Events In Unst
There is always going on in Unst and visitors are welcome to participate in most events.
Regular and Recurring Events
Unst Music & Dance Club
Focusing mainly on music, these nights take place every week from January to the end of June and visitors are always welcome to listen or take part.
Peerie Dances
Peerie Dances are held every fortnight on Unst in June, July and August. “Peerie” is small in the Shetland dialect, and in this case it means that the dances are intimate, sociable affaires with warm and welcoming atmospheres. Visitors of all ages and abilities are always made extremely welcome and there are plenty of locals on hand to demonstrate the steps and guide people through the dances. Once bitten you will be completely smitten – they are great fun.
Foys
"Foy" translates roughly as gala or feast – though they can be musical feasts as well as gastronomic – and they are very popular in Shetland.
Chief among them is the Johnsmas Foy. Johnsmas originally marked the arrival of the Dutch herring fleet in mid summer (see History), a hugely important event in the Shetland calendar. Today, the Johnsmas Foy is Shetland’s festival of the sea – a celebration of Shetland’s connections to the sea and also of its food, crafts and culture, especially musical culture. It lasts from the 20th to the 29th of June and is a major celebration throughout Shetland. See the Johnsmas Foy website for details.
Foys take place in other parts of Shetland, including Unst. Details to follow.
Up Helly Aa
Shetland’s Viking fire festivals. The largest Up Helly Aa in Shetland takes place in Lerwick on the last Tuesday in January each year and is the biggest fire festival in the world. Up to 1,000 Viking “guizers” march through the streets in full costume with flaming torches before ritually burning a longship; after which its party time with music, dance….and much, much more.
Unst has two of its own:
Uyeasound Up Helly Aa
Celebrating the approaching spring, a Viking “Jarl” (earl) leads his guizers through the streets before the ship burning on the shore, followed by the compulsory celebrations to follow! It takes place in mid-February
Norwick Up Helly Aa
The Norwick Up Helly Aa takes place a fortnight later, in early March, and is the most northerly in Shetland
Farmers’ Markets
Farmers markets, focusing on the finest of locally grown produce, are held once a month and are an excellent opportunity to buy the freshest of food and to meet the island’s people.
Angling Competitions
Unst Angling Club holds competitions throughout the season – both loch and sea angling.
Sailing Events
Sailing is another very popular pastime and regattas are held throughout the summer – in both conventional dinghies and in Shetland yawls.
Village Hall Chip Nights
Fish & Chip Nights are regularly held in village halls on Sunday evenings. Local volunteers fry the fish and chips - and a range of other foods besides - and the bar is also open. Very popular with locals, this is a great opportunity for visitors to mix and experience another side to island life.
The Unst Events Calendar
Many events are only finalised a few months in advance so the list below is by no means complete. It will be updated as time goes by.
In the meantime, we have left last year's Calendar in place below 2008's to indicate the sort of things that you might expect to enjoy.
2008 Events Calendar
February 2008
Saturday 23rd - Norwick Up Helly Aa, Haroldswick Hall
Sunday 24th - Chip Suppers, Baltasound Hall
March 2008
Sunday 2nd - Chip Suppers, Uyeasound + display of photos fae Up Helly Aa
Saturday 8th - Methodist Kirk – Sale of work, Haroldswick Hall
Saturday 22nd - Games night + supper, Haroldswick hall (football club funds)
Sunday 24th - Chip Suppers, Baltasound Hall
Sunday 30th - Farmers Market, Baltasound Hall
April 2008
Friday 18th - “Manson Grant” (dance), Baltasound Hall
Sunday 20th - Farmers Market, Baltasound Hall
May 2008
Sunday 25th - Farmers Market, Baltasound Hall
June 2008
Saturday 7th - Baltasound Regatta
Saturday 14th - Unst Yoal Regatta, Baltasound
Sunday 29th - Farmers Market, Baltasound
July 2008
Saturday 12th - Uyeasound Regatta
Saturday 26th - Norik Eela Competition
Sunday 27th - Farmers market, Baltasound
August 2008
Friday 8th - Fiddle Frenzy, Baltasound Hall
Sunday 24th - Farmers Market, Baltasound Hall
Saturday 30th - Unst Show, Baltasound
September 2008
Saturday 20th - Unst Show Prizegiving + Dance
Sunday 28th - Farmers Market, Baltasound Hall
October 2008
Sunday 26th - Farmers Market, Baltasound Hall
November 2008
Sunday 30th - Farmers Market, Baltasound Hall
December 2008
Sunday 14th - Farmers Market, Baltasound Hall
2007 Event Calendar
March 2007
Thursday 1st - Unst Music/Dance Club, Baltasound School Music Hut
Saturday 3rd - Norwick Up Helly Aa
Monday 5th - "First Steps into Selling", Baltasound (tel 711609)
Tuesday 6th - "First Steps into Marketing & Promotion", Baltasound
Wednesday 7th & Thursday 8th "First Steps into Business", Baltasound (tel 711609)
Thursday 8th - Unst Music & Dance Club, Uyeasound School
Thursday 15th - Unst Music & Dance Club, Uyeasound School
Thursday 22nd - Unst Music & Dance Club, Heritage Centre
Thursday 29th - Unst Music & Dance Club, Heritage Centre
April 2007
Thursday 5th - Unst Music & Dance Club, Nordalea
Thursday 12th - Unst Music & Dance Club, Nordalea
Thursday 19th - Unst Music & Dance Club, Uyeasound School
Thursday 26th - Unst Music & Dance Club, Uyeasound School
May 2007
Thursday 3rd - Unst Music & Dance Club, Heritage Centre
Thursday 10th - Unst Music & Dance Club, Heritage Centre
Thursday 17th - Unst Music & Dance Club, Uyeasound School
Thursday 24th - Unst Music & Dance Club, Uyeasound School
Thursday 31st - Unst Music & Dance Club, Nordalea
June 2007
Wednesday 20th - Peerie Dance, Baltasound Hall
July 2007
Sunday 1st - Open Day at Hamar Site (Viking Unst Project)
Wednesday 4th - Peerie Dance, Baltasound Hall
Saturday 7th - Shetland Motorsport Club – “Unst Thrash”, Baltasound
Sunday 8th - Open Day at Hamar Site, (Viking Unst Project)
Tuesday 10th - Archaeology Lecture, Unst Heritage Centre (provisional)
Friday 13th - Viking Feast (Viking Unst Project), Haroldswick Hall
Saturday 14th - Uyeasound Regatta
Sunday 15th - Open Day at Hamar Site (Viking Unst Project)
Wednesday 18th - Peerie Dance, Baltasound Hall
Tuesday 24th - Shetland Night, Baltasound Hall
Saturday 28th - Norwick Fishing Competition
Saturday 28th - Farmers Market, Baltasound Hall
August 2007
Wednesday 1st - Peerie Dance, Baltasound Hall
Saturday 4th - Uyeasound Sheepdog Trials
Saturday 11th - Baltasound Regatta
Wednesday 15th - Peerie Dance, Baltasound Hall
Saturday 25th - Unst Show
Wednesday 29th - Peerie Dance, Baltasound Hall
Wednesday 29th - Sat 1st Sep 1st European Albacore Championships, Baltasound