Best Local Events

EVENTS IN EAST NEUK & ST ANDREWS

Something for everyone!

This page contains a calendar of selected events I recommend in the East Neuk of Fife and St Andrews area – the majority are annual events. Music, food, beer, art, gardening, nature, science, poetry, dance, theatre, shopping, sailing, golf and even scarecrows – there’s something for everyone! p.s. as more 2020 event dates become available I’ll add them here. If you have an event you’d like added here just Contact Us.

PLEASE NOTE THIS PAGE IS PRE CORONAVIRUS – 2020 EVENTS ARE SUBJECT TO CANCELLATION.

REGULAR MARKETS

Arbroath Smokies, Fife Farmers Market

First Saturday of each month: Fife Farmer’s Market in St Andrews from 9am to 1pm – “fresh food from Fife”, a market with a wide range of food from some great local suppliers plus some plants and craft stalls. The market has moved and is now held on Market Street.
Second weekend of the month including 14 & 15 March, 11 & 12 April & 9 & 10 May 2020: Bowhouse Market Weekend, Bowhouse, Balcaskie estate, by St Monans – Visit Bowhouse and experience fresh food, drink, crafts and gifts from Fife and beyond. Enjoy live music, KY10 2DB.
Monthly on a Tuesday from late Spring: 2020 dates TBC: The Night Market, Balgove Larder Steak Barn, outside St Andrews – The Night Market is about bringing people together midweek for food, drink, stalls and music! Tuesdays are the new weekend. 5-9pm except the Christmas market which is 4-8pm.

QUARTER 1 EVENTS (JANUARY, FEBRUARY & MARCH)

2 February – 31 March 2020: Snowdrop Festival, Cambo Estate – Cambo’s famous annual snowdrop spectacular! Snowdrop woodland walks, piglets & ponies, play area, plant shop bursting with snowdrops and more. Specialist snowdrop sessions. Dog friendly everywhere. 10am – 5pm.
2 February 2020: Imbolc Fire Party, Cambo Estate – Imbolc is a Gaelic traditional fire festival marking the beginning of spring. 4-7pm. Free with garden entry.
4-8 March 2020: StAnza Poetry Festival, St Andrews – the only regular festival dedicated to poetry in Scotland, StAnza is international in outlook. Founded in 1998 it is held each March in St Andrews.

QUARTER 2 EVENTS (APRIL, MAY & JUNE)

3-12 April 2020: “On the Rocks” Arts Festival, St Andrews – Scotland’s largest student-run arts festival.
11 April 2020: Cambolicious Craft Beer Festival, Cambo Estate, Kingsbarns – Music – Food – Delicious Beer and yet also family-friendly! Read my blog post about the event (no. 4).
April – May TBC: Fife Gardens Spring Trail – A treat for any garden lover. It’s a unique opportunity to visit some of Fife’s most spectacular privately-owned gardens. 7 gardens open. Kicks of with the Spring Cambo Plant Fair. (times vary, £25 for entrance to all gardens or £5 each)
April TBC: Craigtoun Easter Fayre, Craigtoun Country Park, by St Andrews
April: Anstruther Duck Race – The Anstruther Improvements Association (10.30-11am) will be holding its annual Duck Race in the Dreel burn. Ducks will be available to buy from local shops.
May: Elie Scarecrow Festival – Each year the residents of Elie get creative and compete to design the best scarecrow. You get to see them all around the village and vote for your faves over the weekend, usually with a trip to the pub along the way. Lots of fun (£2 for a guide).
8-10 May 2020: Open Studios North Fife – 66 artists, makers and designers open their studios to the public this weekend. Brochures are available to download or collect (10am-6pm, free).
April: The Kate Kennedy Spring Procession, St Andrews University – Each year thousands of students and citizens gather on the cobbled streets of St Andrews to watch Scotland’s oldest historical pageant. A special day for town and gown alike. (2pm, free)
Craft cider, Cambolicious

3 – 13 June 2019: Fife Gardens Summer Trail – An opportunity to see 8 privately owned gardens, showcasing very different and wonderful designsall different, 5 of which have never or rarely admitted visitors before (times vary, £25 for entrance to all gardens).
12-14 June 2020: Anstruther Harbour Festival including Anstruther Muster, Anstruther – annual sailing race of 200+ boats organised by the Anstruther Sailing Club which has now expanded into a community harbour event offering a wide range of events and activities for visiting yachtsmen, locals and holidaymakers alike.
13-14 June 2020: Crail Food Festival – a wonderful weekend of foodie fun in the beutiful East Neuk fishing village of Crail. Expect tastings, food market, cookery demos, live music and family fun.
June: Hidden Gardens, The St Andrews Preservation Trust Museum and Garden – A fantastic opportunity to visit rarely seen gardens in St Andrews. Come along and see our award winning garden. (Admission charge, 12 North Street, St Andrews, Tel: 01334 477629)
27/28 June and 4/5 July 2020: East Neuk Open Studios – unique opportunity to see and buy East Neuk artists’ work in their own studios. Paintings, drawings, prints, illustrations, ceramics, etchings, jewellery, textile art. 30 artists. Free. 10.30am-6pm

QUARTER 3 EVENTS (JULY, AUGUST & SEPTEMBER)

1-5 July 2020: East Neuk Festival – award winning annual festival of 5 days of live music – classical, jazz, salsa, contemporary, roots from across the world, all in intimate venues. Celebrating its 15th year. Read this article from The Scotsman newspaper for a flavour of what a great event this is!

