Culture Night Stirling

Forest of the Unicorn

Friday 30 April 2027

Your CULTURE NIGHT

An annual event that celebrates Stirling’s thriving culture scene

Taking place across Stirling and the surrounding areas, Culture Night celebrates our uniqueness and diversity of culture.

The annual event is for everyone, connecting our communities to cultural activities showcasing music, art, crafts, literature, dance, drama, comedy and more across Stirling.

Culture Night Stirling brings together communities and a range of sectors: arts, heritage, education, hospitality, tourism, health and business.

The next Culture Night Stirling is on Friday 30 April 2027, from 6pm to midnight. Sign up for 2027 updates at Your Stirling, or see last year’s programme.

ABOUT CULTURE NIGHT STIRLING

2027: FOREST OF THE UNICORN

The second chapter of Legends of Stirling takes place on Friday 30 April 2027, from 6pm to midnight. It is free to attend.

In Stirling, the unicorn has always walked alongside the city: etched into stone, woven into glass, carved into wood, and carried through centuries of story. Forest of the Unicorn invites audiences into a place where legend and landscape meet.

Deep within the ancient wilds of Stirling lies a place where the ordinary gives way to wonder. Beneath a canopy of Scots pine, oak and silver birch, the unicorn roams freely, but it is not alone. Owls glide and watch, the Ghillie Dhu slips silently between the trees, and fairy folk gather amongst the moss. For one night, the forest awakens.

The programme will be listed on Your Stirling in early 2027.

LAST YEAR: CARNIVAL OF THE WOLF

Stirling’s first Culture Night took place on Friday 1 May 2026. It built on the success of the Culture Night at Stirling Castle, part of Stirling’s 900th anniversary finale, and was the first of three themed nights under the title Legends of Stirling.

43 events in 25 venues, and around 8,000 people out across the city and villages.

Highlights included a torchlit Beltane fire festival in Balquhidder, a wolf moon poetry film at the Golden Lion, live music and storytelling in the vaulted rooms of the Stirling Highland Hotel, queer comedy at The Book Nook, Japanese calligraphy at the Colessio, and a room of makers where three generations of one family spent the whole evening.

Museums, galleries, venues, bars, shops and community halls opened late, following similar nights in Ireland, Iceland and the Netherlands.

HOW TO GET INVOLVED?

Culture Night Stirling is open to artists, creative groups, community organisations, venues and businesses across the Stirling area. There are two ways in.

Have an idea, or want to host or fund your own event? Share your idea with us. It can be at an early stage. We will get in touch to talk it through and help it develop.

Need funding to make it happen? Details of funding support for 2027 are coming soon.

Not sure which? Just ask. Email hello@scenestirling.com or call 01786 450971. You can also find collaborators through the Scene Stirling Creative Directory.

Come and find out more at Number 7. Drop in on Tuesday 17 November, 4.30pm to 7pm, at Number 7, 5 to 7 Upper Craigs, Stirling FK8 2DG. Bring your idea, or just come for a chat.

The Legend Lives On

In the 9th century, as Vikings crept through the night to attack Stirling, a pack of wolves began to howl, rousing the townsfolk and saving the settlement from destruction. That moment of courage, instinct and connection has echoed down the centuries, becoming one of Stirling’s oldest legends.

In 2026, the wolf returned. Not as a single story, but as a Carnival of the Wolf: a celebration of creativity, transformation and togetherness across Stirling and the surrounding area.