Who says festivals are all about summer, music, mud and portaloos? Autumn brings a host of brilliant, family-friendly festivals throughout Perthshire, so embrace the season, and make some dates in your diaries!
Autumn family fun in October Tayfest
Chocolate: Perthshire’s antidote to autumn and winter blues
October Tayfest: This Perthshire autumn festival celebrates ‘the very best of family fun and nature rolled into one!’ Running from Saturday 24th to Saturday 31st October 2015 the festival will include a food and craft fair, ghost walks, poetry and art exhibitions, tasting day, Halloween holiday storytime and night rides, crazy golf, walking tours, a beaver safari, animal encounters, cookie decorating workshops, canoeing taster sessions, night safaris and a screening of the new Peter Pan movie ‘Pan’. Phew! Definitely something in there for everyone. For full details of all the events, their locations and pricing, see http://www.octobertayfest.co.uk/
Celtic Samhain Festival: if you are tired of trick or treaters and want a fresh slant on Halloween, then why not spend it in an Iron Age timber house on the atmospheric banks of Loch Tay? The Crannog Centre in Kenmore celebrates Samhain, the Celtic autumn festival marking the end of the harvest, the onset of the darker half of the year, and the predecessor to Halloween. Come suitably dressed for an evening of myths, legends, flaming torches, incense burning, and a wicker ram bonfire. There will be refreshments too. Book early to avoid disappointment: http://www.crannog.co.uk/
The Enchanted Forest: Okay, not a festival in name, but truly an autumn festival of nature, light and sound. Faskally Wood’s ‘Enchanted Forest’ runs 1 October to 1 November and is fast becoming THE event of the Scottish autumn calendar and deserves a mention. This multi-award winning show fuses light and music to illuminate the forest at night and set your imagination alight. It drew 46,000 visitors last year alone, and has swept the boards at several Scottish events awards. This year’s show is all about movement, waves and energy, and has been named ‘Flux’. To find out more and book tickets (quickly) see: http://www.enchantedforest.org.uk/
Perth Festival of Chocolate: Celebrating ‘the delights of the cocoa bean’, Perth Festival of Chocolate is now in its third year, and takes place on 21 and 22 November in King Edward Street, Perth. Coinciding with Perth’s Christmas lights switch on, the Festival attracts hundreds of visitors to the scenic city. Organised by Perth Farmers Market, the Festival will comprise market stalls selling speciality chocolate, home-baked chocolate products, chocolate drinks, cocoa-based cosmetics and much more. Local restaurants will also participate by showcasing their own “chocolate dinners”, and chocolate-themed specials and cocktails during the event. As well as chocolate, there will be a great selection of hot street food, cooking demos, and story-telling. Details here: http://www.perthfestivalofchocolate.co.uk/
There wil be bonfires and flaming torches at the Crannog Centre