Boat festival getting ready to set sail
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Portsoy is set to welcome thousands of people to the town as it hosts the 26th Scottish Traditional Boat Festival this weekend.
The community will showcase the best in maritime, craft, music, food and drink and other activities this Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
The music headliners for the Friday Night Gig at the Green will be Barbara Dickson and Rab Noakes.
The concert in the Wally Green marquee will see the duo supported by The Shetland Fiddlers’ Association.
Tickets are £20 in advance online at www.stbfportsoy.org or from the festival ticket and information office at Seafield Street, which is now open daily.
The event is sponsored by David Urquhart Joiners.
Afterwards from 11pm, there will be a late night music session in bar area, with the bar supplied by Spey Valley Brewery.
Saturday will see the raft race make a return to the festival and take to the sea in the New Harbour from 2.30pm.
The object of the raft race is to design and build a vessel that can stay afloat and take up to three team members across the water in the New Harbour.
It must be by paddle power and using whatever materials they can beg, borrow or otherwise source.
Prizes will be awarded for first, second and third places. There will also be prizes for the best dressed team – with the more colourful and flamboyant the better.
Teams must be registered in advance for the event, which is sponsored by the Balmoral Group, at https://www.stbfportsoy.org/raft-race
Also returning to the festival will be the Vikings from Shetland.
A parade will set off from the Wall Green on Saturday at 2pm, with children encouraged to take part with a homemade shield
Later that day a torch-lit parade will set off from Loch Soy at 7.30pm.
It will feature authentic Viking torches made by the squad in Shetland, as used in Up Helly Aa.
In Lerwick, people need to be a resident for at least five years to join a Viking squad and carry a torch, so it is a unique opportunity for people in Portsoy to do this.
Those aged over 16 are invited to purchase a torch at £10 each and join the procession.
The grand finale at The Links will see the burning of a wooden boat.
A Viking family ceilidh will then be held in Portsoy Town Hall from 8.30pm. It will be a joint fundraiser with Portsoy Pipe Band and will feature music by The McBain Band.
To buy torches and ceilidh tickets email myles@stbfportsoy.org or go to the festival ticket and information office at Seafield Street.
A variety of other events will also be held throughout the weekend and to view the full programme visit www.stbfportsoy.org
