Dunblane ECO Fest 2026
5th May- 15th May
Dunblane ECO Fest
Dunblane ECO Fest started in 2022 as a small event run by St. Mary’s Episcopal Church. Since then, it has grown to be a partnership event, bringing together local and national organisations to raise awareness of environmental issues.
The theme of this year is water. ECO Fest will be running from Tuesday 5th May until Saturday 15th May. ECO Fest Day will be held on Saturday 9th May. Our upcoming program will be confirmed very soon. In the meantime, enjoy a slideshow of some of our photos from last year, or check out #ecofestdunblane.
All events are FREE, and not ticketed, unless detailed otherwise. Find out more on our Facebook page and Instagram.
Dunblane ECO Fest 2026 Programme (look out for more updates!)
Thursday 30th April, The Giving Tree Fashion Show – Cathedral Halls, 7:30 pm, £6.50 (including a drink and snacks).
The Giving Tree Fashion Show returns after two sell-out years. A fun evening of fashion. Clothes will also be available to buy, and there will be a raffle on the night.
Friday 1st May, Visible Mending, 10am – 4pm, £90, Central Scotland School of Craft.
Led by the talented and eco-conscious Eilidh Weir, creativity meets sustainability- you’ll discover the art of “stitching, not ditching” while contributing to a greener planet.
Sometimes workshop schedule changes may occur. Please check directly with https://scottishcraftschool.com/.
Sunday 3rd May, Sustainable Spoon Carving, 11am – 4pm, £95, Central Scotland School of Craft.
Spend the day whittling in good company, making your own useful things, for your own home or for meaningful gifts.
Sometimes workshop schedule changes may occur. Please check directly with https://scottishcraftschool.com/.
Thursday 7th May, Hand Bound Brush Making, 10am – 2pm, £80, Central Scotland School of Craft.
Join basketmaker Simon Cooper (The Bumbling Basketeer) for a relaxed, hands-on introduction to the most satisfying craft of hand-bound brush making.
Sometimes workshop schedule changes may occur. Please check directly with https://scottishcraftschool.com/.
Tuesday 5th May, Western Greenbelt Campaign, No to the Western Arc,7:30pm, St. Mary’s Church Hall.
Kick off Eco Fest with an environmental campaign to preserve a critical ecosystem and a place of natural beauty in Dunblane. Join No to Western Arc Development for a chance to learn more. The Western Arc is a stretch of designated Greenbelt land from the A820, opposite the Westlands Hotel, bordering the A9, right round to B8033, opposite Marks and Spencer. A developer has announced plans to construct 300 – 400 houses in this area.
Wednesday 6th May, Neil Kitching- How to Cut Your Carbon Footprint, 7:30pm, hosted by Creative Dunblane at the Burgh Chambers.
Neil Kitching, a local climate blogger and author of Carbon Choices, will help you to understand your carbon footprint and give practical tips on how to reduce it. Using local photos and real-life examples, the talk looks at everyday choices such as where you live, how you heat your home, how you travel, what you eat, and what you buy.
Thursday 7th May, Andrew Tabas: Floody Heck, an Interactive Board Game, 7:30pm, hosted by Creative Dunblane at the Burgh Chambers.
Launched at Scotland’s Flood Resilience Conference 2026, join Andrew Tabas, Hydro Nation Scholar at Heriot-Watt University, to find out more about Natural Flood Management in Scotland.
Thursday 7th May, Guided walk at Drumbrae, near Dumyat, 6:30-8:00pm.
Join Community Ranger, Julie Wilson, for a free guided walk around Drumbrae, where the University of Edinburgh is developing new woodland to boost biodiversity and capture carbon. Attendees must be over 16. Under 16s must be accompanied by a responsible adult. Group size is limited to 20 people. Spaces must be booked in advance.
Meeting point: Cocksburn Woods, Sheriffmuir Road – informal car park with plenty of spaces for vehicles. Google pin: https://maps.app.goo.gl/Eh7NQVtKMFbi2DKSA
Friday 8th May, Osbert Lancaster – Workshop: Play Up! Flip Eco-anxiety to Eco-action, 7:30pm, Dunblane Library.
Join Osbert Lancaster, host of the Thrivable Scotland podcast, to discover how playful collaboration can lift us up, bring us together, and get us better equipped to build resilience, regenerate nature and heal society. You will never be put on the spot – no role play, no acting, no spotlights- just build your capacity to help people and nature thrive – and enjoy some serious fun.
