Stirling 900 Finale
28th-29th March 2025
Stirling’s milestone birthday culminated into an amazing cultural celebration on 28th-29th March 2025!
The Stirling 900 Finale was sponsored by Persimmon Homes.
FIND the full programme of EVENTS BELOW
Stirling 900th Year
Set against the city’s dramatic scenic backdrop, Stirling 900 bridged nine centuries of heritage with the voices and culture of today, through a collaborative, diverse and inclusive creative placemaking programme – the first of its kind for Stirling. Celebrating 900 years since the city achieved Royal Burgh Status, over 100 local businesses, groups and organisations worked together to transform the landmark anniversary into a spectacular, year-long celebration (2024/25) – alive with culture, citizen science, world-class events and community spirit.
The results were extraordinary:
Over 140 events (in-person and online) collectively welcomed:
- over 100,000 revellers
- 700 artists, scientists, authors, musicians and performers – from Stirling’s Pipe Band, Makar Laura Fyfe and artist David
- Galletly to Irvine Welsh, Rag’n’Bone Man and Shania Twain.
- Hundreds of volunteers took part.
- National signature event, Bloody Scotland, experienced record numbers.
- Major event organisers DF Concerts brought their Summer Sessions to Stirling for the first time – boosting the city’s summer footfall by over 50%, and saying they hope to return.
- Local businesses reported increased sales
- Media reach exceeded 90 million.
- Epitomising Scotland the Perfect Stage, Stirling 900 showed Stirling as a dynamic destination leaving a legacy that is helping the city move forward with ambition.
Take a look back at the wonderful year of celebration! And for more events that happened during the year visit Stirling 900.
Stirling 900th Finale
The cultural finale event at Stirling Castle, which was free thanks to sponsorship and fully-booked within hours, featured 40 organisations, including a veterans’ theatre group, youth-led silent disco, dementia-inclusive choirs, Gaelic groups, and more.
Over existing 39 contemporary and historic venues (including museums, galleries and performance spaces) and long-standing local and national events and festivals hosted events.
Programme
Stirling 900: Culture Night at Stirling Castle
Friday 28th of March 2025, 6pm-8pm
A pop-up celebration of Stirling’s vast Cultural offering, as part of Stirling’s 900 Finale Weekend.
On Friday 28th March, a spectacular free cultural celebration was held at the iconic Stirling Castle. As part of Stirling’s 900 Finale Weekend, the special evening showcased the incredible artistic and cultural talent our community has to offer.
From 6pm to 8pm, Stirling Castle came alive with activity, transforming every corner – indoors and outdoors – into a hub of creativity and inspiration. There were two music stages at the Great Hall and the Chapel. See a summary of the performances below.
Spectators were treated to:
- Interactive Activities & Performances: Live demonstrations, taster sessions, and hands-on experiences led by Stirling’s top creative organisations.
- Immersive Walk-Through Format: The grounds of the castle were turned into an immersive walk-through, with a diverse range of cultural showcases.
- Stunning Atmosphere: The magic of creative dressing and lighting added a touch of wonder to the evening.
- A Taste of Stirling’s Culture Year-Round: Visitors discovered the rich variety of cultural and artistic experiences available across our community.
Below is a list of the huge cast of creative organisations from across the area that took part in this spectacular event!
Photos from Culture Night at Stirling Castle 2025
Stirling 900 Concert at Stirling Castle
Friday 28th of March 2025, 8pm-9pm
A NEW COMPOSITION, by Evie Waddell and Neil Sutcliffe 
As we marked Stirling’s 900th anniversary year, and came together to celebrate stories of old and 900 Years of history, Evie and Neil came together to create a new composition, one which tells a new story of Stirling. Taking inspiration from the culture of this place, and in response to its past, reflecting on its community of today, and their hopes for the future.
As musicians who are part of our community, we celebrated their unique voices when their new composition was played for the first time, as part of the official finale week of the 900th Year celebrations.
On Friday 28th March Evie and Neil performed at the free to attend concert in The Great Hall of Stirling Castle, following the Culture at The Castle event. They were also accompanied by Stirling Youth Folk Club, Kevin McLean and Laser Monkey.
The composition was funded by Youth Music Initiative and supported by Tolbooth Stirling.
Support Act – Stirling Youth Folk Club
The Folk Club was founded over a love of folk and fears for the future of the genre, as well as a belief that as young people, they have a duty to preserve our culture and learn of others. The group meet for an open fun and relaxed session every other Monday at Nicky Tams bar, and all are welcome to join.
About the artists
EVIE WADDELL 
Evie Waddell is a Gaelic and Scots singer, and fiddler hailing from Stirlingshire. Evie graduated from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland with a BMus Traditional Music. Evie’s proficiency in Gaelic comes from her education within the Gaelic-medium school system. During her younger years, Evie actively participated in the intergenerational community group Riverside Music Project. While her passion for Scottish Music is deeply rooted in the influence of Jo Miller, Evie also draws inspiration from Ivor Cutler, Martyn Bennet, Lisa O Neill, and Rhiannon Giddens.
In 2020, Evie had the opportunity to showcase her talents in British Sign Language (BSL), acting, music, and dance as she performed with WHYTE in the play MAIM by Theatre Gu Leòr. Evie has directed and toured her own show called ‘Fàilte Gu BSL’ in 2022-2023. Evie was a winner of the Danny Kyle Open Stage 2023, and a BBC Young Traditional Musician Semi-Finalist 2024. I
In Feb 2024 Evie released a visual EP ‘Cluich!’
