Local Festivals

During the summer months each year, the Borders towns come alive with the celebrations of colourful traditional festivals of riding which have their origins in the 13th Century. These times of troubles saw wars with England and lawlessness that created the 'Border Reivers' - a term denoting customary plunder and cattle thieving.

In such an age, townspeople would ride the boundaries of their land on horseback - also known as riding the 'marches' to protect their area. This tradition continues in every Border town, where a young man is selected each year to carry the town's traditional 'Standard' or flag whilst the cavalcade of horses and their riders follow.

Each year, the 'Standard' is "bussed" - where ribbons are tied to the staff by a selected Lady Busser, in memory of the times when a maiden would attach her ribbon to a knight's lance before battle. Often, a schoolgirl is selected as a 'Queen' of the event and leads processions of school- children in fancy dress parades and festive floats.

• Coldstream Civic Week: August
• Duns Summer Festival: July
• Eyemouth Herring Queen Festival: July
• Galashiels Braw Lads Gathering: June
• Hawick Common Riding: June
• Jedburgh Callants Festival: June
• Kelso Civic Week: July
• Langholm Common Riding: July
• Melrose Festival: June
• Peebles Beltane Festival: June
• Selkirk Common Riding: June
• West Linton Whipman Festival: June
• Yetholm Festival Week: June