Cultural Programme
Delivering a spectacular cultural, communities and sports programme
With four-days of culture and entertainment taking place around the Tall Ships event there will be loads of opportunities to get involved.
Festival of the Sea 2025
Festival of the Sea will be returning to Aberdeen from 12-27 July!
The Festival of the Sea takes place from 12 to 27 July, the two weeks either side of the Tall Ships Races Aberdeen (19-22 July). From sports camps to singing and storytelling, theatre and dancing to sea dragons and coastal discovery tours, and from exhibitions and creative writing to watercolour workshops, there's something for all ages to discover and enjoy. Twenty organisations are presenting around 40 free and paid-for events in indoor and outdoor locations across the city.
Click here to see the full highlights of the programme.
AMAZING ENTERTAINMENT, LASTING LEGACY
We are looking for performers, musicians, artists, creatives, charities and sporting organisations to help shape and deliver a rich programme of activities that will share Aberdeen with hundred of thousands of visitors.
The cultural, communities, and sports programme will start in Q3 2024 and end towards December 2025, allowing for a build-up of interest as well as a legacy.
Tall Ships Makers Programme showcases local talent
The Makers Programme supports local small businesses and young entrepreneurs to develop products related to the Tall Ships Races, maritime history and environmental awareness, with the selected makers' work displayed at Aberdeen Art Gallery from 24 March until 20 April.
Five talented city makers - comprising Ben Durack, April Hay, Lindsay Johnston, Laura Sherriffs, and the collaborative team of Gabi Reith and Anne Marquiss – had been selected to translate the event's core themes of maritime history, environmental awareness and the sheer spectacle of the Tall Ships into tangible, captivating creations.
Tall Ships Anthem
The official Aberdeen anthem for this summer's much-anticipated Tall Ships spectacular has been launched!
'A Sea Journey', written by local composer Clara-Jane Maunder, follows the journey of a sailor as they return to Aberdeen after a long time at sea, naming familiar Aberdeen landmarks.
Aberdeen Sinfonietta will also be premiering Clara-Jane's second Tall Ships piece "The Coast" on 18 May at The Music Hall concert on maritime-related orchestral music.
Aberdeen Sinfonietta: "Far and Away"
Come and celebrate The Tall Ships Races with Aberdeen Sinfonietta in Far and Away!
Experience the sea in all its moods from Debussy to John Williams in the most exciting concert this season!
Aberdeen Sinfonietta: "Far and Away" will take place on Sunday 18th May at 7:30pm at Aberdeen Music Hall, with tickets on sale now. Don't miss out!
Monsters of the Deep
Get ready to discover monsters!
Explore the deep sea, with ancient and modern stories of strange creatures, sort out the fact from the fiction, learn about what really lurks beneath the waves and understand why tales of monsters persist. Historic and modern exploration equipment, and expeditions allow us to see the scientific discoveries that have changed our view of the oceans.
Legend, myth and modern-day science combine in Monsters of the Deep - a journey from the medieval mind to the modern-day mysteries of the ocean. This summer, take a deep breath and plunge down into the dark murky depths as we seek to explore the unexplained.
Monsters of the Deep is on from 17 May to 26 October at Aberdeen Art Gallery, with tickets available to purchase online now.
The history of the world-famous Aberdeen Line
Not only does 2025 mark the grand return of the Tall Ships Races to Aberdeen, it also commemorates the 200th anniversary of the Aberdeen Line, when the Granite City was an innovative world leader in shipbuilding and shipping.
The Aberdeen Line was established in the city by George Thompson Jnr in 1825 and it was an enterprise that would ultimately take Aberdeen to the rest of the world.
Pirates!
Ahoy, Aberdeen, all on board for Scottish Dance Theatre’s family show Pirates! as we sail into The Tall Ships Races 2025!
Join best friends Tom and Daisy as they are swept away into the world of Captain Sandy Rogers and her rowdy crew! Together, they will go on an unforgettable adventure featuring a bunch of slippery zombies, strange underwater creatures and a final, all-out duel with the wicked Captain O’Greed!
In this story about identity and friendship not everything is what it seems, and the biggest treasure could be right under your nose…
Catch Pirates! at His Majesty’s Theatre, Aberdeen on:
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Saturday 19 July 2025 – 2 pm & 7 pm
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Sunday 20 July 2025 – 2 pm (BSL interpreted) & 7 pm
Created by Scottish Dance Theatre’s Artistic Director Joan Clevillé, Pirates! features a playful mix of dance, theatre and storytelling, with a full company of dancers, lavish set and costume design and original music by Luke Sutherland.
The Tall Ships Short Story
The Tall Ships Races Aberdeen 2025 has partnered with Clan Cancer Support to bring a nautically themed art trail to Europe’s largest free family event.
The Tall Ships Short Story will run alongside Clan’s public art trail, The BookBench Trail, which will feature BookBench sculptures across the north-east, Moray, Orkney and Shetland.
The Tall Ships Short Story showcases twelve specially designed BookBench sculptures in key city centre and coastal locations around Aberdeen, with the project funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
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