When You Should Visit - Shetland Calendar of Events
There is diverse range of events on in Shetland throughout the year with each season having its own merits.
Below is an outline of the main events and things of interest on a monthly basis, we have linked websites where possible.
January
- Scalloway Fire Festival
- Lerwick Up-Helly-Aa (last Tuesday in January)
- Up-Helly-Aa is a spectacular fire festival held in Lerwick on the last Tuesday in January. It involves almost 1,000 'guizers', men dressed in various fancy dress carrying blazing torches, headed by the Guizer Jarl, the chief Viking for the day and his Viking longship who march in procession around the town. The culmination of the procession is when the longship is burned in an impressive blaze from all the torches.
February
- Nesting and Girlsta Up-Helly-Aa
- Northmavine Up-Helly-Aa
- Bressay Up-Helly-Aa
- Cullivoe Up-Helly-Aa
- Norwick Up-Helly-Aa
March
- South Mainland Up-Helly-Aa
- Brae Up-Helly-Aa
April
- Noss Nature Reserve opens
- Shetland Folk Festival (Last weekend in April )
May
- Mid May - Up Helly Aa Exhibition opens
June
- Sailing and Yoal Rowing Regattas in various locations throughout Shetland
- Lerwick Mid-Summer Carnival
- Bergen/Shetland Yacht Race
- Flavour of Shetland
- Simmer Dim Bikers Rally – ticketed event in Vidlin
July
- Sailing and Yoal Rowing Regattas in various locations throughout Shetland
- Shetland Nature Festival
- European Geoparks Week
- RSPB Sumburgh Head Open Day
- Noss National Nature Reserve Open Day
- Shetland Folk Frenzy
August
- Sailing and Yoal Rowing Regattas in various locations throughout Shetland
- Cunningsburgh, Voe, Walls, and Unst Agricultural Shows
September
- Wordplay
- Screenplay
- Yell Agricultural Show
- Mid September - Up Helly Aa Exhibition Closes
October
November
- Food Festival
- Shetland Craft Fair
- Thomas Fraser Memorial Festival