Next event: June 2027
Scottish Week happens every three years in June and is a celebration of all things Scottish. The last one was held between 1 and 9 June 2024
The highlight of the week is the Toun Mercat, a well-attended town market that draws thousands of people to enjoy entertainment, food and general market activity.
On the three-year cycle, 2021 was cancelled due to Covid, and a special Toun Mercat was held in 2022 to mark the Queen’s 70th Jubilee celebrations.
In 2024, it included MacPiping Hot Forres and The British Pipe Band Championships in Grant Park on Saturday 8 June – a huge gathering of pipe bands came to Forres to compete for the British title. The European Championships were also held in Forres between 2013 and 2018.
Find out more on the Forres Community Activities Association Facebook page.
Scottish Week is supported by Forres Local Event Services.
Programme
Saturday 1 June
- 10am – Coffee morning in Forres Town Hall, in aid for the Forres Community Activities Association
- 5pm – Scottish Week formally opens with the Forres and District Pipe Band on the High Street
- 5:30pm – FORRES ROCKS! A FREE Music Concert in Grant Park with Be Like Pablo, Tony Hawks Pro Sound System, Dave Levon and Boys Should Learn
- 7pm – Talk on Sir Alexander Grant in the Tolbooth by historian Molly Carmichael
Sunday 2 June
- 11am – Children’s Pet Show in Grant Park, between the cricket pavilion and Soccer 7s pavilion
- 1pm – Riding of the Marches, leaving from Victoria Road car park (see map below)
Monday 3 June
- 7pm – The Musical Magic of St Laurence Church, with Nairn Gaelic Choir and Katie Bell
Tuesday 4 June
- 7pm – Burgess ceremony at St Leonard’s Church
Wednesday 5 June
- 2-4pm – Afternoon Tea Dance, hosted by John ‘The Prof’ Matheson and sponsored by Maclean’s Bakery
- 6.15pm, 6:30pm and 7.10pm – Forres High Street Races and North District 5k Race (register at Forres House on the day).
Thursday 6 June
- 3pm – Do the Dava Way in 40 minutes, Tolbooth courtroom
- 4:30pm – Forres Rotary Colour Run in Grant Park
- 7:30pm – Now we are (eighty) six – a film of the last pre-war Forres Gala in 1938
Friday 7 June
- 6-9pm – TOUN MERCAT in the high street
- 6pm to 9pm – Craft Event in the Tolbooth with Forres Crafters
- 7pm – Film Forres: Hotel Transylvania in the Town Hall
Saturday 8 June
- 9am to 7pm – MacPIPING HOT FORRES and the British Pipe Band Championships in Grant Park
- 9:30am to 4pm – Craft Event in the Tolbooth with Forres Crafters
- 3pm and 4:30pm – A McAnical Medley by The House of Automata
- 8pm – A Scottish themed Quiz Night at the Mosset Tavern
Sunday 9 June
- 6pm – Ecumenical Church Service in Grant Park
See more in the Forres Scottish Week brochure at outlets throughout the town.
Note: Riding of the Marches will leave from the Victoria Road car park at 1pm. Cycle along the ancient town boundaries in this age-old custom to ensure there were no encroachments on the liberties of the Royal Burgh. Eight miles, for accomplished cyclists, not suitable for under 10 years old.
Pictures from the 2022 Toun Mercat
Previous Toun Mercats
