Inverness Bunkers Festival 12th - 15th July 2012

3rd July 2012

Inverness Bunkers Festival provides entertainment for golf open visitors.

Fans attending the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open Championship at Castle Stuart Golf Links (12 - 15 July) will receive a warm Highland welcome when they arrive in Inverness for the showpiece golf event.

The Bunkers' Festival - a programme of live entertainment organised by The Highland Council's Inverness Festivals' team - Fèisean Inbhir Nis - will entertain both visitors and locals in and around the centre of Inverness.

A mix of both traditional and contemporary performances will be on show at various locations or "bunkers" in the city centre during the evenings of Thursday 12, Friday 13 and Saturday 14 July from 7:30 to 9:30pm each evening. Taking part in the performances will be:

City of Inverness Youth Pipe Band and the Royal British Legion Pipe Band;
High Life Highland Fiddle Forte led by Irene Fraser;
Highland dancers from the Edith MacPherson and Elizabeth Fraser Schools of Dance;
Mascot Madness (Costumed character entertainers);
Mike Rowan with Big Rory and his dog (street theatrical actors on stilts);
The Seagulls (Costumed character entertainers);
Royal Scottish Country Dance Society.
TMC Folk (traditional ceilidh players).
On each evening, a finale 'hole-in-one-concert' of all the "bunkers' events will also take place in front of Inverness Castle from 9:30pm - 10pm hosted by Pro Sound DJ Robert Yourson.

Councillor Jimmy Gray, Convener of The Highland Council, applauded the Inverness Festivals' working group and the performers. He said: "Golf-tourism has a significant impact on the economy of the Highlands and it's important that we provide a warm Highland welcome for our visitors to the area.

"This event also gives us an opportunity to share some of our Highland culture and music with visitors. Previous festival experiences have shown us that the sight and sounds of pipe bands playing and Highland dancers performing in Inverness High Street are a must-see-magnet for camera-wielding tourists and all the acts will provide something for everyone."

The Bunkers' Festival is one of the ways in which The Highland Council is supporting the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open Championship. The Council is leading a multi-agency response team which has produced a travel plan for the event.

A floral golfer sculpture is featured on the roundabout at the Raigmore Interchange where the A96 meets the A9.

More detail of the Bunkers' Festival is available here -
http://www.highland.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/B0FBAC52-91B7-4D3B-89E3-60204FCD21D4/0/2012BunkersFestivalProg.pdf

For golf fans wishing to attend the golf event find details here -
http://www.highland.gov.uk/leisureandtourism/events/scottishopen.htm