was a coarse material to begin with, only used for packaging and burlap sacks. Many years of refining the process in the mills of the city however, transformed the material into something coveted in couture brands the world over. Major fashion houses such as Balmain and Donna Karen have been known to use the ‘golden fibre’ on the catwalk. After cotton, it’s the cheapest fibre to use but more importantly is sustainable and eco-friendly, which is why you might find it cropping back up in a modern world, centred on environmentalism.

Not only is the production of fabric an accolade the city can be proud of, UNESCO recognised the city’s design expertise in 2014. It was recognised then, and still is today that Dundee has a contemporary creative scene with an expertise in fashion. The 2012 winner of 'Scottish Young Designer of the Year’ Hayley Scanlan was born in the city and has dressed pop culture queens such as Little Mix, Pixie Lott, Jessie J and more. She went on to win the award once again in 2014, making her the only designer to win the title twice.  

Many other designers have emerged on catwalks from Dundee including Dreamland clothing whose line was requested exclusively by online fashion giants ASOS and Forever 21. Wilde Mode is a brand specialising in underwear for comfort that promotes body positivity and confidence. These amongst many others contribute to the flourishing fashion culture alive and thriving here. 

In 2018, Dundee hosted its own fashion week, celebrating up-and-coming designers. It championed the city’s artists, fashion designers, bloggers and jewellery designers. The V&A also honours the cities fashion heritage by hosting workshops and exhibitions. Last year the work of designer Nicholas Daley was exhibited in the museum, showing his creative workspace and how his Scottish-Jamaican heritage influenced his work. As of April this year, Mary Quant, whose iconic, sixties Mod style contributed to changing the face of fashion worldwide, will be exhibited.

Dundee has always and will continue to be the coolest little city, most likely because of its long standing connection with fashion. The future looks bright for the already successful designers affiliated with the city.

5.30pm – 9pm, Friday, 15^th November, 2019 City Square, Albert Square & city centre streets

As darkness falls on the evening of Friday, November 15, buses across Dundee will be ferrying passengers to a spectacular event in the city centre – Dundee’s Christmas Light Night.

Dundee’s Christmas Light Night will bring sparkle, colour and the flicker of flaming torches to the city centre streets, marking the lighting of the city’s Christmas decorations and the start of over two months of seasonal festivities in and around Dundee.

Cllr Alan Ross, Convener for Dundee, One City, Many Discoveries, said:

“This is shaping up to be a fantastic and unique event for Dundee.  The combination of street entertainment and late night shopping culminating in the Christmas Ceilidh in City Square is expected to attract thousands of visitors to the city centre.”

Dundee’s Christmas Light Night will begin with fun and music in City Square from 5.30pm, along with impromptu Street Theatre performances, exciting carnival rides, a Wishing Wall and the chance to sing and dance through Dundee’s streets on a Silent Disco Tour.

Then, at 6.30pm, when the festive atmosphere’s in full swing, a breathtaking Torchlight Procession will wind its way from the High School of Dundee to the City Square, passing through Albert Square, Commercial Street and the High Street.

The lanterns which will be ablaze for Dundee’s Christmas Light Night’s Torchlight Procession were made by the people of Dundee at special workshops earlier in the year.

Organisers are inviting people to join in with the atmospheric procession on the night. Torchbearers simply need to register at the High School of Dundee meeting point at 5.30 pm on November 15 and be ready to join the procession when it begins at 6.30pm.

Once the Torchlight Procession reaches City Square, the traditional countdown will begin for the Christmas Light Switch On, when the city’s show-stopping decorations and, of course, the giant Christmas tree, will burst into colour.

For younger visitors, a more relaxed countdown will take place in Albert Square - The Mini Christmas Lights Switch On. This family-orientated event will include a kids’ disco, face painting – and an illuminated Pingoo, the loveable Christmas penguin.

In addition, there will be a very special bus stop on Albert Square, where Mrs Claus will be welcoming children on board the Santa Bus, which is making a magical journey from Lapland specially for Dundee’s Christmas Light Night. The McManus: Dundee’s Art Gallery and will also be joining in the fun, keeping their doors open until 7.30pm.

Once the lights are shining brightly all over the city centre, Dundee’s Christmas celebrations will continue in City Square with a massive Christmas Ceilidh with live music from top ceilidh band, Skyrie.

Dundee’s Christmas Light Night also features a free nativity play in the atmospheric setting of the Steeple Church. Dundee Nativity – The Christmas Angel allows the Archangel Gabriel to tell his version of the first Christmas and will include chances for younger members of the audience to join in.