NEIL SUTCLIFFE 
Neil is an accordionist, pianist and folksinger from Stirling. He performs as a classical soloist and ensemble musician, within the Scottish traditional music scene, and as a collaborator with other artforms. In 2021 he completed his BMus (Honours) at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (RCS) in Glasgow, where he studied classical accordion with Djordje Gajic.
In his work in classical music, Neil is passionate about programming works by under-represented and neglected composer (in particular Scottish classical and contemporary composers) and about promoting the accordion within classical performance and education settings. He regularly works with composers to introduce them to the instrument, and to premiere new works. Since 2021 he has run a project with the composition and accordion departments of the RCS to encourage collaboration and performance opportunities for students.
Before his introduction to the classical accordion, Neil grew up in a family surrounded by a variety of musical influences, the strongest of which was Scottish traditional music. From his parents he has inherited a particular love of folk-songs: ballads, bairnsangs, protest songs, and comic verse. As a singer Neil is interested in the power of song to create connections between people, place, the past and the present. He sings in English, Scots and Scottish Gaelic, which he learnt in Primary School.
The other major element in Neil’s work is inter-disciplinary collaborations with other artforms, such as storytelling, art, dance and BSL. He has worked as musical director on several storytelling shows at the Edinburgh Fringe, the Scottish International Storytelling Festival, and has toured across Scotland and Scandinavia.
Photos from the Concert at Stirling Castle
Stirling 900 Parade
Stirling 900 Parade Participants
Saturday 29th of March, 2025
We rounded off our celebratory year of 900th Anniversary events with the Stirling 900 parade on Saturday 29th of March, 2025. The parade stepped off from the Stirling Castle Esplanade at 12pm, weaving through the city centre, over Stirling Bridge and out to the Rugby Club.
Highland Spring supported the Stirling 900 Parade
900 Ceilidh
Saturday 29th of March, 2025 at The Albert Halls 
The finale weekend for Stirling’s 900 finished with a ceilidh at the Albert Halls as the 900 year of celebrations come to a close. We had the wonderful Katie Allen Trio as our Ceilidh Band.
Other events part of the Stirling 900 Finale Week
Tolbooth & SAY presents: Sacred Paws performing ‘Strike A Match’
Saturday 29th of March, 2025 at Tolbooth
Tolbooth, in partnership with SAY Award, presented a series celebrating some of the finest Scottish albums of all time– SAY nominated and winning albums, performed in full.
Support by Apostille
Stirling – 900 years of the burgh of Stirling 
Every day until 19th May from 10am at The Macrobert Arts Centre
To celebrate the 900th anniversary since Stirling was founded as a Royal Burgh this exhibition featured artwork and archival material from the University Archives and Art Collection which celebrated the history of the town and its cultural heritage.
Strivelin, Striveling, Strivelyn, Strewelin, Sterling, Sruighlea, Stirling is the annual exhibition from the Culture on Campus initiative, which is a collaborative project between the Art Collection, University Archives and the Macrobert Arts Centre to develop a creative environment where creative thinking and creative acts are at the heart of our identity as a place of learning.
Find Direction Home 
Tues-Sat,10am-5pm at The Tolbooth
Presented by Stirling’s Gossip Collective in partnership with emerging artists from across the world, some of whom have created a new home in Scotland.
GOSSIP Collective (Graduate Opportunities Supporting Sustained Independent Practice) is an artist-led non-profit organisation that works to provide opportunities for creatives. The group was formed in 2017 and is based here in Stirling,
The work in this exhibition looked at collective ideologies, and concepts of community based on living conditions, culture, and family, from a range of perspectives. Various themes of ‘home’ were explored, viewing identity through lenses such as class, gender, traditions, and world politics.
In this exhibition, the artists aimed to encourage the audience to think alongside them as one, as we collectively face new global challenges. By sharing similar struggles and lived experience from different part of the world, the artists aimed to foster understanding.
Curation: Lesley Mcdermott and Zefeng Li
Artists:
Yarden Fudim | Handy | Song Long | Zefeng Li | Toby Francis Maddison | Edie Preece | Robin Finch Pickering | Peilin Shi |Joe Tebb
Avenues to the Past: Stirling’s Historic Streets 
Wed-Sun, 10am-5pm at the Smith Art Gallery and Museum
As Stirling celebrated 900 years as a Royal Burgh, Stirling City Heritage Trust uncovered the stories of Stirling’s historic streets and how Conservation Area designation helps to protect the city’s unique historic environment.
For almost 150 years people have joined forces protect historic buildings, parks and trees. Ranging from tiny community organisations to the National Trusts, these trusts and societies were formed in response to the threat of loss of treasured buildings and landscapes which people saw as important to the fabric of their communities.
This exhibition celebrated the work of grass roots organisations that acted to protect Stirling’s historic townscape and explores the stories of the wide leafy avenues, narrow urban streets, and winding lanes that make up Stirling’s Conservation Areas today.
Tolbooth Supper Club – 900 Anniversary Edition 
27th March, 6:30pm at the Tolbooth
As part of Stirling’s 900 Finale week, Tolbooth also hosted their Supper Club – 900 Anniversary Edition. As usual the menu featured a range of local suppliers, using locally sourced where possible, as the incredible larder we have on our door step was celebrated. For this special iteration Tolbooth also had a special Stirling Drinks Pairing and paired each course with a fantastic local tipple.
