Show Scotland, an exciting new weekend of events in museums and galleries across Scotland, was launched by the Scottish Museums Council (SMC) at the National Gallery of Scotland in Edinburgh.

A taste of the programme for Show Scotland 06, taking place over the long bank holiday weekend of 28th April – 1st May, was announced by SMC. A brand new website with Scotland-wide event listings, www.showscotland.com, was also unveiled at the launch.

Museums and galleries across the country will be ‘putting on a show’ during the weekend with a programme of exciting events designed to use their spaces and their collections in creative ways to capture the public’s imagination. Some of the events happening for Show Scotland 06 include:

• A ‘Singles Night’ at the National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh – an evening pairing up like-minded people in a gallery setting, plus informal talks on items in the collection associated with love and sensuality
• A traditional ‘Muckle Supper’ at Corrigal Farm Museum on Orkney, with harvest fare, folk music and original Orkney dances
• A trip down Loch Fyne on the ‘Vital Spark’ Puffer with Inveraray Maritime Museum
• A Brass Band at the Pit Head and Folk Night until Midnight at the Scottish Mining Museum
• Dundee Rep Youth Theatre Company bringing Dundee’s jute mills to life through drama and song
• A workshop making musical instruments associated with the sea, and a live performance of Sea Shanties at the Aberdeen Maritime Museum
• A Children’s Fancy Dress Party at the Museum of Childhood, Edinburgh – come as your favourite character from Noddy to Buzz Lightyear
• Historical Characters, street performers, interpretive music, drama and dance at Glasgow’s Princes Square in association with Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum
• A Family Event making, operating and racing model boats, cars and trains at the Scottish Maritime Museum

Show Scotland is inspired by cultural celebrations in Amsterdam and New York, where museums and galleries put on an exciting programme of evening and weekend events bringing in 30,00 and 50,000 visitors. Evolving from ‘Museums and Galleries Month’, Show Scotland is an exciting new fixture in Scotland’s cultural events calendar.

Joanne Orr, director of the Scottish Museums Council, said: ‘Show Scotland is about using wonderful museum spaces and their diverse collections for creative events that really capture the public's imagination. All over the country these weekend events will showcase Scotland's unique heritage and cultural wealth in new, fantastic and imaginative ways.‘

Lorraine Kelly, TV presenter and columnist, said: ‘I am sorry I am not able to be there for the launch of Show Scotland as this really is a brilliant initiative. It provides young people, families and visitors to Scotland with and an opportunity to engage with museums and galleries in many very creative and exciting ways. This first year is just the beginning of what Show Scotland has to offer in the years to come. I wish the Scottish Museums Council and Scotland's participating museums and galleries every success.’

Some of the museums taking part commented:

‘Show Scotland is a fantastic opportunity for people to enjoy their heritage in unique ways. It also gives us the opportunity to present our museum and our rich cultural landscape in a new and exciting event.’
- Fergus Waters, Director of the Scottish Mining Museum

‘This is the beginning of something big. Museums are NOW. Show Scotland is the key that will open up museums to a whole new audience’.
- Patrick G Doyle, Learning Supervisor, Kelvingrove Museum and Art Gallery

http://www.showscotland.co.uk