From Orkney’s glorious St Magnus Festival, set around the splendour of Kirkwall’s 11th century cathedral; by way of Glasgow’s Celtic Connections, a world class showcase of Scottish music and traditional music from across globe, which attracts over 100,000 people and 1,500 musicians to Glasgow in January; to Imaginate, the largest and most successful performing arts festival for children and young people in the UK, Scotland’s festivals are unique. These are not just worthy local events but world-class festivals rooted in places and each making a contribution to our national identity.

Book lovers can indulge their passions at more than 40 festivals, from the international poetry festival StAnza on the Fife coast at St Andrews in March; Ullapool’s Book Festival, on the shore of Loch Broom, or Aberdeen’s Word Festival, set amongst the mediaeval and Renaissance architecture of the city’s University.

Film lovers will find two of the UK’s most significant film festivals in Glasgow and Edinburgh, while in Dundee in October, Discovery, Scotland’s leading youth film festival, screens international cinema to an audience of almost 8000 young people.

Quirky and distinctive festivals have grown up across Scotland - like Pittenweem in Fife where people open up their homes as galleries featuring local artists, or East Lothian’s 3 Harbours Festival, or the Shetland Fiddle Frenzy, one of Lonely Planet Guides top ten recommendations of places to visit in the world. Scotland is THE place to immerse yourself in culture and this new guide aims to showcase some of the highlights of our festival calendar.