PEEBLES is an Arts Town and there has been an annual Arts Festival here for over 30 years. Peebles Arts Festival celebrates the community we live in and invites locals and visitors alike to join together in a week of having fun.

There’s an international flavour to this year’s Peebles Arts Festival with four artists visiting us from our twin town Hendaye, on the French-Spanish border. Bruno Anguerre makes a performance of his giant mural painting, Marc Bardetorte brings his rich melodic music to the Neidpath, the Bridge and the County Inn and the extraordinary Mysterieuses Coiffures creating sculpture from the long hair of willing volunteers!

Make sure you join us on Sunday August 24th when we partner with Peebles Creative Place 2014 to transform Pennel’s Vennel into a French Quarter for the afternoon, featuring painting, photography, food and drink, music and performances.

Elsewhere in the 2014 Festival we’re once again climbing the Parish Church clock tower, transforming the High Street into an Art Exhibition Trail, getting crafty with all manner of arts activities in the Burgh hall, learning to tie fishing flies, walking the 20 bridges of Peebles and bringing the brilliant Beard of Zu to play live in the Eastgate Theatre.

All-new this year is an unmissable performance of Fawlty Towers, complete with sumptuous dinner, at the Tontine Hotel. Book early and get out your glad rags! Dr James Lattin brings his brilliant Museum of Imaginative Knowledge to Peebles and Dr Ronald Campbell from the Tweed Foundation takes a tour of the fishing history and practices along the Tweed. Rowan Bell makes a welcome return home playing with the Arensky Ensemble for Music In Peebles. A wide range of practical craft workshops is happening throughout our busy Arts Festival week, and we’ll all turn out on Saturday 30th for the busking afternoon.

The programme for the opening week is listed below - Friday, August 22: 3.30-5pm, Peebles Crystal Shop, 3.30-5pm Hands On: Candles £3, Earrings £5, Slate Free. Open Gallery Evening: 6-9pm, at: Tweeddale Museum; Chambers Institution; Nicol Bros; Breeze; Eastgate Studio; Moy Mackay Gallery; Cairns Gallery; Three Fishes Gallery and Tweed Art and Framing. 7-8.30pm, Peebles Library: 7-8.30pm Quintin Jardine talks about his crime writing. 7-9pm, Peebles Community Centre: Hand Printed Jewellery with Anna Nicholson.

Saturday, August 23: 10.30am: Tontine Hotel: Festival Opening Ceremony. 10am-4pm: Chambers Institution Courtyard: Willow Art, Free event; Burgh Hall: Ladies Circle Craft Fair, Entry by Donation; Tweeddale Museum and Gallery: Artist Book Workshop, Free Event. 10.30am-4.30pm: Salmon Walk - Meet at March Street Bridge £6 Walking Tour. 11am-4pm: Pennel’s Courtyard: Peebles Mural Project, free event. 12 noon and every half hour till 2.30pm: Peebles Parish Church Clock Tower: Church Clock Tower Tours £3 each limited to 12 people per tour. 3pm-4pm: Eastgate Theatre: Alan Bissett, Author and Playwright, £5. 3.30pm-5pm: Peebles Crystal Shop: Hands On: Candles £3; Earrings £5; Slate Free. 7.30pm: Eastgate Theatre: Shakespeare’s Canon, £10.

Sunday August 24: 11am-4pm, Eastgate Theatre: Enhancing Your Photography with Neil Shaw £20/£10 for schoolchildren. 11am-4pm: Pennel’s Courtyard: Peebles Mural Project Free event. 1-3pm: Meet Chamber’s Institution Copurtyard: lost Buildings Tour Part 1 £3. 1-5.30pm: Silvertree Studio, Pennel’s Courtyard: Photo Exhibition with Angela Meijas Entry with donation, to Wednesday August 27. 2.30pm: Pennell’s Courtyard: The French Connection: meet Visiting Artists from Twin Town Hendaye, Fusion Food & music. 2.30pm: Eastgate Theatre: Film: Kiss The Water £7. 3.30-5pm: Peebles Crustal Shop: Details as Saturday. 7.30pm: Eastgate Theatre: Housekeeping - A Comedy, £7. 8pm: Bridge Inn: Boogey Stompers, Entry by donation. 8pm: County Hotel: French musician and composer: Marco Bardetorte, gold coin collection.

Monday, August 25: 11.30am-12.30pm & 1.30pm-2.30pm: Tontine Hotel Courtyard: Mystérieuses Coiffures Transforming volunteers into works of art entry by donation. Various times: Pennell’s Courtyard: French Mural Artist Bruno Aguerre entry by donation. 11am-4pm: Pennell’s Courtyard: Mural Project, free event. 3.30-5pm: Peebles Crystal Shop: Hands on Workshop, Details as Saturday. 6.30-8.30pm: Peebles Community Centre: Fly Tying Workshop £7. 7.30pm: Eastgate Theatre: Knee-Deep in Claret - The Scots link to Bordeaux £10 includes a glass of wine. 8pm: Neidpath Inn: Marco Bardetorte - details as Sunday.

Tuesday, August 26: 9.30-11.30am Peebles Community Centre: Cake Decoration with Rachel Mouat £9 includes take home cake. 11.30am-12.30pm & 1.30pm-2.30pm: Tontine Hotel Courtyard: Mystérieuses Coiffures. 11am-4pm: Pennell’s Courtyard: French Mural Artist Bruno Aguerre entry by donation Pennell’s Courtyard: Mural Project. 3.30pm-5pm: Peebles Crystal Shop: Hands on Workshop, Details as Saturday. 7.30pm: Eastgate Theatre: The Arensky Ensemble, £13/£6 if accompanying a child under 12/free for schoolchildren.

8pm: Bridge Inn: Marco Bardetorte - details as Sunday.

Wednesday, August 27: 11.30am-12.30pm & 1.30pm-2.30pm: Tontine Hotel Courtyard: Mystérieuses Coiffures see Monday for details. 11am-4pm: Pennell’s Courtyard: French Mural Artist Bruno Aguerre entry by donation Pennell’s Courtyard: Mural Project. 2-3pm: Grandison’s Workshop: Grandisons Plasterworks - Part Museum par workshop. 3.30pm-5pm: Peebles Crystal Shop: Hands on Workshop, Details as Saturday. 6.30-8.30pm: Peebles Community Centre (Drill Hall): Linocutting Workshop, £10.

Thursday, August 28: 9.30-11.30am: Peebles Community Centre (Drill Hall): Origami Workshop £5. 10.30am-12 noon: Tontine Hotel Lobby: Museum of Imaginative Knowledge Dr James Lattin - The largest Collection of Royal Portraits in one place. 1.30-3.30pm: Meet Kingsmeadows Carpark: 20 Bridges of Peebles scenic walk £6. 2pm-3.30pm: Robert Noble Mill, March St: March Street Mill Tour, £10. 3.30pm-5pm: Peebles Crystal Shop: Hands on Workshop. 11am-4pm: Pennel’s Courtyard: Peebles Mural Project Free event. 6-7pm: Peebles Community Centre (Drill Hall): Sew and Sew Workshop £15/£10 Concessions includes pair of pyjamas to take home. 7pm-9pm: Peebles Community Centre (Drill Hall): Rose Window Workshop, £7.