The Sanquhar Arts Festival is returning for its third year, running for four days in the last weekend of August with a jammed packed programme. of displays, exhibitions and performances held at various venues in Sanquhar’s Cultural Quarter.

And organisers have promised that there is something for everyone at the event which gives the rural community a chance to celebrate all things creative and exciting about the area.

The local Model Makers club, Mennock Rural Womens’ Institute, Sanquhar’s Sewing Bee and the local Art club will hold exhibitions in the beautiful, old Sanquhar Town Hall. Like a lot of venues, the Sanquhar Town Hall committee used the forced closure over the pandemic as a chance to renovate and upgrade the facilities of the historic building, which was built in 1905.

Yvonne Barber, Centre Manager for A’ The Airts Community Art Centre and Secretary for the Upper Nithsdale Tourism Partnership has been a driving force behind the festival.

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She said: “It’s important that everyone benefits from the funding made available from EventScotland. A’ The Airts is very happy to start to welcome back events and activities in the Centre. We are pleased to be able to deliver the Sanquhar Arts Festival on the back of a very busy seven-week summer school. Some of the events are free and we urge advance bookings”

Director of MERZ Gallery and Museum of Model Art, Dave Rushton, is another driving force. He said: “This is an opportunity to celebrate the arts sustained and enjoyed quietly over a year and a half of lockdown. For MERZ and the Museum of Model Art it’s a time for creative optimism and innovation to survive both the pandemic and climate change.”

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Featuring in MERZ’s lineup is Kelloholm’s Derrie Pearson, a recent Glasgow Art School graduate and MERZ ‘ARTITECT’ in residence.

Crawick Multiverse will host a series of musicians playing everything from rock, reggae and indie during the Saturday and Sunday and for families attending the weekend festival, the popular and talented Poppy Brown will present a traditional Punch and Judy show.

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Spooky Stories by the Mostly Ghostly Team, Hip-Hop dance group Cultured Mongrels and a movie about Audrey Hepburn will also complete the line-up of the festivals theme, ‘something for everyone’.

With the Sanquhar Arts Festival being an annual feature for the Upper Nithsdale community and visitors, it will be weekend not to be missed.

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