September is a really popular month to visit. Often the weather can actually be better than in August and there are plenty of things to do in Scotland in September. Another advantage of visiting Scotland in September is that the roads are a little quieter. Whilst the school holidays are over and the peak tourist season has passed, you should still be prepared to book ferry travel in advance if you are island hopping.
Cultural Events in Scotland in September 2025
Book Festivals
Scotland
September is a bumper month for literary festivals. The Nairn Book and Arts Festival kicks the month off. It’s a nine day celebration of arts and culture in the Highlands including readings in the Gaelic language. This year it takes place between 30th August and 7th September. Full details in the Nairn Book and Arts Festival Programme 2025.
Bloody Scotland, the international crime writing festival runs from 12th to 14th September in Stirling. The event kicks off with a torchlight procession. Wigtown Book Festival takes place from 26th Sept to 5th October 2024 in Scotland’s National Book Town. Wigtown in Dumfries and Galloway in the south west of Scotland plays host to best selling authors and literary based events for adults and children. The town’s streets are lined with independent booksellers and antique shops to visit in festival downtime.
This three day event celebrates the coastal heritage and the abundant seafood and oysters of Stranraer. This year Stranraer Oyster Festival will take place from 12th to 14th September next to Loch Ryan. Loch Ryan is Scotland’s only wild self-sustaining native oyster fishery. The full programme includes cooking demonstrations with celebrity chefs, live music, the Scottish Oyster Shucking Championships, a market area, watersports, childrens activities and lots and lots of food and drink including a huge oyster bar.
Visit the Cairngorms
Take a trip to the Cairngorms in September to enjoy hiking through Glenmore Forest with fewer tourists around than the peak months of July and August. Towards the end of the month the golden hues of Autumn begin to emerge. With less people around, it’s a good time of year to spot red deer or other wildlife.
The famous The Braemar Gathering is on 6th September 2024. This annual event is possibly the most popular of all the Highland Games in the world. There are track events and displays, pipers and dancers. Traditionally a member of the Royal Family has attended due to its proximity to the Balmoral Estate.
You will find everything you’d expect at a Highland Games at Pitlochry Highland Games on 13th September. Highland dancing, pipers, tossing the caber, tug ‘o’ war and a grand pipe band finale. Pitlochry is a beautiful historic town and well worth a visit in itself.
Largs Viking Festival is an event running from Saturday 30th August to Sunday 7th September which commemorates the Battle of Largs of 1263. This was the place of the last Viking invasion of the UK. A celebration of Largs’ Viking heritage, it is a fun, family event which includes a Viking village, axe throwing, a festival of fire with a procession and burning of a longboat and culminates in a fireworks display.
Folk Festivals
There’s quite a few folk festivals in the September festival calendar. The following weekend, 12th-14th September there is the Ardersier Folk Festival organised by the Ardersier Folk Club. This little festival in Invernessshire has three days of workshops, open sessions, craft stalls and Ceilidh.
The tiny island of Colonsay in the Hebrides is the venue for a great little folk festival running from 18th to 21st September. There are limited tickets to Ceol Cholasa so its best to book rather than turn up on the day and be disappointed. In order to manage the impact of tourism on the island there is a strict policy on campervans. You will need written permission which states where the campervan will be parked. There are no general campervan facilities on Colonsay but it is possible to organise this with the festival’s organisers. There are details on the festival’s accommodation pages on their website.
Contemporary, Pop, Rock, Jazz & Blues
If folk is not your thing, you should find a festival for all musical tastes in September. Not far from Big Sky HQ in Silverburn Park, Leven, Fife Festival takes place on 13th-14th September. It is a relaxed pop and contemporary music festival.
Classical – Lammermuir Festival
The critically acclaimed Lammermuir Festival takes place from 4th-15th September. The festival celebrates the impact of setting on music – ‘beautiful music in beautiful places’. Music is performed within the beautiful landscape and historic architecture of the towns and villages between the Lammermuir hills and the sea in East Lothian. There are performances from internationally renowned musicians as well as local and up and coming musical talent. The full programme for this year’s event is available on the Lammermuir Festival website.
Big Sky Campers Campervans for Hire
Scotland
If you are thinking of campervanning in Scotland in September you have chosen one of the best months to visit. The weather is still warm and the crowds have calmed down but there are still plenty of things to do in Scotland in September. Hire a campervan from our base outside Edinburgh and explore what Scotland has to offer. Our campervan rental prices are all inclusive and every van is fully equipped with all the accessories you will need for a campervanning holiday. Unlimited mileage.
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