What's On

Events along the NC500

Highland Games, folk festivals, wildlife weekends, and craft fairs — discover what's happening along the route during your visit.

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Nature & Wildlife

Handa Island Puffin Season Open Days

1 May 2026 – 31 August 2026

Handa Island, Sutherland

Special guided trips to Handa Island to see the puffin colonies at their peak. Ferries run from Tarbet near Scourie.

Motoring

North Coast 500 Festival of Speed

21–22 June 2026

Inverness

A celebration of classic cars and motorbikes gathering in Inverness before a 2-day scenic tour of the NC500 route.

Highland Games

Durness Highland Gathering

12 July 2026

Durness, Sutherland

The traditional Highland Games at Durness — the most northwesterly games on the mainland. Expect heavy athletics, pipe bands, dancing, and a great community atmosphere.

Highland Games

Dornoch Highland Games

26 July 2026

Dornoch, Sutherland

One of the oldest Highland Games in Scotland, held on the links of Royal Dornoch. Traditional heavy athletics, dancing, and pipe band competitions.

Music

Wick Jazz Festival

8–10 August 2026

Wick, Caithness

A popular jazz festival held in historic Wick, bringing world-class musicians to the far north of Scotland.

Nature & Wildlife

Torridon Wildlife Weekend

16–17 August 2026

Torridon, Wester Ross

Guided walks and talks exploring the wildlife of the Torridon mountains and coastline. Spot red deer, golden eagles, pine martens, and otters with expert naturalists.

Science & Education

Caithness International Science Festival

6–14 September 2026

Wick & Thurso, Caithness

A wide-ranging science and technology festival based in Caithness, with events across Wick and Thurso. Fun for all ages with hands-on experiments and expert talks.

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