Stories have been plucked from the wind and passed down to us from ancient days, with the aid of goose feathers. The quills of scribes fluttered over a thousand years ago to record tales that were much older. Come and experience storyteller Simon Lidwell bringing a selection of these to life. The tales will be […]
Join us for a spooky but fun wildlife safari in the Graveyard at St Michael’s Church! We’ll set off on an exciting quest to spot the creatures that call these hallowed grounds home—from scuttling spiders to soaring peregrines and everything in between! Can you help us uncover their secrets? We need sharp, young eyes and […]
Walk through 1,000 years of history and learn the story of the church and the people recorded on the memorials within the churchyard, including their famous ‘resident’ Robert Burns. Please meet for this event at the St Michael’s Church gates. If the weather is inclement, the tour will be held digitally in the church hall. […]
Write! a monthly creative writing workshop, led by Karl Drinkwater. Set aside the time to be creative in short, inspirational burst, at this special Goose themed session. Event InformationAll ages welcome.Bring along a pen and paper. Accessibility InformationFully accessible for wheelchair users including toilets, disabled parking spaces available, hearing loop in place.
Sculpture Placement Group (SPG) warmly invites you to an evening of exchange with local organisations, charities, and community groups in Dumfries who are keen to connect with artists and creatives. This friendly “speed networking” style event offers a chance to introduce yourself and your work, build meaningful connections, and explore possibilities for future collaborations, commissions, […]
Living Stone is a distinctive blend of live music, song and viola as well as striking visual art, creating a rich, multi-sensory experience highlighting the mystery and beauty of everyday life. The journey begins with the discovery of the ancient mill stone on Mairi’s great-grandmother’s croft on the isle of Lismore. Mairi explores the stone’s […]
The Stove’s regular–irregular variety night and open mic returns for the launch of Wild Goose Festival 2025. This year’s theme is “Gone Wild” – and we’re calling on the region’s raw talent to bring the wild senses alive. Writers, poets, spoken word artists, musicians, clowns, storytellers – and (one day, surely) an acrobat – take […]
Living Stone is a distinctive blend of live music, song and viola as well as striking visual art, creating a rich, multi-sensory experience highlighting the mystery and beauty of everyday life. The journey begins with the discovery of the ancient mill stone on Mairi’s great-grandmother’s croft on the isle of Lismore. Mairi explores the stone’s […]
Join the flock on the wild goose chase at The Crichton. Take flight with the welcoming community on the fun, and friendly weekly 5k. Event InformationAll ages and abilities welcome.Register before your first Parkrun.Event sets off from The Crichton Memorial Church.
At this hands-on session, you’ll help investigate the health of the River Annan by testing water quality and discovering the fascinating freshwater creatures that live below the surface. With the help of friendly guides, you’ll identify tiny invertebrates – important little indicators of how clean and healthy our river really is. You’ll learn how these […]
Volunteers of the Scottish Ornithologist Club have been counting geese, ducks, waders and other waterbirds for decades; but has it helped us learn anything about them? Dr Teresa Frost, BTO’s Head of Waterbird Monitoring, explains how the Wetland Bird Survey, the Goose and Swan Monitoring Programme and other surveys organised by BTO underpin waterbird research […]
Volunteers of the Scottish Ornithologist Club have been counting geese, ducks, waders and other waterbirds for decades; but has it helped us learn anything about them? Dr Teresa Frost, BTO’s Head of Waterbird Monitoring, explains how the Wetland Bird Survey, the Goose and Swan Monitoring Programme and other surveys organised by BTO underpin waterbird research […]
We are delighted to be hosting a screening Scotland:The Big Picture’s brand new feature-length documentary, Why Not Scotland?, which explores the Scottish landscape through the eyes of Flo, a young Scot from Glasgow. Seeing the depleted state of nature across her own country, Flo feels dispirited and, like many of her generation, increasingly fearful about an […]
Join the flock on the wild goose chase at The Crichton. Take flight with the welcoming community on the fun, and friendly weekly 5k. Event InformationAll ages and abilities welcome.Register before your first Parkrun.Event sets off from The Crichton Memorial Church.