Saturday 9th May, 11 am – 4 pm, ECO Fest Day, various Dunblane locations.
See here for more info.
Saturday 9th May, Reimagining the Precious: Jewellery from Found and Repurposed Materials, 10am – 4pm, £170, Central Scotland School of Jewellery.
Join award winning jeweller Aubin Stewart for a playful, beginner friendly workshop that explores ideas of value, creativity, and sustainability through making.
Sometimes workshop schedule changes may occur. Please check directly with https://cssj.co.uk/.
Saturday 9th May, Introduction to Crochet, 11am – 4pm, £90, Central Scotland School of Craft.
Learn to crochet the ever-popular granny square and to form larger finished pieces. Your new skills can be applied to projects designed to be used, repaired and enjoyed for years to come.
Sometimes workshop schedule changes may occur. Please check directly with https://scottishcraftschool.com/.
Sun 10th May, Eco Metals Masterclass, 11am – 4pm, £170, Central Scotland School of Craft.
Join ethical maker, Shirley Lowe, to explore practical and sustainable ways to recycle precious metals. Be guided through the process of melting down precious metals, like gold and silver, and transforming them using straightforward tools and equipment.
Sometimes workshop schedule changes may occur. Please check directly with https://cssj.co.uk/.
Sun 10th May, Upcycled Bookbinding – Family Friendly Taster Session, 11am – 1pm, £55, Central Scotland School of Craft.
Join Cass Barron for a welcoming, cross-generational bookbinding. Collaborate with the wider group to create a unique upcycled journal. Designed for children age 10+ and their accompanying adults, but keen crafters of a younger age are welcome too.
Sometimes workshop schedule changes may occur. Please check directly with https://scottishcraftschool.com/.
Sun 10th May, Upcycled Bookbinding – Taster Session, 2pm – 4pm, £55, Central Scotland School of Craft.
Join Cass Barron for a welcoming, bookbinding workshop, encouraging experimentation through low-tech mark-making techniques to assemble a collection of hand-bound notebooks.
Sometimes workshop schedule changes may occur. Please check directly with https://scottishcraftschool.com/.
Sunday 10th May, Apple Orchard Trail, 1pm – 3pm, Laigh Hills Community Orchard.
Started by the National Trust, this is the third Dunblane Orchard Blossom Day. Enjoy a wander through the 250 fruit trees (look out for the fairy horses!), complete the Orchard Blossom Quiz, and take a tour of the project.
Monday 11th May, Dunblane Wildlife, The Animals Around Us, 7:30pm, Dunblane Library.
Join Dunblane Wildlife for a talk on the animals, plants and fungi that live and thrive in and around Dunblane.
Tuesday 12th May, Repair Cafe, 6:30pm, St. Mary’s Church Hall.
Do you have something that could be repaired? Rather than throw it away, join the St. Mary’s Church joint initiative with Transition Stirling and Stirling Reuse Hub and bring your small electricals, textiles, wood and tools to the Repair Cafe.
Wednesday 13th May, William Thomson, The Economics of Sustainability, 7:30pm, St. Mary’s Church Hall.
William Thomson is an Ecological Economist, founder of Scotland’s Economic Festival and co-founder of www.resilienteconomy.org. Join him as he discusses why we can’t rely on markets and the price mechanism to solve our ecological crisis and answers the crucial question: how do we pay for it?
Thursday 14th May, Dominic Hinde: Drifting North, Finding a Sustainable Future in Scotland’s Past, 7:30pm, hosted by Creative Dunblane at the Burgh Chambers.
Dominic Hinde is a sociologist, writer, and journalist based at the University of Glasgow, where he teaches environmental sociology and media. Begun after a near-fatal bike accident, Drifting North is a road trip through Scotland’s climate past and future, and asks the question: can the lessons of the past help us build a more sustainable future? Stirling’s own independent bookshop, The Book Nook, stocks this book.
Friday 15th May, Christian Aid Quiz, St. Mary’s Church Hall, 7pm – 9:30pm.
Join Christian Aid for a fun-filled quiz to round off Ecofest 2026.
A to Z
Dunblane Reuse and Recycle
We have created a guide to local places to reuse and recycle household items. Have a look here: A to Z guide.
Dunblane ECO Fest 2026 