Kenila

January

2nd - The Ba', Broad Street, Kirkwall
Traditional street rugby, played by the Uppies and Doonies with a much prized locally made leather Ba' (ball). The Ba' is thrown up outside St Magnus Cathedral and the game ranges through the town. See bagame.com for further details.

February

26th-31st - Sea Trout Season
Various locations.

March

15th - Brown Trout Season Opens (Various locations)
Fishing is free, with a choice of lochs to suit most tastes. Subscriptions to the local Trout Fishing Association support the local fishery and give access to loch side facilities. See orkneytroutfishing.co.uk

April

13th-15th - Orkney Ceilidh Weekend (Various locations)
Orkney Traditional Dance Association has organised a programme of dance events with various dance workshops throughout the day. The evening ceilidhs bring each day to a conclusion with music from visiting and local bands.

13th-15th - Orkney Jazz Festival
Stromness Hotel, Stromness.

16th - St. Magnus Day Service
St. Magnus Church, Birsay

May

Cathedral Concerts (Throughout May & June)
St. Magnus Cathedral, Kirkwall

1st-29th September - Orkney Museum Summer Exhibition
The Orkney Museum, Kirkwall. See http://orkney.gov.uk/Service-Directory/S/orkney-museum.htm

4th-6th - The Sanday Soulka
Various venues on Sanday. See http://www.sandaysoulka.org

5th - Orkney Aggregates Rugby Sevens Tournament
Orkney Rugby Football Club, Pickaquoy, Kirkwall. See orkneyrfc.co.uk

17th - Norways Constitution Day Celebrations
Kirkwall. See orkneycommunities.co.uk/onfa

31st-3rd June - Orkney Folk Festival
Various venues throughout Stromness and Orkney. See http://www.orkneyfolkfestival.com

June

1st-31st August - Ring Of Brodgar Guided Walks
Ring of Brodgar, Stenness

1st-31st August - Standing Stones & Barnhouse Village Guided Walks
Standing Stones of Stenness.

9th - 16th Orkney Wine Festival (Various locations)
An informal celebration of good wine, good food and the matching of the two. Now in its fifth year, Scotlands only wine festival features leading international winemakers introducing their wines at events from informal tastings, to 5-course dinners at leading local restaurants.

17th - Hoy Half Marathon
Hoy

22nd-27th - St. Magnus International Festival
Various venues through Orkney. See stmagnusfestival.com

23rd - Stromness Mixed Open Midnight Competition
Stromness Golf Club. See stromnessgc.co.uk

26th-19 July - Orkney Arts & Crafts Annual Exhibition and Sale
Kirkwall Town Hall, Kirkwall

29th-1st July - The Sanday Soulka
Various venues on Sanday.

July

18th-22nd - Archaeological Excavations, Ness of Brodgar
Orkney Research Centre for Archaeology hold tours twice daily of the Ness of Brodgar Archaeological Excavations which is an amazing new Neolithic complex in the very Heart of Neolithic Orkney. For more details and to view daily reports see orkneyjar.com.

15th - Stromness Shopping Week Open (18 Holes)
Stromness Golf Club.

15th-21st - Stromness Shopping Week
Stromness. See stromnessshoppingweek.co.uk

28th - Kirkwall Amateur Open 2012
Kirkwall. See orkneygolfclub.co.uk

August

3rd - Sanday Agricultural Show
Sanday

3rd-5th - Sanday Soulka
Various venues on Sanday

4th - East Mainland Agricultual Show
St. Andrews, Tankerness

4th - Stromness Mens Amateur Open (36 Holes)
Stromness Golf Club. See stromnessgc.co.uk

5th - Stromness Ladies Open (18 Holes)
Stromness Golf Club. See stromnessgc.co.uk

7th - The Shapinsay Agricultural Show
Shapinsay

8th - South Ronaldsay & Burray Agricultural Show
St. Margarets Hope Community School

9th - West Mainland Agricultural Show
Dounby

11th - Orkney Agricultural Shows
When the farming community meet to exhibit, compete and socialise. Bignold Park, Kirkwall.

12th - Vintage Rally, Orkney Auction Mart, Kirkwall
Fascinating display of vintage cars and tractors, steam engines and motorcycles.

12th - Riding The Marches
Around Kirkwall.

18th - South Ronaldsay Boys Ploughing March, Sands o' Wright

September

6th-12th - Orkney International Science Festival
Fresh insights by world-class speakers into Orkney’s rich environment, history, dark skies, and radical new approaches to the challenges of the future. The sheer variety of its programme makes the Festival an ideal way to gain a fuller picture of Orkney, as well as insights into all kinds of fascinating subjects – astronomy ancient and modern from stone circles to black holes, the frontiers of quantum theory, the latest developments in renewable energy from wave and tide. Bus tours, concerts and ceilidhs, and links to art, music, history, food and drink. See oisf.org for details of this festival.

21st-23rd - Orkney Blues Festival
Various venues in Stromness.

TBC - Doors Open Day
Free access to fascinating buildings around Orkney. Various locations.

October

Close of Brown Trout Season
Time to hang up the gear until next year!

25th-28th - The Orkney Storytelling Festival
Be enchanted and entertained on these dark winter nights with traditional tales for all ages told by internationally acclaimed storytellers In association with the Scottish International Storytelling Festival. Various locations. See www.orkneystorytellingfestival.co.uk

November

Maeshowe Winter Solstice (Nov-Jan)
Visit Maeshowe to view the broadcast of the light from the winter sunset shining into the ancient chamber of Maeshowe.

December

Norwegian Lights, Christmas Tree Lighting (First Week in December, Various locations)
Locals gather to see the lighting up of the magnificent Christmas tree outside St Magnus Cathedral gifted by Orkneys twinned area of Norway, Hordaland.

25th - The Ba', Broad Street, Kirkwall
Traditional street rugby, played by the Uppies and Doonies with a much prized locally made leather Ba' (ball). The Ba' is thrown up outside St Magnus Cathedral and the game ranges through the town. See bagame.com for further details.

New Year’s Eve Celebrations, Broad Street, Kirkwall and Stromness Harbour
Crowds gather in Kirkwall and Stromness before ‘the bells’ at midnight. The clock of St. Magnus Cathedral on the Kirk Green, and the ships’ whistles in Stomness Harbour let us know when to raise our glasses, and to go ‘First Footing’ to bring in the New Year in traditional style.