October

Glasgay!
When: 1st October - 9th November 2008 Where: Glasgow
Scotland's annual celebration of queer culture and the UK's largest multi-arts gay festival is back to celebrate its 14th year with events spanning comedy, music, film, theatre, visual art, performance art, literature, club nights, education events and community arts projects.

Alfred Dunhill Links Championship
When: 2nd - 5th October 2008 Where: St Andrews, Carnoustie & Kingsbarns, Fife
A 72-hole stroke play pro-am tournament played over three of the world's most spectacular links courses and featuring some of the best golfers in the world, together with A-list names from the fields of sport and entertainment.

Callander Jazz & Blues Festival
When: 3rd - 5th October Where: Callander, near Stirling
A long weekend of jazz and blues provided by over 30 international, national and local bands at various venues in this eastern gateway town to the Loch Lomond & Trossachs National Park.

Moffat Walking Festival
When: 3rd - 5th October 2008 Where: Moffat
Enjoy an autumnal break in the stunning Moffat Hills with a warm welcome from locals and fellow walkers. Now in its fifth year, the walking festival team knows how to help you make the most of your weekend.

Dundee Festival of Scottish Music (Fest 'n' Furious)
When: 3rd - 6th October 2008 Where: Dundee
A traditional music festival featuring the best of Scotland's musical talent. The festival offers a range of performances from both traditional and modern instrumentalists, master classes, 'Come and Try' sessions, ceilidhs and concerts.

Cowalfest
When: 3rd - 12th October 2008 Where: Cowal
Cowalfest, Scotland's largest walking festival, is now also a major arts festival with a 10-day programme of walks, arts, cultural and social events that celebrate landscape and the natural world's influence on creativity. This is a unique and vibrant festival that's redolent of place and imbued with local character and charm. Its mountains and lochs, formed by fire and ice, are graced by forest and ancient woodland, and never far away are those stunning west coast sea lochs.

Baxters Loch Ness Marathon & Festival of Running
When: 5th October 2008 Where: Between Fort Augustus and Foyers to Inverness
Recognised as one of the UK's leading marathons, the Baxters Loch Ness Marathon follows a spectacular point-to-point route through stunning Highland scenery, along the south-eastern shores of Loch Ness, and then crosses the River Ness to finish in Inverness Queens Park Stadium. There will also be 10k and 5K runs.

Tunnock's Tour of Mull Rally
When: 10th - 12th October 2008 Where: Mull
Claimed to be 'the best rally in the world', the thrilling Tunnock's Tour of Mull sees cars compete against the clock over the island's often single-track public roads, with lots of hairpins, steep hills and big drops! Come and compete or spectate and party in one of Mull's biggest events of the year.

Am Mòd Nàiseanta Rìoghail / The Royal National Mod
When: 10th - 18th October 2008 Where: Falkirk
Am Mòd Nàiseanta Rìoghail (The Royal National Mod) is Scotland's premier festival of the Gaelic language, arts and culture and is held annually in October at a different location in Scotland. The Mod is a competition-based festival celebrating the Gaelic language and culture through music, dance, drama, arts and literature.

Crieff & Strathearn Drovers' Tryst Walking Festival
When: 11th - 18th October 2008 Where: Crieff & Strathearn
From climbing the local Munros, abseiling and mountain biking to treasure hunting or joining in a children's Creepy Crawly walk, the Drover's Tryst Walking Festival has something for everyone, offering outdoor enthusiasts of all ages a week of Perthshire's autumnal beauty. The festival's social side also includes street theatre, live music, ceilidh and pipe bands and hands-on craft demonstrations.

The Ideal Home Show Scotland
When: 11th - 19th October 2008 Where: Glasgow
Inspirational ideas for stylish interiors and exteriors, celebrity advice, some 200 exhibitors, great new products, thousands of special offers and bags of shopping.

Golden Spurtle World Porridge-making Championships
When: 12th October 2008 Where: Carrbridge, Highlands
Keen amateur and professional chefs gather in Carrbridge from around the UK and further afield to compete for the famed Golden Spurtle trophy and claim the title as World Porridge-making Champion. The event also plays host to the Carrbridge Challenge 5 km, 3 km woodland run and mini fun run, the Cairngorm Farmers Market, stalls, product tastings, live music and a variety of street entertainment.

Aberfoyle Mushroom Festival
When: 16th - 19th October Where: Aberfoyle
The food, music and cultural festival based on the humble mushroom returns for its eighth year, this time with a Spanish flavour. Come and enjoy the fungus forays, cookery demonstrations, ceilidhs, concerts, fishing and golf competitions and a special children?s programme. Wild varieties of mushroom can be found in the Queen Elisabeth Forest adjacent to Aberfoyle.

Senior Fèis (Fèis Rois nan Deugairean)
When: 13th - 17th October 2008 Where: Ullapool, Ross & Cromarty, Highland
Senior Fèis (Fèis Rois nan Deugairean), a unique and wonderful traditional cultural feast, offering daily tuition in the many traditional instruments, Gaelic language, Gaelic song, step dancing & reels, Highland culture and group playing. The Feis provides a first-class tutor team, sessions and ceilidhs set against the backdrop of stunning Highland scenery and a friendly atmosphere.

Biggar Little Festival
When: 16th - 26th October 2008 Where: Biggar, South Lanarkshire
Contemporary jazz, string quartets, a family ceilidh, cosy fireside storytelling, exhibitions, a young musician competition, children & adults' craft workshops, belly-dancing, hip-hop or tap-dancing - all this and much more are to be found at the Biggar Little Festival. Ten days crammed full of events offering an incredibly diverse programme to suit all tastes.

