There were so many highlights this year, from the nature of imagination to the art of listening, from gravity’s downfall to stories of mountain ascents. We saw images of ancient stars from one space telescope and heard the story behind the naming of another.

Over 300 people turned out to see a new film on Swona, the island on the Pentland Firth’s edge, with its views out to the horizon and scenes of wild flowers in the breeze and sunlight on the sea. There was a big turnout too for the story of the island’s cattle and their reversion in isolation to older patterns of herd behaviour.

We had wonderful music, linked to a look at memory, and to the discovery of endorphins and to a journey by John Rae in search of a northern telegraph route. And there was music and voices and imagery in a stunning event that looked at Orkney’s ancient grain, bere, growing in the wind and rain and milled by the power of flowing water.

We saw demonstrations of traditional baking and cheesemaking, tasted tatties to test if rock dust in the soil can improve flavour, enjoyed buffet lunches of Orkney fare. We looked deep into the picture of the Neolithic world emerging from the Ness of Brodgar, of the cattle and crops and stone work. We looked into the future, facing questions of national food security and risks from today’s dependence on the supermarket system of imported food.

We saw demonstrations of traditional baking and cheesemaking, tasted tatties to test if rock dust in the soil can improve flavour, enjoyed buffet lunches of Orkney fare. We looked into the future, facing questions of national food security and risks from today’s dependence on the supermarket system of imported food.

And a tiny floating island in Stromness harbour gave us an image for resilience in uncertain times, keeping itself above the surface in ever-changing conditions, providing a haven for life amidst sunshine and storms.

In the weeks ahead some of the recordings will come online, and we will also be looking ahead with early news of the plans for the 37th Festival next year, when the dates will be 2-8 September 2027. There are more insights coming through on our Facebook page.

In the meantime, to so many helpers, contributors, supporters, funders, audiences –

A very big thank you indeed!

There is also regular news in our social media – on Facebook and Instagram.

In addition, our online magazine of science and exploration, Frontiers, is developing into a richly varied source of stories. It’s full of features about Orkney – its wildlife and environment, its history and archaeology, its islands and people; and we have a varied range of contributing writers, artists and photographers.

We now have two Landscapes websites, one for Orkney Landscapes and one for Caithness Landscapes, with each one a comprehensive resource for local people and visitors alike – for schools and students, teachers and researchers, and for everyone who likes to find out more about the forces that have moulded the landscapes around us today. There are vistas of sea-cliffs and inland hills, the story of the ancient Lake Orcadie of Devonian times and the ripple-marks and mudcracks from it that we can see today, and the fishes that swam in it and are now fossils.

And there’s more that you can watch from home on our YouTube channel. There are now more than 300 videos to enjoy, with many talks and also music and films. We will be adding to them gradually with recordings from this year’s festival, with talks on many subjects, and films and music too, some of it specially written or recorded.

On this website you can also find more about our background and highlights of past festivals, and see more of Orkney itself. You can also look back to descriptions of this year’s events on the Programme page.

The need for all communities to produce more of their own food and drink is something that we will continue to highlight. There is a lot of information about how to grow food, how to improve the soil, how to forage food for added nutrition and wellbeing in our new Sufficient Orkney Food website.

And if you want to give us a boost to keep up with all the challenges of delivering the Festival, there is a Donate button at the foot of this page, and your help will be warmly appreciated!

We are also sending out Festival updates in several issues of a newsletter. You can download the latest one here and also join the mailing list.