Discover Dumfries & Galloway
Discover Dumfries & Galloway will give four trainee producers the time and space to develop several event programmes over a three month period.
January
A three-week event programme that tells the story of Dumfries & Galloway through people, provenance and products that make up this rich landscape. Whether you are a visitor who is here for the first time, or a seasoned local who wants to learn more about the place where you live, Discover Dumfries & Galloway is a series of 20 free events sited in empty shops throughout Dumfries town centre, designed to help you uncover the tastes and sounds of our bountiful region through an interactive showcase of regional producers.
You can download the event timetable
February – March
Working with Dumfries Youth Theatre and Dumfries Community Choir, to present Superglue by Tim Crouch. A group of climate activists gather to say goodbye to a friend who died during a protest. This work will be presented at The Theatre Royal in Dumfries and the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh.
20 different events will be tested over a three-week period in 5 different empty spaces in Dumfries town centre, including brand new event models which create inclusive opportunities for local people to use their High Street in an alternative way, as well as 42 family workshops over the course of the month. Eight events will also be streamed on our Facebook page to increase accessibility.
In each of the spaces, a shop local concession stand will be curated to offer visitors and locals with opportunities to buy local produce. Five stands will be created. These will be positioned at high volume locations across the festival.
The project seeks to test five key areas:
Night-time economy – events that take place between 5pm – 9pm
Talks– events by local people powering dialogue and discussion
Food and Drink – events that showcase local supply chains
Skills – events that support skills development and discussion
16-24 – events that target younger people as active participants
The programme will invite local people to occupy their town centre by learning new skills, discovering locally grown culture, and taking part in different experiences that get them out of the house at the darkest time of year. At the centre of the event, a community Carnival with 5,000 participants and an on-street audience of over 10,000 people will tell the story of Dumfries 1958. The story will help educate local people about the key changes in the High Street, as well as immersing them into a story which explores local sustainability, loving local and reuse. You can watch the storyboard of Dumfries Carnival here
(This project is currently resident in 22 schools throughout Dumfries & Galloway from Aug – Jan)
The project will provide information for local residents/tourists to navigate retail, leisure and retail opportunities. A promotional campaign will target 20,000 local people through a direct mail campaign as well as on street campaigns and digital messaging. Schools will take part in the project and an audience development project will help build awareness of the project through direct participatory engagement.
This is a new piece of work for the festival which has evolved over the last ten years to help capitalise the opportunities for cross selling, integration with local supply chains and wider collaboration. The event normally runs for 11 days, but for the first time the event will run over three weeks. The festival has never created a market place wrapped around the artistic programme and it is hoped this testing will enable longer tern legacy.
Community wealth
This project will enable three partners to test working together for the first time through the realisation of an interactive programme of winter events designed to increase footfall through a programme of inclusive and inspirational event.
All three organisations have conducted significant public consultation around place-based programmes in Dumfries town centre. The programme being proposed is influenced by public demand to transform empty spaces through extensive consultation which has been carried out by three individual organisations over the 12 months.
Big Burns Supper will lead the delivery and implementation of the project, taking responsibility for the curation of the artistic shows and events that make up the programme as well as the promotion and development of an audience and the Event Safety Management. Big Burns Supper is a town centre festival model that is delivered collaboratively by multiple partners. The festival includes a 1000 capacity Spiegeltent and Festival Hub presenting 200 shows and events over a three- week period in the height of winter, using Burns Night as way to increase the profile and position of Dumfries.
Context
The motivation for this project stems from the outcomes of the Dynamically Different Dumfries project which was commissioned by Dumfries & Galloway Council to map out a future vision for Dumfries town centre. One of the key findings outlined that future use of the High Street needed to be tested, and that more opportunities needed to be created to help local people use the High Street at night-time.
This funding is going to help us with that journey, by supporting a collaboration between four different organisations. We want to test the model to see if this can be used in the future.
Sample programme
A sample programme of events demonstrates what the programme will look like.
Events that happen between 5pm and 9pm on the High Street to increase traffic at off-peak periods.
An interactive event led by two local drag performers Ivana and Devine, the two -hour event will invite audiences to play an alternative version of bingo, where singing and dancing are part of the caller’s numbers. As part of the event, pizza company the Pizza Wagon and bottled beers from the Dougie Brewery will be available to purchase.
Collaborators: Pizza Wagon, Dougie Brewery, Devine Tension, Queer Haggis
A local book reading by Hugh McMillan. What if St Columba had been strangled when he came ashore? What if King Alexander III had Twitter? What if Jacques Brel joined the Corries? These and other Scottish micht-hae-beens are explored in Hugh McMillan’s first Scots language collection. Hilarious but also strangely informative!
About the Author: Hugh McMillan is a Scottish poet and history teacher who once almost moved away from Dumfries & Galloway but decided against it in the end. The event will be washed down with hot chocolate and chocolates from the Moniaive Chocolatiers.
Collaborators: Wigtown Festival Company, Tartan Chocolates
These events will showcase the mouth-watering food and drink on offer from across the region in an interactive way.
This one-hour event will showcase the products of 12 local producers as an interactive tasting menu. Each producer will send a short video of what participants are eating to help build provenance around the product they are eating. These products will also be for sale directly after the event.
Collaborators:
Brambles Deli, Waulkmill Cider, Dark Art Distillery, Galloway Mead, The Little Bakery, Professor Pods, Ruin and Redemption, Steilhead Cider, The Treats Darling, Unique Sweets N Savouries, Smartie Plants
Local Indian restaurant Daksh will give a one-hour cookery demonstration showcasing some of the foods in their restaurant alongside the sounds of India through hindi and tamal lullabies. A local musician will play in the background to help make the event memorable.
Collaborators: Daksh Restaurant
Events that support skills development and discussion
Digital Café will run for a full day in January and will be a drop in point for older people to bring in their devices and learn how to use technology by the younger generation. A team of two young people will serve local cakes and coffee and demonstrate how technology works. Older people will be able to drop in with their phones, or laptops or remote controls and ask questions. This event will be supported by local technology company Babble who will help power up the event with the latest technology.
Collaborators: Babble, Taylor Made Cakes
Dumfries Community Choir will host a special singing workshop for solo performers who wish to develop their singing technique. This two hour workshop is aimed at singers who wish to develop their vocal production skills, and will be delivered by the local community choir team. As part of the event local bee-keeper – Galloway Honey Farm – will provide samples of local honey.
Collaborators: Galloway Honey Farm, A Bee Provided
Events that target younger people as active participants
Maeve Reekie is a 21 year-old local make-up artist who has recently set up her own business. Maeve will serve up a one hour event designed to give participants an overview of make-up techniques. This event will be delivered in partnership with Dalston Distillery, each participant will receive a fabulous Winter cocktail.
Collaborators: Maeve Reekie, Dalston Distillery
Events by local people powering dialogue and discussion
Pimpernickel Café in Dumfries will host a talk on vegetarian cuisine and where you can find inspiration on how to be vegetarian right here in Dumfries & Galloway. Established family run quality cafe serving homemade, local ,wholesome food in a relaxed friendly environment made the decision to go meat-free in August 2021. This is an opportunity to discover their menu and their inspiration behind meat-free
Collaborators: Pimpernickel, Incredible Edible
An exploration into wild meadows and some tips to make your garden more attractive to species. Felix Waterhouse has a passion for modernist architecture, plants + green spaces and the Broadwater Farm estate. He studied Horticulture at Capel Manor College in Enfield and worked as the Educational Co-ordinator for White Star, a Somali community group based on Broadwater Farm.
Collaborators: Felix Waterhouse, Heathall Garden Centre
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