Christine McGlasson, Managing Director, Xplore Dundee said:

“Dundee’s Christmas Light Night is always a wonderful evening for all the family and as always, we're delighted to transport people to and from this fabulous event by bus. And we hope everyone will experience the excitement of Christmas when they meet Mrs Claus on our Santa Bus, which is back for the festive season and will be welcoming kids of all ages on board. What a wonderful way to begin Christmas in Dundee, with a packed programme of celebrations which will continue until January 2020.”

Plan your Dundee Christmas Light Night experience

Christmas in Dundee features a wide range of festive events, including markets, winter fayres, workshops, foodie experiences, plays, concerts, ballet, pantomimes, children’s shows, live music, carol singing, exhibitions, dancing and even Christmas movies!

For the full programme of events, including information about bus routes over the festive period, download a copy of the Christmas in Dundee Festive Guide from dundee.com

https://www.dundee.com/sites/default/files/Christmas%20in%20Dundee%20brochure_0.pdf

Dundee’s status as one of Scotland’s most exciting foodie destinations has been confirmed with the launch of Dundee Eats – a beautifully illustrated, fold-out guide celebrating the city’s delicacies, food districts, favourite tipples and even its eating habits!

The guide was produced in conjunction with a group of food and drink experts from the city’s thriving independent food and drink sector and is packed full of locals’ tips and advice about what to try and where to go, along with an insider’s guide to three of Dundee’s best-loved food districts.

 “Our city has a fabulous reputation for its food and drink and we hope Dundee Eats encourages visitors and locals alike to experience the food and drink scene we have here to the full.” said Cllr Alan Ross of Dundee One City, Many Discoveries, the campaign who developed the guide.

As well as showcasing the excellence of Dundee’s food and drink, Dundee Eats shines a spotlight on the gastronomic delights to be found throughout Tay Country, the stretch of coast and countryside radiating out from the centre of Dundee.

“Dundee’s a great place to eat and drink because of our proximity to field, farm and coastline, so we’ve included a map of the wider area showing how close Dundee is to these world-class food producing areas” said Chef Rory Lovie of Bridgeview Station restaurant.

“We’ve also included a Food Bucket List,” added Rory Lovie. “These are ten food experiences unique to Dundee which everyone should taste at least once. We’re hoping people will tell share their own suggestions too, using the hashtag #DundeeEats!” 

In addition, Dundee Eats shines a light on the city’s Good Food Heroes – people who are really making a difference to how Dundonians eat, drink and cook, including a pioneering café owner, multi award-winning chefs, a café owner who uses vegetables grown in her grandad’s allotment and Dundee’s Godfather of Pizzas, Luigi Esposito.

“Scotland’s food and drink has changed beyond all recognition in the last 30 years to become one of the country’s most successful sectors. This corner of Scotland is a prime example of how to make the most of Scotland’s top quality, locally-produced vegetables, fruit, meat, game, fish, seafood and more” said Fiona Richmond, Head of Regional Food, Food & Drink Scotland. “Dundee is fast becoming one of the top places to eat in the UK, and Dundee Eats will help spread the word further about the fabulous food and drink on offer in Dundee and across Tay Country, contributing to the national food tourism ambition at the same time”

Dundee Eats is beautifully illustrated by local artist Laura Darling, whose eye-catching maps and illustrations bring Dundee’s unique food story to life.

“My illustrations were inspired by the playfulness of Dundee's food and drink scene - people are doing delightfully innovative and creative things yet at the same time not taking themselves too seriously.

“The guide is packed with fascinating facts and I loved working on it, although I did get very hungry drawing fish suppers and fudge doughnuts.” said Laura Darling.

Printed versions of Dundee Eats are now available to pick up from many independent food shops, eating places and bars throughout the city.

To download Dundee Eats, visit  https://www.dundee.com/DundeeEats

Special thanks to all who contributed their thoughts and suggestions particularly those representing Dundee’s indy food and drink sector, Mhairi Wild, Tayble; Danny Cullen, Law Brewery; Claire Simpson, Simpsons; Rory Lovie, Bridgeview Station; Ian Alexander, Birchwood Emporium.

Ends

Media enquiries please contact Dundee One City, Many Discoveries Jennie Patterson jennie@patterpr.com Tel: 07773 849586

The 2019 Festival of the Future will get off to a flying start when Scotland’s leading aerial dance company take to the sky outside the University of Dundee on Wednesday 16 October.

All or Nothing Aerial Dance Theatre will perform their trademark spectacular moves while suspended high above the ground as part of the official opening of this year’s Festival. The dancers will move up and down the University’s Tower Building to a specially created soundtrack, while an original animation created by Dundee alumni Ryan McKnight is projected on to the side of the building.

