A BUMPER year for Scotland's festival scene, celebrating music, culture, art and even beer, has been boosted by the recent heatwave.
The crop of hundreds of events extends from Scotland's largest musical festival, T in the Park, to local gatherings such as Glasgow's Southside Beer Festival.
Soaring temperatures during this year's T in the Park helped create what organisers describe as one of the best festivals since it began 20 years ago.
The heat has proved an added boon to The Wickerman Festival near Dumfries, which this summer celebrated its first sell-out.
Also this weekend is Glasgow's Merchant City Festival, which hopes to draw more than 100,000 people to a range of arts, theatre, music, dance and comedy shows.
It is hosting the designer Wayne Hemingway's Vintage festival, which represents seven decades of fashion and music.
Councillor Gordon Matheson, chairman of the Merchant City Festival, said: "This weather is exactly what we were hoping for. The Merchant City Festival is about exploring the streets and spaces of the Merchant City as much as the indoor venues.''
Also being staged this month are the Tiree Music Festival, Kirriemuir's African Drum Festival, Rewind Scotland: The 80s Festival in Perth, and the Ugie Folk Festival in Buchan.
The celebrations continue into August when there are at least 60 festivals being held, not least the Edinburgh International Festival.
There will also be other events including the Sail and Oar Festival on Cumbrae, the Shetland Fiddle Frenzy, the Harris Arts Festival and Fringe By the Sea in North Berwick.
The Glasgow 2014 Cultural Programme was also launched this week to coincide with it being one year until the Commonwealth Games come to Glasgow.
Culture 2014 will lead up to Festival 2014, an arts festival planned to run alongside the sporting action from July 19 to August 3.
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