Orkney has a packed calendar of events for most of the year.  Top of the list for both visitors and residents alike are the festivals.

This year, an addition to the calendar has been celebrations to mark Kirkwall's 200 years of being the main port-of-entry for the county.  The celebrations were elevated by visiting Tall Ships from the 2011 Tall Ships Race.  The race from Waterford in Ireland to Halmstad in Sweden takes place between 30 June and 8 August , with the ships calling in to Orkney between 14 and 18 July.  24 ships committed to stopping in Orkney to enjoy the festivities, and the weekend was hailed a great sucess.

In March the earliest festival of the year is the Orkney One Act Play Festival which sees Orkney’s many drama groups competing for a place in the next heat in Scotland of the Scottish Community Drama Association (SCDA) contest.  In April the Orkney Jazz Festival gets people in a mellow mood in Stromness and on April 16 we celebrate St Magnus Day, for Orkney’s patron saint, with music and a service.  The last weekend in May is the time for the Folk Festival which attracts some of the best musicians in the field in the world and also showcases local talent.  On Norwegian Constitution Day there is a parade, service and a dance in Kirkwall, to remember Orkney’s Norse heritage and celebrate with Norwegian friends.

In June the St Magnus festival likewise sees top classical musicians, singers, poets and performances in one of Scotland’s major festivals.  There’s also Scotland’s only wine festival and the midnight golf match making the most of Orkney’s light nights.  In July there is Shopping Week in Stromness with a whole week of entertainment, mostly family orientated.  July is also the time for archaeological excavations and guided tours to see the latest finds.

There is no let up in August when the agricultural shows right across the county allow Orkney’s farmers and growers to show their champion animals.  The shows are popular days out, drawing exiled Orcadians back here along with visitors. The Vintage Rally Show and the Riding of the Marches are held around show time too.  Another event is the unique Festival of the Horse and Boys’ Ploughing Match in South Ronaldsay.

In September, the Orkney International Science Festival has grown in popularity with many talks and events sold out each year.  The Blues Weekend in Stromness later in the month attracts yet another crowd.  In October the revitalised Orkney Storytelling Festival sees visiting tellers of tales and local people taking part.  And for three weeks either side of the winter solstice on December 21 you can witness the light from the setting sun in the Neolithic tomb Maeshowe. Christmas concerts and the lighting of the Christmas lights in all the parishes and isles are an opportunity for communities to get together.

On Christmas Day and New Year’s Day the famous Ba’ is played in Kirkwall in a men’s and a boys’ version.  If Christmas and New Year's Day fall on a Sunday, the Ba' is played on the Monday.

Between the festivals and major events there are many concerts, talks, art exhibitions, plays, opera, the pantomime season, visiting bands and comedians, gourmet dinners with wine tasting, crafts shows, Christmas shopping extravaganzas, guided walks, heritage days, museum displays, club meetings and sports fixtures.  In fact there is hardly a week in the Orkney calendar when nothing is happening, except the very first weeks of the year.  That is the time when there is the chance for a rest.