Aberdeen Chases Large-Scale Events After Summer Success
Council pursues Tall Ships return and rally championships following summer’s record attendance.
Aberdeen is moving quickly to secure more large-scale events after this summer’s Tall Ships Races brought 496,000 visits over four days and became Scotland’s most attended free event of the year.
The council has agreed to bid for the Tall Ships to return as early as 2030. It’s also entering talks to bring the World Rally Championships to the region from 2027 to 2029, with rallies headquartered at P&J Live and stages across Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire and Moray.
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Half a million people in four days
The Tall Ships in July transformed the harbour, with ships moored alongside concerts and food stalls. The event generated £2.08 million in revenue, hotels were fully booked, and local businesses reported increased turnover.
Those numbers have shaped council thinking about what Aberdeen can host. The decision to bid for both events came at the same Finance and Resources Committee meeting on 6 November.
The rally proposal
The World Rally Championships would bring the FIA series to a region with a strong motorsport following. Stages would run across local roads and forests, with international competitors and crowds to match.
Funding is being arranged between the councils and the Scottish Government, with external sponsorship also being sought.
A template for what works
Aberdeen appears to be using the Tall Ships as a blueprint, pursuing events that draw substantial visitor numbers rather than waiting for opportunities to arrive.
Councillor Alex McLellan said major events “provide the opportunity to showcase Aberdeen to the world as a place people want to live, work, study and do business.”
The Tall Ships bid builds on proven success. The rally championships depend on funding agreements being reached, but the council’s appetite for hosting is clear: half a million people turned up in July, and they want to make that kind of weekend happen again.
