PROGRAMME
2022
Welcome to the 32nd Festival!
We’ve a fresh new format to expand the ways you can enjoy events. There are many events at Orkney venues, and a new range of events outdoors as well, so that you can walk the hills with us or watch seabirds or find out more at first hand about Orkney’s archaeological past or its energy future. You can see the various event categories on this page.
Then in addition we’ve a range of events online, with speakers from distant places joining us with subjects ranging from dinosaur evolution to the story of bere, Orkney’s ancient grain. So wherever you are in the world, you can join us. And if you’re in Orkney, then you can sample the sea air and views to the horizon while you’re reflecting on the many ideas and stories that we’ll feature.
There is much information here about the various events. In addition, you can read about more of the background to some of the topics and speakers in our online magazine Frontiers.
TALKS
SCOTLAND’S YEAR OF STORIES
We’ve a rich harvest of stories, among them the account of one of the great voyages, six men in an open boat through Antarctic seas on a rescue mission through blizzards, ice and mountainous waves. We will go deep into the past, with stories of the rocks, and stories of transformation in legend, and then look ahead to the future through science fiction and new narratives for ways ahead.
ONLINE EVENTS
You can access many events online. Some of these are livestreamed from Festival venues, others are online only. You can hear about underwater treasures and landscape of limestone, about the queen of science and about the people who gave their lives to save a seedbank for future generations. We are encouraging local hospitality providers to put screens in social spaces.
MUSIC
The programme will include two concerts in St Magnus Cathedral, ranging from the 17th century to today. We have music written by an astronomer, and music influenced by astronomy where we meet the composer. We will also hear music created around sounds from renewable energy, and music from Shetland, and we join a gathering of synthesizers in harmony.
ART & FILM
We’ve a varied mix of art and photographic exhibitions in various venues and online. Art meets geology in The Rock Cycle, and art meets poetry and natural history in When the Grass Dances, for which there’s a film as well. There’s a film too of The Deer Woman, images of transformation culture, and images and music and performance from two of Orkney’s smallest schools, exploring land and sea.
WALKS
Orkney wildlife guide Megan Taylor of Wild Orkney Walks has put together a special Festival programme, and there are some classics – including an opportunity to go on the great coastal walk from Yesnaby to Stromness. There’s a trip to Flotta, and a wildlife walk at the Ring of Brodgar. She’ll be looking at waders and seabirds, wildflowers and insects.
OUTDOORS
We’re going out into the fresh air on various occasions this year, covering topics ranging from energy to archaeology. You can learn about wave and tidal power, see fuel cells, seek out a site where earls feasted, walk a route of rocks and sea views and stories.
FAMILY EVENTS & WORKSHOPS
The Family Day is back, spaced over several venues to give an opportunity for people and activities to be spread out. There’s energy events, wildlife and environmental activities, and astronomy events – including a travelling planetarium. And what about trying a lint and yarn workshop, or the shore and seaweed workshops, or papermaking by the sea?
TEAS & LATER EVENINGS
We’ve a new afternoon event this year – Afternoon Teas at the Peedie Kirk with fresh local produce. They will feature a 10-minute story at 3.30 pm. There’s also a new morning tea event in Stromness – Teas for Transition, for discussions about transition to the future. In the later evenings we’re going to the Orkney Club for talks, conversation and music – from the Hammars Hill Waltz to Haal in da Drogue an Gie da Boys a Biscuit.
Scotland’s Year of Stories 2022
It’s the Year of Stories – and our opportunity to feature some of the great ones, of sea journeys and wartime survival, of past legends and new narratives for the future, of the ships of the Neolithic and the music of the stars. You’ll see some of the highlights in these listings and there are further stories woven in elsewhere in the programme.
The official hashtags for the year will appear in various places – #YS2022 and #TalesOfScotland.
For details of the many events, look at the Programme 2022 button on the right, and the various days beneath it.
The seven full days of events are prefaced by an online evening event on Wednesday 31 August. We’ll look ahead to the programme and also welcome some special guests, with topics ranging from Orkney’s fossil fish to the remarkable ancient Greek machine that looks to be a 2,000-year-old mechanical computer.
There will be competitions as well, including the annual Molecule Hunt, this year both online and in person.
We’re glad to say that tickets are on sale. With the outdoor events in particular, where we have a whole new range this year, groups are of small sizes and ticket numbers are limited, so it’s good to book early.
The online events are free, and for each one a YouTube link will be posted into the event description nearer the time.
In the meantime, there’s much to find out on this site, including events from 2020 and 2021 which you can access on our YouTube channel. You can also find more about our background and see highlights of past festivals, and see more of Orkney itself. You can get a real flavour of the Festival and of Orkney itself, and we’re looking forward to posting updates.