Edinburgh Mountain Film Festivals
When: 17th - 19th October 2008 Where: Edinburgh
This is an annual event dedicated to the promotion of adventure through films, lectures and exhibitions. The Festival aims to entertain, enlighten and inspire and also offers film-makers the rare opportunity to showcase their exciting work.

The Enchanted Forest
When: 17th October - 2nd November 2008 Where: Faskally Wood, Pitlochry
Scotland's premier sound and light show returns to Faskally Wood near Pitlochry with 'Creation'. Spectacular sound and lighting effects will be used to illustrate the earth's history from its early volcanic state, the Ice Age and the Jurassic era right through to modern times.

Perthshire Amber - The Dougie MacLean Festival
When: 24th October - 2nd November 2008 Where: Pitlochry, Blair Atholl, Weem, Birnam & Dunkeld
'A jewel of a festival' where contemporary song meets folk, roots and tradition. With concerts in wonderful venues - theatres, castles and even an iron age crannog! - as well as ceilidh, open mic, spontaneous music sessions, workshops, talks and walks. Come and enjoy great music amid Perthshire's autumnal beauty!

International Scottish Storytelling Festival
When: 24th October - 2nd November 2008 Where: Edinburgh, Lothian & the Borders
A celebration of live oral storytelling, the Scottish International Storytelling Festival sees Scottish and international storytellers share an exciting array of folk and fairy tales from around the world. For all ages.

Voices in Paisley
When: 24th October - 9th November 2008 Where: Paisley
Voices in Paisley will have two strands this year, The Paisley Choral Festival, a unique event in Scotland, and Fringe Voices which caters those whose musical tastes lie in other vocal styles. Highlights include The King's Singers, The Valaam Ensemble and The Taylor Wilson Jazz Trio.

sound 2008
When: 24th October - 16th November 2008 Where: Aberdeen City and Shire
sound is an exciting contemporary music festival, unique to the north east of Scotland, set up by local organisations with the aim of presenting an eclectic but very broad range of contemporary music, to a large and varied public.

Glenfiddich Piping and Fiddle Championships
When: 25th & 26th October 2008 Where: Blair Atholl
The annual showcase of the very best solo pipers and fiddlers, this weekend event in the grand setting of the Blair Castle ballroom, is a major date on Scotland's traditional music calendar.

Celtic Samhain Festival
When: 31st October 2008 Where: Kenmore, Perthshire
Come dressed in costume and celebrate this ancient Celtic Halloween festival. Bring a lantern to keep evil at bay and join the torchlit procession through lochside woods. Watch a wicker ram burn in ceremonial sacrifice, and enjoy the carved-lantern competition, storytelling and music, apple-ducking, hot soup, and fire shows.

Whisky Live Glasgow
When: 31st October - 1st November 2008 Where: Glasgow
Whisky Live brings all the very best Scotch whisky to one event for the enthusiast and the novice alike. With expert advice on hand and the chance to learn about whisky basics, Whisky Live Glasgow offers the ultimate whisky experience with varied tastings, masterclasses, live music and regular nose-off competitions.

Halloween at Traquair House
When: 31st October - 2nd November 2008 Where: Innerleithen, Borders
Traquair House hosts several Halloween events. Join the ghosts of Traquair's past as they come to life on a historical ghost tours; feast on a Halloween supper, and enjoy a frighteningly fun day for all the family at the Halloween experience, featuring falconry and owl displays, a wizards and witches workshop and much more.

The Corona Extra PWA World Cup
When: (Dates tbc) Where: Tiree
This legendary event on the UK's windsurfing calendar returns to the stunning island of Tiree, often described as 'The Hawaii of the North' or 'The Land Below the Waves', promising a week of extreme adrenaline-fuelled action. The world's best sailors come together to brave the full Atlantic furies of wind and waves off the beautiful beaches of Tiree to compete in freestyle, wave jumping and supercross disciplines. The Corona Extra PWA World Cup Event Village offers a whole host of have-a-go adventure sports activities for visitors.

Shetland Fiddle & Accordion Festival
When: (Dates tbc) Where: Shetland
Musicians from all over the world perform Shetland's two most popular instruments at this popular event in venues around the islands. The highlight of this lively festival of concerts and dances is the Grand Dance, where up to a dozen bands play virtually non-stop accordion and fiddle music.

Dràma Na h-Alba - Scotland's Theatre Arts Festival & Forum
When: (Dates tbc) Where: Inverness
A unique festival and forum of theatre arts featuring the work of Highland and Islands producing companies, national companies and visiting International companies and with the vision of celebrating the best of today's theatre in the highlands and Islands; offering a forum to learn, create and debate.

Lockerbie Jazz Festival
When: (Dates tbc) Where: Lockerbie
The Lockerbie Jazz Festival is a wonderfully eclectic showcase that mixes top international artists, great Scottish bands and the best local musicians from Dumfries & Galloway. Whether you enjoy relaxing to the cool and mellow or tapping your feet to the Dixie beat, the Festival has a style to suit every taste.

The Wickerman
When: (Dates tbc) Where: Oyne, Aberdeenshire
Strange happenings, scary stories and creepy Celts all day until the Wickerman is burnt to herald the beginning of winter.

Scottish Book Town Festival
When: 26th September - 5th October 2008 Where: Wigtown, Dumfries and Galloway
Wigtown plays host to what is billed as the nation's most intimate book festival, offering a unique opportunity to get up close and personal with a selection of the UK's best-loved writers and performers. With over a quarter of a million books to choose from Wigtown's many booksellers, publishers, book dealers and arts and crafts shops, it's easy to see why this is Scotland's national book town.