Coastal tales and curious creatures take over Aberdeen
From sea monsters to storytelling, hands-on workshops and playful performances connect city to shore.
It’s not just the ships pulling into the harbour that will make waves this July. As Aberdeen prepares to welcome the Tall Ships Races, 20 local organisations are teaming up to run the second Festival of the Sea. The programme runs from 12 to 27 July, on either side of the Tall Ships weekend.
Events take place across the city, from coastal walks and care homes to galleries and studios. It includes everything from youth dance camps to artist-led jewellery workshops, mermaid storytelling, coastal clean-ups, and a museum talk about mythical sea creatures. Many of the events are free, and the focus is as much on long-term connection as it is on summer fun.
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Making space for play, stories and strange sea beasts
The more you look, the more curious the programme becomes. A visit from Viktor Wynd brings his slightly gothic, definitely eccentric Museum of Curiosities to Aberdeen Art Gallery, with tales of mermaids, monsters and the arcane. Across the water, a coastal discovery day at Greyhope Bay Centre blends beachcombing with marine biology and environmental education.
On the playful side, Scottish Dance Theatre brings Pirates! to His Majesty’s Theatre, a family show full of sea creatures, slapstick and duels. Citymoves are running a summer youth camp themed around underwater life, while Deemouth Artist Studios open their doors for a long weekend of hands-on making.
Young voices, local stories
Even the quieter corners of the city are involved. In Torry, a mix of care home performances and outdoor movement events will link generations through dance. Fish ‘n’ Ships, a travelling project led by young people, trades artwork for plastic waste in a light-touch approach to tackling pollution.
As Frances Coombey from Greyhope Bay put it, it’s about celebrating “our connections to the coast through nature, heritage or creativity.” The hope is that those connections will keep growing, well beyond the arrival of the Tall Ships.
Of course we've got listings for all the Festival of the Sea events. Whether you're making sea creatures out of clay, watching a pirate duel or beachcombing with your pals, we’d love to hear about it. Tag us on social media and let us know what you've seen, made or discovered while you're out exploring.
Fittie Community Hall
Mon 14 Jul - Fittie Community Hall
Creative Writing: Aberdeen Harbour
Wed 16 Jul - Fittie Community Hall
Harbour Voice Choir
Thu 17 Jul - Fittie Community Hall
Workshop: Seaweed Printing on Textiles
Sat 19 Jul - Fittie Community Hall
Fittie Arts and Craft Fair
Wed 23 Jul - Fittie Community Hall
Harbour Voices Choir
Thu 24 Jul - Fittie Community Hall
Workshop: Watercolours of Fittie and The Sea
Sat 26 Jul - Fittie Community Hall
Joss Cameron Live Music: The Sea Salt Shore
AAGM Venues
Until 26 Oct - Aberdeen Art Gallery
Monsters of the Deep Exhibition
Until 11 Jan - Aberdeen Art Gallery
From the Archive: Aberdeen Harbour Exhibition
Until 29 Mar - Aberdeen Maritime Museum
Tales of the Tall Ships Exhibition
Sat 12 - Sun 13 Jul - Cowdray Hall
Sea Dragon Kids Theatre Performance
Wed 16 Jul - Aberdeen Maritime Museum
Talk: Cool Stories of Exploration and Discovery
Thu 17 Jul - Aberdeen Art Gallery
Talk: Viktor Wynd and the Museum of Curiosities
Greyhope Bay
Tue 15 Jul - Greyhope Bay Centre
Talk: Sailing the Fully Rigged Sørlandet
Sat 19 Jul - Greyhope Bay Centre
Watercolour Seascapes Workshop with Emma Louise Wilson
Mon 21 July - Greyhope Bay Centre
Beachcombing Discovery
Mon 21 July - Greyhope Bay Centre
Coastal Bird Walk
Mon 21 July - Greyhope Bay Centre
Coastal Discovery Day
Sat 26 Jul - Greyhope Bay Centre
Rocks and Ripples in Watercolour: A Coastal Art Geology Workshop
APA Venues
Until 26 Jul - Music Hall
Stepping in Screen: David Cass – Tall Ships commission
Sat 19 - Sun 20 Jul - His Majesty’s Theatre
Scottish Dance Theatre: Pirates!
Aberdeen Uni Venues
Sat 12 Jul - Sir Duncan Rice Library
University of Aberdeen Collections: Map-making
Mon 14 - Thu 24 Jul - Zoology Museum
Explore the Zoology Museum
City Libraries
Until 23 Aug - Aberdeen City Libraries
Aberdeen Reads Challenge
Thu 24 Jul - Torry Library
Bookbug Storytelling - Tall Ships in Aberdeen
Fri 25 July - Torry Library
Memories Scotland: Tall Ships
Outdoors
Mon 30 Jun - Tue 26 Aug - City Wide
Clan Bookbench Trail
Mon 21 July - Street Performance
Citymoves: My Friend Selkie
Other Venues
Until 15 Aug - Aberdeen Sports Village
Holiday Sports Camps and Family Swim Sessions
Mon 7 - Fri 18 Jul - Aberdeen Arts Centre
Creative Holiday Camp: Sea and Sky
Thu 10 - Sun 13 Jul - Stonehaven Town Hall
Stonehaven Folk Festival
Sat 19 Jul - Old Aberdeen Library
Bookbug Storytelling for Kids: Tall Ships Aberdeen
Sun 20 Jul - The Blue Lamp
The Power of the Sea: Stories and Poems from Pushing Out the Boat
Mon 21 – Fri 25 July - Citymoves Dance Agency
Creatures of the Deep Camp
Tue 22 Jul - Online
Sea Monsters on Medieval and Renaissance Maps with Chet van Duzer
Wed 23 - Sun 27 Jul - Deemouth Artists Studios
DAS Woorkshop Weekender
