In 2022 Scotland’s events and entertainment industries started getting back on their feet after two years of pandemic cancellations and restrictions.
With social distancing and lockdowns looking unlikely to return, 2023 will see theatres, cinemas, arenas and clubs packed with people enjoying a whole range of exciting gigs, shows and festivals.
Here are 10 events we’re excited about – from cycling to comedy.
. Events
Some of the events set to attract huge crowds in Scotland during 2023. Photo: Getty Images
. The Boss returns to Scotland
Bruce Springsteen will be playing Edinburgh's BT Murrayfield Stadium alongside the E-Street Band on Tuesday, May 30. It will be the New Jersey megastar's first concert in Scotland since playing Hampden Stadium in 2016 as part of The River Tour. Expect the usual sprawling career-spanning set - and requests taken from the crowd. Photo: VALERIE MACON
. There's been a murder!
The Bloody Scotland festival has been celebrating Scotland's hugely successful crime writing scene for a decade now - with the 2022 event welcoming the likes of Irvine Welsh, Anne Cleeves and Stephen King to Stirling's Tolbooth, either virtually or in person. It will be returning once more in 2023, being held from September 15-17. Photo: Jack Taylor
5. Join the world's largest arts festival
After being cancelled completely in 2020 and scaled back hugely in 2021, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe got back to something approaching normal in 2022. The enormous arts festival that takes over Scotland's Capital every August still faces challenges - with falling ticket sales and accomodation shortages - but it will be back in 2023, running from August 4-28. As ever, it will run alongside several other festivals, including the Edinburgh International Book Festival and the Edinburgh International Festival. Photo: Jeff J Mitchell
6. Prepare for transmission
Glasgow's biggest music festival will be back in 2023. TRNSMT will return to Glasgow Green on July 7-9, with acts already confirmed including Pulp, George Ezra, Niall Horan, Sam Fender, Kasabian, Inhaler, Maisie Peters, The 1975, Royal Blood, Becky Hill, and The Kooks. Photo: Kevin Winter
7. We are sailing
The port town of Lerwick, on the Shetland Islands, has been chosen as the finishing point for the 2023 Tall Ships Races 2023. The races will take in four countries across Europe, with each stop featuring a festival of sports, social, and cultural activities expected to attract up to a million visitors. The fleet will arrive in Lerwick on Wednesday, July 26, with festivities taking place until Saturday, July 29. Photo: LOU BENOIST
8. Celebrate cinema
While the future of the Edinburgh International Film Festival hangs in the balance following the collapse of the city's Filmhouse cinema, the Glasgow Film Festival continues to go from strength to strength. Running from March 1-12, the full programme will be announced in January when tickets go on sale. A few events have already been announced though - including a screening of Glasgow-set horror Under The Skin with a full orchestra at at the Queen Margaret Union on Saturday, March 4. Photo: Contributed