This is the best time of year to be in Crieff & Strathearn

If you've been anywhere near Crieff or the Strathearn valley in the last few weeks, you'll already know this. But for anyone who hasn't yet made the trip, here's what you've been missing.

From late July through to this Sunday, Crieff and Strathearn have been in full summer swing. Multiple events across multiple towns, something for every age and every interest, and a community that genuinely knows how to enjoy itself. Come and be part of it.

Comrie Fortnight -

Six miles west of Crieff, the village of Comrie has spent the last two weeks doing what it's been doing every summer since the late 1960s.

The Comrie Fortnight runs across the last week of July and the first week of August, filling the village with competitions, outings, dances and one of the most beloved community traditions in Perthshire. It closes every year with a float parade through the village to Laggan Park, where an afternoon of fun and festivities brings the fortnight to a spectacular close.

This year's float parade took place on Saturday and the Strathearn community turned out in force as it always does. Profits from the Comrie Fortnight go directly back into supporting local events and groups in the community, which tells you everything you need to know about what this event is really about.

The Comrie Fortnight is the kind of community tradition that most places can only dream of. It belongs to the people of Comrie and they've nurtured it for nearly six decades.

The Crieff Film Festival - 7/8 August 2026

Last Friday and Saturday, the Crieff Film Festival brought two days of sport-themed cinema to Crieff Hydro Cinema and Strathearn Community Campus.

The opening night screening of Chariots of Fire in the Crieff Hydro Ferntower Suite featured a guest speaker appearance from Gillian Charleson, sister-in-law of the film's star Ian Charleson. Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius was introduced by its own producers. Gregory's Girl, F1 and Jerry Maguire completed a programme that gave audiences something a bit different from the usual multiplex experience.

But one of the real highlights of this year's festival was the Make a Film in a Day workshop at Strathearn Community Campus. Running for young people across Friday, it gave kids the chance to write, film and screen their own short films in a single day. The kind of hands-on creative experience that stays with you. A Family Fun Day at the Campus on Saturday added to the mix.

Well done team Creative Crieff!

The Crieff Arts Festival 9-15thCrieff August 2026

The Crieff Arts Festival which is organised by local artist June McEwan is running all week until Saturday 15th August and it's one of the most varied programmes the town has seen.

The Great Crieff Shop Window Exhibition has transformed the High Street, with local artists and craftspeople displaying work in shop windows across the town. The Bill Clark Photography Exhibition is at The Blue Noun all week. The Strathearn Gallery Summer Show is open. The Handlebards bring their outdoor production of Macbeth to MacRosty Park. There's poetry, author events, talks, workshops, butterfly art, ukulele flash mobs and Fergus the Wizard in James Square.

There's something on every day until Saturday and most of it is free.

The Crieff Summer Festival 13-15 August 2026

On Thursday 13th August, James Square becomes a festival venue for three evenings of live music and two full days of free family activities.

Live music runs from 5pm every evening. Midnight Wild and John Paul Mason open on Thursday before Comrie Pipe Band take over James Square from 7pm, courtesy of the Crieff Highland Gathering. Friday brings Nigel Gatherer & Friends, Scoogz and John Coletta and his Musical Puppet Extravaganza. Saturday closes with Black Sugar Rose and The Erratics.

Family activities run all day Friday and Saturday. Remake Disco Forest Treasures, KG Dance Workshop, Beach Party, Studio Arts Kids, Jamie the Jester's Magic Show, Princess and Superheroes Party and face painting throughout. Some sessions are nearly full so don't leave it too long.

Everything is free. Tickets at experiencecrieff.co.uk/crieff-summer-festival

Highland Gathering 16 August 2026

Sunday 16th August is the Crieff Highland Gathering at Market Park.

Since 1870, this event has been one of the great days of the Scottish summer. Pipe bands, heavyweight athletes, Highland dancers, massed bands, a fairground and thousands of visitors from every corner of the world. The chairman of the Gathering describes it as "rightly regarded as the premier Highland Games event in the country."

Tickets at crieffhighlandgathering.com

Crieff Festival Fun

Think about what this region has delivered across just a few weeks.

The Comrie Fortnight, a community tradition nearly six decades old. The Crieff Film Festival, with creative workshops that gave young people the chance to make their own films. The Crieff Arts Festival, filling the town with exhibitions, performances and creativity for a full week. The Crieff Summer Festival, free live music and family activities in a historic square built nearly 300 years ago for exactly this kind of gathering. The Crieff Highland Gathering, one of the oldest and most celebrated Highland Games events in the country.

Crieff and Strathearn puts on quite a summer. If you haven't visited yet this August there's still time. Come for the Arts Festival this week, the Summer Festival Thursday to Saturday, or the Gathering on Sunday.

We'd love to see you here.

Experience Crieff: it's yours to discover.

experiencecrieff.co.uk