As 2025 begins, Aberdeen City Council is already looking forward to this year’s cultural events calendar which promises to be spectacular.
Councillor Martin Greig, the Council’s culture spokesman, said: “2025 will be an incredibly important year for cultural events in Aberdeen. An impressive programme is in place that will offer great experiences and create splendid memories.
“From Spectra to Granite Noir to the return of the Tall Ships races there really will be something for everyone. These wonderful festivals are bringing a great sense of excitement to the city.
“The cultural activity also generates huge economic benefits for our area. It is not surprising that Condé Nast Traveller has recently named Aberdeen as one of the best Staycation spots in the UK for 2025; the only Scottish city to make the list.”
Things get underway on 6 February with Scotland’s much-loved festival of light, Spectra, which returns for its 11th year with awe-inspiring art installations, interactive displays and light projections to transform famous city centre landmarks for four nights. The full line-up will be announced in January.
Hot on the heels of Spectra, Thursday 20 - Sunday 23 February 2025 sees the return of Granite Noir, Scotland’s biggest crime-fiction festival, for its 9th year with a mixture of the thrilling, the macabre and even the supernatural. Paula Hawkins and Nicci French are among the authors appearing , along with New York Times best seller Lucy Foley, award-winning comedian and Gentleman Thief Alasdair Beckett King, and singer-songwriter and author James Yorkston.
Then 19-22 July sees the return of the BIG one, with Tall Ships 2025 transforming the harbour and city centre into a huge maritime festival space.
As well as an anticipated 50 plus tall ships including a record number of Class A vessels, which are expected to draw 400,000 visits, a large outdoor event space adjacent to the harbour’s quaysides including a stage holding more than 7,000 people is to be constructed as part of the family-friendly festivities.
For those who cannot wait for these spectacular occasions, Aberdeen Art Gallery is already hosting Artist Textiles – Picasso to Warhol rare examples of textiles by world-famous artists including Alexander Calder, Salvador Dalí, Sonia Delaunay, Raoul Dufy, Barbara Hepworth, Fernand Léger, Henri Matisse, Joan Miró, Henry Moore, Pablo Picasso, Ben Nicholson and Andy Warhol.
The exhibition, which arrived in Aberdeen following a major international tour of venues in Europe, the US, Canada, Europe and China runs until 13 April 2025