At this hands-on session, you’ll help investigate the health of the River Annan by testing water quality and discovering the fascinating freshwater creatures that live below the surface. With the help of friendly guides, you’ll identify tiny invertebrates – important little indicators of how clean and healthy our river really is. You’ll learn how these […]
This month, we’ll be gathering in true flock spirit; making bread side by side and tracing the flight path of grain from field to loaf. Bring along your mixing bowl and a tea towel and join the gaggle as we rise together in laughter, learning, and loaves. Event InformationAll ages welcome. Children should be accompanied […]
Step into a soft, sensory storytelling experience, following the incredible journey of the Painted Lady Butterfly. Every year, the Painted Lady Butterfly travels 9000 miles, a journey which takes her all over the world, and ensures the survival of the entire species. But no one individual could complete this alone, it happens across five generations. […]
Join artist-educator Fibi Cowley for a hands-on day inspired by the work of Wael Shawky. Together, we’ll create experimental ‘things on string’! By using colourful materials and found objects, we will explore light, transparency, textures, materials and playful shapes. This workshop encourages children to build their own characters and bring them to life through storytelling. […]
Join Climate Kitchen for a special Wild Goose Festival edition featuring Stephen Rutt and David Borthwick. Together, they’ll lead a workshop exploring the Greenland white-fronted geese that winter in Dumfries & Galloway, the extreme weather events that threaten them, and their deep connections to climate. The session combines engaging talks with creative writing exercises. Event […]
Enjoy breakfast at the Boathouse in Glencaple and learn about the geese of the Solway Firth with experts from WWT Caerlaverock and RSPB Mersehead. Watch as the geese use the river to navigate to their feeding grounds whilst you start the day. Event InformationWhilst the event is free, you will have to pay for your […]
Join the flock on the wild goose chase at The Crichton. Take flight with the welcoming community on the fun, and friendly weekly 5k. Event InformationAll ages and abilities welcome.Register before your first Parkrun.Event sets off from The Crichton Memorial Church.
The sound and sights of barnacle geese, whitefronts and more have always heralded home to me so I am delighted to be involved in this year’s wild goose festival and on home turf too!We will spend between an hour and a half urban foraging, starting from the festival hub in Dumfries, where we will look […]
Join us on one of our walks along the river to explore our local wildlife! There will be two walks of various lengths, starting the Wild Goose Festival Hub. 11am-1pm – longer walk option: A circular walk between Devorgilla Bridge and Troqueer Cycle Bridge, starting upriver toward and then crossing Devorgilla (The Auld) Bridge, before […]
In this workshop we will be using textured, coloured paper to collage (think Eric Carle style, The Hungry Caterpillar) to create illustrations for wild recipe cards. Our recipe cards will explain how you can use foraged plants for medicine, food and navigation! Open to anyone at any stage in their creative journey! You will be […]
2025 marks 10 years of Out of the Blueprint. Out of the Blueprint is a Leith based riso studio, which supports young artists under 25 through traineeships, residencies, workshops, commissions and print projects. In the summer of 2025, the studio celebrated it’s 10th birthday with a special three week Print Expo, featuring work from it’s […]
Sonic Youth is a free under 18’s open mic event, showcasing talented young musicians in the region hosted by Dave Bass and Dumfries Music Collective (DMC). All are welcome to perform so come and share your songs to a live, supportive audience. Acoustic guitars are available should anyone need.
Join us on one of our walks along the river to explore our local wildlife! This will be a short walk along river (from Nith Street to Greensands and back) in search of wildlife that makes this place their home or uses the river to commute ormigrate. Looking for water birds like Goosander, Mallard, Grey […]
2025 marks 10 years of Out of the Blueprint. Out of the Blueprint is a Leith based riso studio, which supports young artists under 25 through traineeships, residencies, workshops, commissions and print projects. In the summer of 2025, the studio celebrated it’s 10th birthday with a special three week Print Expo, featuring work from it’s […]
Join the wardens out on the merse when we open early to watch the geese flying against the dawn sky as the sun comes up. These beautiful birds have spent the night out on the Solway mudflats and fly in to feed on the fields during the day. Event InformationThis is an outdoor event.Please wear warm and waterproof clothing and […]
Some of the greatest spectacles of nature take place at dusk. Join our guide to enjoy Svalbard barnacle geese descending on the sandflats and reserve to roost. ¾mile/1.3km walk down to the shore, to view geese as they fly over onto the sandflats. Event InformationSuitable for adults and children aged 12+.Additional car park charge applies […]