Sunday 7 September 12 to 5 pm

Join us for an afternoon of history, heritage and creativity packed with family-friendly activities. 

What to Expect at Newstead Sundials Festival 2025

A Celebration of Newstead’s unique history and heritage.

Nestled between the Eildon Hills and the River Tweed, the Newstead Sundials Festival is a celebration that brings together our community and visitors to consider the passage of time through our unique settlement. The festival will be a vibrant tapestry of music, workshops, stories, food, and community spirit - where the past meets the present.

Festival Opening

Festival goers will be welcomed at the Village Green by Kay Callander, Trustee of the Trimontium Trust. She will unveil a legacy sundial created by members of our community in a series of stone-carving workshops leading up to the festival, led by stone carving artist, Natasha Smith. The sundial will be inscribed with the words of local poet, Brian Holton, from his work Saumon Lowp.

Launch of the Stonemasons Trail

Stewart Wilson, the Tweed Valley Blogger, will run two (free) guided tours through Newstead highlighting the stories, marks and legacies left behind by the stonemasons who lived in Newstead and built Melrose Abbey. Stewart is a five star-rated tour guide and blogger who brings history to life in engaging stories intertwined with interesting and fun facts. (Booking necessary via Eventbrite here ).

The Yiddy ‘Stage’ – Workshops with Connecting Threads

Join artists Kat Gollock and Zoe Hamil at the Yiddy on the banks of the Tweed, to share your stories of the river, chat and make prints using alternative photographic processes. You can learn more about 'Terra Incognita', their Connecting Threads summer project that seeks to create an alternative map of the middle section of the River Tweed by collecting and marking the lesser-heard memories and stories that are housed within its banks and landscapes. Zoe and Kat will also be hosting 2 (free) river walks at 1pm and 3pm (booking via Eventbrite here) or drop in throughout the afternoon.

The Once-Upon-a-Time ‘Stage’ - Family and Children’s Activities

The Once-Upon-a-Time Stage will host family-friendly, fun activities throughout the day including

·       Time Traveller’s Treasure Trail: Children become time travellers and embark on a treasure trail that will take them around the treasures hidden in plain sight around Newstead.

·       Storytelling  - ‘Thomas the Rhymer was said never to be able to tell a lie – but what is the truth about his spell in fairyland?’. Join storyteller, Nicola Toneri who will retell the story of the Borders legend, for children and families.

·       Sundial-themed crafts, where children can make and decorate their own sundials to take home.

·       Face Painting – for the little ones.

The Village Green ‘Stage’ – Music, Food and Ale

·       Live Music throughout the afternoon with the Matt Seattle Band. Since mediaeval times bagpipes have been associated with celebrations. Matt and his band will entertain us with traditional Border piping and introduce us to pieces directly related to the River Tweed, Thomas the Rhymer and two new pieces composed by Matt – The Piping Pig of Melrose Abbey and the Stonemasons’ March.

No festival would be complete without a tempting array of food and drink.

·       The Sundial Inn – Pop-up Bar, serving a range of locally produced ales and refreshments.

·       The Masons Grill BBQ – serving quality burgers and vegetarian options.

The Village Hall ‘Stage’- The Cornerstone Cafe

Enjoy a peaceful oasis at the Village Hall, decked out as a Roman hostelry serving:

·       Tea and coffee

·       Home-baked cakes and sweet delights

Trimontium ‘Stage’

As part of the Trimontium Museum’s participation in Doors Open Days, we will be joined by the Trimontium team of staff and volunteers. Visitors can enjoy:

·       Guided walks of the Trimontium Fort site throughout the day

·       Displays of Roman Dancing by Thania M. Flores

·       Roman firepower demonstrations of a replica Ballista by Rob Longworth (ancient weapons expert)

·       Dressing up in Roman costume

·       A ‘Finds Table’ – showing some of the artefacts which have been discovered at the fort site

Festival Street Market

Our Festival Street Market will tempt you with a range of locally produced arts, crafts and foods along Main Street throughout the afternoon – treat yourself to souvenirs, gifts and works of art while supporting local businesses.

Classic Car Rally

Take a trip back in time with a look around the Borders Reivers Classic and Modern Car Club rally at the NHS Borders Administration Car Parking area.

Festival Close

Raffle draw. Festival organisers thank the community, volunteers, and sponsors, and invite everyone to return the following year in what we hope will become an annual fixture on the Newstead calendar.

Practical Information

·       Dates: The festival will take place between 12noon and 5pm on Sunday 7th September.

·       Accessibility: While we endeavour to make the festival site fully accessible to visitors with limited mobility, due to the nature of the topography of our village, and some rough pathways some areas may be difficult to access, please contact us in advance if you may require additional assistance. There will be disabled parking spaces allocated as near to the Festival site as possible.

·       Transport: Nearest Train Station – Tweedbank. Borders Bus services will be re-routed along the A6091 bypass, where there are bus stances, during the road closure times of 11-6pm.  Designated car parking will be available at the East entrance and signposted from the A6091 bypass.

The Newstead Sundials Festival offers something for all ages and interests—a celebration of time, creativity, and community, set in one of Scotland’s most storied landscapes.

Newstead Sundials Festival 2025 is a free festival supported by Destination Tweed’s Community Grants Scheme, which is funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund. The event is being organised by Newstead Village Community Trust (NVCT) in collaboration with Trimontium Trust and Connecting Threads (the creative arm of Destination Tweed).