Royal Deeside, Scotland - Music and Entertainment

"My heart is in the Highlands....where the Aberdeen waters flow" -  Bob Dylan.   (Taken from the opening lines of the track 'Highlands' from the 1997 Grammy award winning album 'Time out of Mind" on Columbia Records.)

Bob Dylan may have recently bought a house on the other side of the Cairngorm National Park (Aultmore House in Nethy Bridge) in 2007, but we know that his heart really is in Royal Deeside and the Aberdeenshire Highlands as the above lyric clearly shows!  Indeed, many of his early recordings drew heavily on the the words and melodies of the Bothy Ballads of North-east Scotland and Aberdeenshire.

The North east of Scotland has a rich musical tradition and was at the forefront of the renaissance in British Isles folk music (and much further afield) in the 1960s. That tradition continues today with live music of all types in all sorts of venues across Royal Deeside and the Cairngorms.

In Royal Deeside, our pipe bands play regularly at public events; many pubs host regular live folk sessions where visitors are invited to join in; and our local festivals cover all types of music from traditional folk to contemporary rock . Please see our what's-on section for live concerts, theatre, art exhibitions etc. Please visit our Deeside Sessions page for news on traditional folk music sessions in Royal Deeside in July, August and September as well as other times of year. For more information about music and culture in the North-east of Scotland visit the Scottish Culture and Traditions web site

Music lovers will want to visit Banchory Museum to see the exhibits about the life of J Scott Skinner, the Strathspey King, whose playing and compositions took Scottish fiddle music to new heights in the early 20th century. Peter Milne from Tarland was also a great composer of fiddle tunes at around the same time.

If you prefer your entertainment less musical, local halls and venues like The Deeside Theatre in Aboyne, Woodend Barn in Banchory and  the Lonach Hall in Strathdon host regular concerts, theatre performance and film shows. Full details of live music and other entertainment can be found on our  What's on in Royal deeside page  Also you can check out local Visitor Information Centres or weekly local paper, The Deeside Piper.