Crail Food Festival
Early July: Craigtoun Country Fayre – two days of family fun at Craigtoun Country Park near St Andrews to start the Summer holidays with a bang, including storytelling, party dances, falconry, craft tent, music and all of the park’s usual rides. (10am-5pm, donations welcome).
July: Kingsbarns Hidden Gardens – spend a Summer’s afternoon exploring beautiful gardens in the picturesque village of Kingsbarns. Plants to buy, gift and book stalls, garden quiz and refreshments in some of the gardens for a donation to CHAS (12-5pm, £4, tickets and map from Kingsbarns Square).
July: St Andrews Art Club Summer Exhibition – annual exhibition from this prestigious local art club which has been running since 1959. Great to visit (free entry) and very affordable if you are looking for something new for your walls (10am-5pm or 12-5pm on Sunday, St Andrews Art Club rooms, Argyle Street, St Andrews).
Late July 2020: Crail Festival – the 35th year of this annual arts and children’s festival held in the East Neuk village of Crail. Widely varied programme aimed at all ages and tastes.
18-19 July 2020: Crail Gardens Open Day – unique opportunity to visit the lovely private gardens of the residents of Crail, including some superb harbour views (1-5pm, £5.50, kids free – tickets and maps from 2 Castle Street).
26 July 2020: St Andrews Highland Games, Station Park (in front of the Old Course Hotel), St Andrews – Events are: Running, Cycling, Heavy Weights, Tug-of-war, Solo Piping and Highland Dance. Other Highland Games events nearby include Cupar Highland Games on 21 June and Ceres Highland Games on 27 June 2020.
1-9 August 2020: Pittenweem Arts Festival (check out my blog post on this too!) – annual celebration of the arts with venues across the whole picturesque village of Pittenweem – from people’s living rooms and gardens to the galleries and the pier (10am-5pm, free).
September: St Monans Community Arts Festival – A community arts festival for all ages featuring workshops, exhibitions and other creative activities. Now in its 11th year. Free events.

Spooky pumpkin, Cairnie Fruit Farm

Golfing greats & celebs battle it out, Dunhill Links, Old Course

QUARTER 4 EVENTS (OCTOBER, NOVEMBER & DECEMBER)

1-4 October 2020: Alfred Dunhill Links Golf Championship (check out my blog post on this too!), Old Course at St Andrews, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns – annual golf championship where professional golfers team up with celebrity amateurs to compete (“pro am”) – great for golf fans or those who fancy a bit of celebrity-spotting. Free entry except for the final day. On the Saturday night there is also a popular public firework display in St Andrews.
Throughout October: St Andrews Photography Festival – celebrating 176 years of Scottish photography in the home of Scottish Photography. Exhibitions, events, talks, historic process demonstrations and workshops across 20+ venues.
15-18 October 2020: St Andrews Voices – fourth year of this vocal festival. Opera, cabaret, lieder, jazz, early music, folk and much more…
TBC: Halloween events – expect events in Craigtoun Country Park, The St Andrews Preservation Trust Museum and Garden, Cairnie Fruit Farm and more – details to follow!
November: St Andrews Brass Festival – Since its inception in 2012 the St Andrews Brass Festival has developed an identity as a festival of exploration, experimentation and participation.
November: Christmas Craft Fair, Byre Theatre, St Andrews – The Byre’s famous Christmas Craft Fair is a chance to browse and buy beautifully crafted gifts for friends, family and maybe yourself – meet the makers and enjoy the atmosphere (10am-5pm, free entry).
November: Cambolicious Craft Beer Festival, Cambo Estate, Kingsbarns – For the second time in 2017 it’s the East Neuk’s very own beer festival! Showcasing the best in Scottish craft beer and cider together with live music, delicious food, games and crafts. (2-8pm.) Read my blog post about the event (see no. 4).
November: Christmas Food and Craft Fair, Cambo Estate. The perfect opportunity to do your Christmas shopping! Enjoy browsing around the Christmas stalls set up throughout Cambo House. Local crafts and delicacies. Seasonal music and entertainment.
November: East Neuk Open Studios Winter Art Show, St Monans Town Hall, St Monans (11am-4pm).
TBC November: Christmas Emporium, Old Course Hotel – Watch in amazement as the entire hotel is transformed into a Winter Wonderland – with stunning seasonal decorations, carol singers, open fires, a mouthwatering collection of food & drink experiences and special guest, Santa! (11am-4pm, free entry)
Dates TBC, end November: St Andrew’s Day Celebrations – Scotland’s Patron Saint’s day is always a big weekend-long celebration of Scottishness in his namesake town of St Andrews so make sure you join in the party, including Scotland’s biggest outdoor ceilidh!
TBC November: Pittenweem Artists and Galleries Weekend – Winter exhibitions in 5 Pittenweem galleries show a wide range of artwork. The weather might be bracing, but the superb scenery, architecture and artistic diversity all add up to a perfect day out. And in between venues, enjoy coffee or lunch in our two High Street cafes; both offer a great choice of food and refreshments.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON EVENTS IN THE EAST NEUK AND ST ANDREWS AREA TRY THESE SITES: