St Andrew’s Day to be a celebration of fairness

A collective celebration of arts, culture and social causes is coming to Scotland to mark St Andrew’s Day.

The first nationwide Fair Saturday will take place on Saturday, 1 December, extending St Andrew’s Day  with a festival of cultural events that promote fairness and sharing while raising funds for good causes.

Originating in Spain in 2014, Fair Saturday is a global movement to boost culture and social empathy, acknowledging that the arts are powerful force for good which have a positive impact on wellbeing and encourage inclusiveness.

St Andrew’s Fair Saturday is part of Scotland’s Winter Festivals and will support the #MakeSomeonesDay campaign, which urges Scots to spread a little kindness to mark the national day.

St Andrew’s Fair Saturday includes more than 70 performances across Scotland including theatre, dance, comedy and music, with each event fundraising for social causes, as well as promoting fairness and sharing.

Events include:

Edinburgh

Dunedin Consort – The Golden Age at Canongate Kirk; The Penalty at Queen’s Hall; Edinburgh’s Christmas Silent Light at George Street; Arts for all at Scottish Arts Club Workshops at Scottish Poetry Library.

Dundee

Dundee Soup at The Circle; The Snow Queen at Dundee Rep Theatre; St Andrew’s Day Fusion Festival at the City Square and McManus Galleries.

Ben Macpherson MSP, Minister for Europe, Migration and International Development, and Jordi Albareda, Fair Saturday director and founder (Photo: Stewart Attwood)

Fife

St Andrew’s family pantomime – Sleeping Beauty in The Byre Theatre, St Andrews; Creative colouring workshop in Jennie Lee Library, Lochgelly.

Glasgow

Glasgow’s St Andrew’s day torchlight parade in the West End and surrounding areas; St Andrew’s conga at Hampden Park; Comics Scotland Night at the Museum at Hunterian Museum, University of Glasgow; YOYP 2018 Diversity Awards at the Old Fruitmarket

The North, Highlands and Islands

Raemond Jappy and Friends at St Andrews Cathedral, Aberdeen; Christmas Tree Festival at Inverness Cathedral, Inverness; Sound of Islands St Andrew’s Ceilidh at Bowmore Hall, Islay.

The full programme is now available on the St Andrew’s Fair Saturday website – www.scotland.org/standrewsday

Jordi Albareda, Fair Saturday director and founder said: ‘Scots are known around the world for their warmth and generous spirit, so it is fitting that the first nationwide Fair Saturday is taking place in Scotland.

‘From highland dancing in Bowmore, art exhibitions in Stromness, live music workshops in Livingston and opera in North Berwick, we’ve had a great response from the Scottish people, with local groups signing up to support the social causes which mean the most to their community.’

Scotland’s Winter Festivals is supported by £550,000 from the Scottish Government – opening with St Andrew’s Day on 30 November. This will be followed by events over the Christmas period, Hogmanay and, in January, Burns Night.

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