Guests will then be led to Bonar Hall for a musical performance by children from Claypotts Castle and St Pius primary schools, who are part of the Big Noise Orchestra, a Sistema Scotland initiative.

In addition to opening the Festival, the show will also mark the 60th anniversary of the Tower Building’s foundation stone being laid.

“The Tower is one of the tallest and most recognisable buildings in Dundee as well as being the beating heart of the University,” said Festival programme director Emma Beatt. “The exciting performance by All or Nothing and Ryan’s film lighting up the building is the perfect way to launch the Festival while celebrating a landmark anniversary for this Dundee landmark.

“We are delighted to have put on such a packed programme to suit all tastes with events exploring how science and culture can come together to solve some of the biggest issues we face while educating and entertaining visitors at the same time.”

Festival of the Future, the University’s flagship celebration of art, culture and science will take place from October 16-20. The theme of this year’s Festival is social change, and more than 60 events featuring music, design, dance, theatre, food and comedy will explore this while engaging with audiences of all ages.

High-profile speakers include author Kerry Hudson, who will share the personal stories from her memoir Lowborn: Growing Up, Getting Away and Returning to Britain’s Poorest Towns, an attempt to understand what it means to be poor in Britain today. Meanwhile broadcaster Paul Mason will launch a radical defence of universal rights and human-centric institutions while resisting the insidious influence of algorithms over our lives.

Paul will also take part in a panel considering the question ‘Do editors pander to audiences more than they should?’ as part of an exploration of journalism in an era of clickbait, fake news and social media.

Each day of the programme will feature events aimed at children, young people and adults, debates with academics and external speakers and high-profile events featuring prestigious figures from the worlds of science and culture. Dance, theatre, music and comedy performances will also take place.

More information about Festival of the Future can be found at www.dundee.ac.uk/futurefest.

The first 1,000 tickets for Dundee’s New Year city centre celebrations have been snapped up

“It’s Happening!” Dundee Hogmanay 2019 will see two days of music and family entertainment, with one of Britain’s best-loved bands Squeeze, Eddi Reader and Dundee’s very own Kyle Falconer, the Hogmanay headliner.

With any profits split between three Dundee charities, the celebrations will be kicked off by national treasures Squeeze, who have enjoyed a string of hits including Up The Junction, Tempted and Cool For Cats.

They will kickstart the party on the evening of Monday 30 December before a full, family-focused day of free entertainment and music on Hogmanay. 

The evening will kick off with rock pipe band Gleadhraich, followed by Sinderins, Eddi Reader and Kyle Falconer, who will bring in the bells with a piper.  Tay FM DJs will play for the last half hour bringing the event to a close at 12.45am.

Former ‘The View’ frontman Kyle Falconer said, “Having played at Hogmanay concerts in Edinburgh, Glasgow and London, it was on my bucket list to bring in the bells in my home city.  As my biggest ever solo headline show, it’s fitting that it’s happening right here in Dundee and I’m really excited to be headlining.  There’s no doubt that a New Year city centre street party is long overdue in Dundee and it’s a privilege to be part of it.  Of course, like any Hogmanay, there will also be a few surprises on the night!”

Organised by Dundee-based GMC Ventures Ltd and Edinburgh promoter Michael Ward of EH6 Festival, the celebrations have received support through Scotland’s Winter Festivals.

It is hoped that the event will attract audiences from outwith Dundee, with return buses available to Perth, St Andrews, Kirkcaldy, Brechin, Forfar and Arbroath.

Jill Gibson from GMC Ventures said, “We are absolutely delighted to have reached the 1,000 ticket milestone.  With 12 weeks to go, we’re working hard to ensure that the people of Dundee and further afield finally get the New Year celebrations they deserve. We’re promising something for everyone, from free kids and teenager events during the day through to foot-stomping music taking us right up to the bells as we welcome 2020.”

Paul Bush OBE, Director of Events at VisitScotland added, “We are delighted to be supporting “It’s Happening!” Dundee Hogmanay 2019 through Scotland’s Winter Festivals programme. This celebration showcases Scotland as the perfect stage for events, shining a light on the city of Dundee through a vibrant programme of music and entertainment, where local people and visitors alike will have the opportunity to bring in the New Year together.”

Any profits from the event will be split between three charities – Dundee Women’s Aid, Art Angel and Wellbeing Works.

Tay FM and Tay 2 are proud to be Official Partners for “It’s Happening!” Dundee Hogmanay 2019.

Advance two day tickets are priced £70, with one night tickets costing £43.70.  A VIP upgrade is an additional £28, with exclusive access to The Italian Grill, buffet, private bar and Prosecco.