The Council is keen to support festivals and events across Dumfries and Galloway. Major festivals and events create business, sporting, cultural and community benefits and events of all kinds provide opportunities for communities and interest groups to come together.

The Council, with project partners, is currently in the process of finalising a new Major Festivals and Events Strategy for the region. The new Strategy will be published here in July 2013.

 The Council has also prepared an Events Toolkit [880kb], which we hope will be a useful and practical guide to running festivals and events for the voluntary sector.

The Council's Major Festivals and Events Strategy will seek to support the development of a cluster of internationally significant festivals and events that can profile Dumfries and Galloway and bring benefits to the regional economy.

The Strategy will be overseen by a new Major Events Executive for Dumfries and Galloway, which will be supported in their work by the Council's Principal Officer for Events.

Information on the work and funding programmes relating to the new Dumfries and Galloway Major Festivals and Events Strategy 2014-2016 will be posted here.

Dumfries and Galloway has a wonderful range of festivals and events, including the renowned Wickerman and Wigtown Book Town Festivals, the Spring Fling Open Artists' Studios Weekend held in May of each year, the Dumfries and Galloway Arts Festival, the Scottish Rally, the Tour of Britain, many Common Ridings and Walking Festivals, the Lockerbie Jazz Festival, events seasons in Kirkcudbright and Moffat, and a wonderful array of smaller festivals held in our beautiful towns and villages.

There is also a wide variety of live music festivals, including the World Ceilidh, held near Carsphairn, the Eden Festival and Comlongon Rocks.