Festival

Rock, indie and electro festival with headliners Basement Jaxx, Primal Scream and The Charlatans, plus Public Enemy, I Am Kloot, Mystery Jets, Lightning Seeds, Seasick Steve, British Sea Power, Johnny Marr and many more. The festival also features The Academy in association with the University of Cumbria – a series of…

The 16th instalment of the festival offers programme of music from professional artists and musicians from the jazz scene, with everything from New Orleans influences to Ragtime.

Folk, blues and rock rub shoulders at this mix of local talent and more well-known artists that includes jam sessions, open mic events and workshops. Drever McGuire Young (Ivan Drever, Frank McGuire and Rich Young) and Patsy Matheson are confirmed so far, while the Foundry Stage showcases new music. Even better, most gigs…

On the 750th anniversary of the Battle of Largs meet King Alexander of Scotland and King Haakon of Norway with living history installations in two educational villages. Following craft demonstrations, a farmers' market and aerobatic displays, the festival culminates with a re-enactment of the Battle of Largs, the burning…

Readings, talks and performances, with guest appearances from Cerys Matthews, Andy Kershaw and the Roald Dahl Museum storytellers, among others.

This year the Liverpool Arab Arts Festival explores the question of identity, looking at the multifaceted identities British Arabs carry in their daily lives, told through music, theatre, art, film, food and drink, dance and family activities.

Fuzz, Clinic, Psychic Ills, The Holydrug Couple, The Wands, Jacco Gardner and more play this celebration of freaked out psych-rock and other weirdness.

A weekend-long music festival run by volunteers for diverse tastes. It will be building on the success of 2012's inagural comedy and film strands.

Now in its 13th year, this local folk festival still emphasises pub sessions and fun. There are also open mic sessions, a craft fair and competitions for songwriting and the best recycled instrument. Workshops in the miners' club include accordion, songwriting, slide guitar, banjo, finger-style guitar and fiddle.

Tasty tipples and appetising nibbles on the bonny banks of Loch Lomond. The festival comprises free cookery demonstrations, a farmers' market, continental market, tasting and sampling sessions, a real ale tent and live music.

An independent, grassroots festival in a unique location, this year will feature the best short films from around Scotland, the UK and abroad as well as two independent Scottish features and, for the first time, a guerrilla film workshop in which a short film will be created on the day from facebook and twitter suggestions.

Big band music, contemporary jazz and some very hot jazz and blues featuring a host of leading Scottish and international musicians. The centrepiece of the weekend is the Take Five programme, which offers five hours of jazz and blues on three stages in the centre of Lockerbie.

This music fest rewards festival-goers for making the trek 60 miles from the nearest town. Past headliners have included Scouting for Girls, Ash, Franz Ferdinand, Mumford & Sons and Paolo Nutini and in 2013 the line-up will likely live up to such high standards.

The literary and cultural hub that is Charing Cross Road gets its day in the spotlight as it plays host to a number of authors, musicians, crafters and other cultural purveyors for a weekend mini fest. The programme includes everything from ukulele workshops, to author talks, to film screenings, to book detectives who are…

Luminate, a new kid on the festival block, celebrates our creative lives as we age by offering a wide range of inspirational arts activities with and for older people, as well as events for audiences and participants across the generations.

Traditional and contemporary events including a Festival of Light and the Crowning of the Marymass Queen. This historic event dates back to the 17th century and celebrates history, tradition and heritage.

A celebration of emerging Scottish writing talent across all genres, inspired by the late great playwright Robert McLellan (1907-1985). Poet Simon Armitage presides over this year's programme of performances of writing by McLellan and new writing, especially in Scots.

This year the festival celebrates its 25th anniversary with a week of music and special guests such as the internationally acclaimed Chilingirian Quartet. A merging of young and professional musicians, the festival is composed of a series of free concerts played in venues throughout Mull, Iona and Oban.

Glasgow's swanky part of town continues to round together culture in its diverse festival. Previous years have seen comedy, theatre and art events cramming themselves into the area's fashionable buildings, while street performers add to the festival atmosphere.

The second Midlothian Science Festival, featuring a calendar of events for adults, children and families across Midlothian.

Bluegrass, Old Timey, Americana and Gospel music in Moniaive, the beautiful music village of Southwest Scotland. 2013 offers six top-class bands, workshops and even Appalachian Clog Dancers.

Traditional and contemporary Scottish and Irish music based in Campbeltown, Kintyre (The Cradle of the Nation) on the west coast of Scotland. The festival offers a mix of concerts, ceilidhs, music sessions, workshops, children’s entertainment, parades, cultural and heritage tours that make the most of the location.

Top quality international chamber music in the beautiful surroundings of Paxton House, an 18th century Palladian Country House near Berwick. The 2013 line-up includes the Endellion and Arcadia Quartets, baritone William Berger, the Rhodes Piano Trio, Florilegium, French pianist Pascal Roge, solo and in duo with…