Dumfries will host a three-day winter carnival in January 2027, bringing light installations, live music, immersive art and performances to the town centre.
Dumfries & Galloway Carnival will run from January 29 to 31 as the successor to Big Burns Supper. The event is being produced by Dumfries-based charity Electric Theatre Workshop, with the entire programme free to attend apart from one ticketed attraction.
The 2027 theme is Legends, with the carnival culminating in a parade through the town centre.
One of the main attractions will be the world premiere of Rave Experience, a 360-degree immersive production exploring British rave culture through projection, film, animation, dance and electronic music. Tickets will be required for this event because of limited capacity.
The programme will also include the Northern Lights installation, supported by the Scottish Government’s Expanded Festivals Fund through Creative Scotland. It will transform empty buildings and streets with winter light displays.
New work from FlowerPower and FLUX will feature alongside the return of Burns Light, while the town centre will host live music, markets, workshops and performances by international artists.
Rabbie’s Winter Village will offer live music, food, drink and festival activities, with performances from Complete Stone Roses, Dumfries Vocal Collective and Dumfries Community Choir.
The Festival Hub will host free drumming and house dance workshops, talks, demonstrations and markets.
Around 3,000 people are expected to take part in the wider programme, including hundreds of community performers.
The carnival is produced by Electric Theatre Workshop, which has delivered cultural projects across South Scotland for 16 years. The charity also works throughout the year with schools, community groups, artists and volunteers to create arts experiences.
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Graham Main, executive producer at Electric Theatre Workshop, said: "Empty shops become immersive experiences, buildings are transformed by light, international artists arrive in town, live music fills the streets and hundreds of local people become part of the performance.
"Big Burns Supper taught us that people will come out in the middle of winter for something extraordinary.
"This is its next chapter – bigger, more ambitious and still completely free.
"We believe extraordinary culture shouldn't only happen in major cities.
"We can create it here in South Scotland and invite everyone to be part of it."
Joanne Johnstone, programme manager for Dumfries Town Board, said: "Dumfries & Galloway Carnival is exactly the kind of ambitious, community-focused project that the Pride in Place programme is designed to support.
"As a Town Board, we want to invest in projects that bring people together, create opportunities for our communities and help make Dumfries a place where people feel proud to live, work and visit.
"Supporting a festival of this scale is an important investment in the town centre, our local businesses and the wider visitor economy.
"By bringing thousands of people into Dumfries during the winter months, the Carnival will help generate footfall, encourage people to explore our town and showcase the fantastic places, people and creativity we have here."
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