Glasgow Film Festival 2012 Kick-Started!
The Glasgow Film Festival 2012 has kicked off with a wide variety of events being held in 16 different locations across the city.
Now in its seventh year, the Film Festival (15 Feb – 26 Feb,2012) compiles a varied programme, pairing the latest efforts from Scots directors with classics from bygone eras. This year’s Film Festival includes a tribute to tap-dancing legend Gene Kelly, and a number of Scottish films, including an innovative screening of ‘Glasgow: Symphony of a City’, which incorporates a “live improvisation of sound and image”. The film festival will give the Glasgow Hotels a huge boost in their business as many participants and guests flock-in to the city. Continue reading
Scotland’s Maryhill Burgh Hall with World’s First Ever Interactive Stained Glass Window
Maryhill Burgh Halls, Glasgow reveals the world’s first ever interactive stained glass window. You can scan the 2D barcode in the window using a smartphone, and you are taken to a webpage explaining the designs and given information about the glass.
While the new glass is as modern as it can be, stained glass in Maryhill has a long history to narrate. It was in 1878, the then Burgh commissioned twenty stained glass windows to showcase the trades and industries of Maryhill. They were designed by the artist Stephen Adam, and have become known as the crown jewels of Maryhill. The Scotish Tours to the area can get you into the detailed historic experience of Maryhill Burgh Hall and around. Continue reading
Scotland’s National Portrait Gallery Buzzes With Visitors
The Scottish National Portrait Gallery on Queen Street in Edinburgh was re-opened to the public on Thursday, December 1 after a £17.6m renovation. The gallery received an average of more than 2,000 visitors per day and more than 10,000 after it’s re-opening. 
Up until 2pm on Monday, December 5 a total of 11,186 people had passed through the doors after the gallery’s two year closure while work was carried out. This shows that, visitors were very much interested in this gallery and was waiting for it’s re-opening. The gallery runs many special events and activities here and will continue in the weeks to come. Those visitors who are on a holiday in Scotland must make sure that they do not miss this portrait gallery. Continue reading
Will Kelburn Castle be added to the new attractions of Scotland?
Of all the places in the world, few can capture the heart as Scotland does!
“Is it a fantastic new visitor attraction or just interesting drawings”, you may wonder seeing Kelburn Castle murals. The Earl of Glasgow, Patrick Boyle is thinking of making his 13th century Scottish castle a prominent attraction worldwide due to its series of psychedelic images painted all over the castle. The graffiti mural which was not a great eye catcher and an outrage to the locals when it was first painted by the Brazilian street artists has turned out to be a major appeal in the three year gap.
Featuring the surreal urban culture, the murals had cost upto £20,000 and were designed by a group of Brazilian graffiti artists, the identical twins namely Nina Pandolfo and Nunca, Otavio and Gustavo Pandolfo who were commissioned by the earl’s daughter and son. The Graffiti Project was allowed by North Ayrshire Council on the grounds that it can stand its course only temporarily and to which Earl had promised to keep it for only 3 years. This has now changed and seeing the interest among visitors the Earl is now planning to keep it indefinitely.
Writing a letter to the Historic Scotland notifying whether he could keep the paintings on the Kelburn Castle, in Largs, Ayrshire, permanently, Earl has clear ideas in mind. With the three year limit in question, the replacement of the harling render on the exterior of the turret is on stay.
As per the memorandum published by the Historic Scotland, the colours to be used by owners of the listed properties in their books should relate to the architectural features of the entire building and should be indeed just one color which is not followed in the designing of the Castle. With the Earl planning to make the castle a landmark and bringing a whole new character in its doing, one needs to wait and see whether this attraction will turn out to be a successful one and add to the books of the existing favorite lookouts in Scotland.
Kelburn Castle is also stated to be one of the world’s top 10 examples of street art by the designer and author Tristan Manco besides being home to the Earls family for the last 800 years.
“Scotland’s History Festival”, the new carousal for Scotland people!
Only having heard about Scotland’s top festivals of Edinburgh Fringe, Edinburgh International book festival or Edinburgh Art Festival and many others, people of Scotland have a new surprise to cheer on with plans of introducing a new festival, named as “Scotland’s History Festival” being revealed by the event organiser Ian Harrower and comedian Susan Morrison.
The festival of Scotland’s history which will commence during November 2011 is a ten day event and will be showcased at the city’s libraries, museums, archives, the Scottish Parliament building along with the local bars, cafes and shopping centres. Also get a look at Scottish Clans Blog From Scotland.
Aimed at attracting and bringing together local history groups, academics, students and tourists, the pair has started this special event with promises of making it brilliant. They expect the festival will see 30,000 people attending the carnival. The programme has plans to stage it through various channels like walking tours, exhibitions, debates, lectures, film screenings, comedy events, storytelling sessions and poetry nights, hopes to encourage people’s interest in Scotland’s history.
The festival which is designed to start from 17 to 27th November will be attended by reputed institutions of the National Archives of Scotland, the National Museums Scotland, Napier and Herriot-Watt universities and Edinburgh World Heritage and Edinburgh. With a budget of £10,000, the pair has plans to continue it in the future years and extend it throughout the country.
With the main objective of celebrating the richness of the history of Scotland, hope this festival will be a new contribution in molding the modern world and bring in large crowds and turn out to be a great success.