We are very excited to be able to announce what we have lined up for you at the 4th Girvan Arts Festival.

There will be authors, artists, musicians, craftsmen, poets and farmers, with stuff plenty of stuff for the kids to do and see, with entertainment between events provided by our talented local singers and players, and some creative activities in the garden for everyone. If you’re an aspiring writer, watch out for a workshop aimed at helping you knock your book into shape.

The festival art exhibition is in the McKechnie for the first time this year and will run for a month. It includes work from 9 brilliant artists and a sample of Girvan Academy students artworks and photographs.

We have a ‘Festival Fringe’ this year – CRAG, at the Wee School Art Space, are holding a number of art workshops over the weekend, and Girvan Youth Trust are going to put on an exhibition of the wonderful art that they have been making over the year. At the McKechnie Institute, Go Girvan will be showcasing some of the pictures younger children have done for this year’s Tattie Fest. Full details to follow on the website.

As usual, there will be food and drink available in the garden, with a licenced bar for the Words and Music on Saturday evening, and over the weekend, you can get a lovely cream tea at the New Café Royale for a fiver!

We hope to have the QR Code Photo Trail again this year, put together by our enthusiastic Girvan Academy students, who will also be volunteering around the festival all weekend. We’re also working with a number of other community organisations to try and make our town a better place to live. For details of all our wonderful community partners  click here.

Take a look at the programme – there’s something for everyone.

Friday 6th June

7:30 – 9:30 Film: Phantom of the Opera (Girvan Library)

Saturday 7th June

10:00 – 12:00 Ian Skewis & Alan Jones: So you’ve written a book – (McKechnie Institute)

11:00 – 12:00 Humeston Byre: Farm to Fork

11:00 – 12:00 Greta Yorke – Witches and Wizards (Girvan Library)

12:30 – 1:30 Cliff McCabe – Up the Close and Personal

2:00 – 3:00 Denise Mina: Garnethill to Girvan

2:30 – 3:30 Children’s Lighthouse Crafts: (Girvan Library)

3:30 – 4:30 Brian W Lavery: Headscarf Revolutionaries

5:00 – 6:00 Words by the Sea: Poetry & Storytelling ‘Coast’

6:30 – 8:00 Music in the Garden with The Bookshop Band

Sunday 8th June

11:00 – 12:00 Rod McCance: The Art in my Genes

12:30 – 1:30 Jim English: Olympic Granite – Kay’s Curling

2:00 – 3:00 Preston Reed: Guitar Man

3:30 – 4:30 Tony Morrell: Margaret Morrell’s Wartime Turnberry

5:00 – 6:00 Scots Opera Project: Arias by the Sea (Girvan Valley Church)

Saturday 7th and Sunday 8th June

10:30 – 4:00 The Art Exhibition (McKechnie Institute)

10:30 – 3:30 Arts, Crafts and Music in the Garden

10:00 – 4:00 Festival Cream Teas (Café Royale)