Forest event hopes to dish up defeat to food showcase

woodland music-and-light show and Taste of Grampian vie for national award

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A PERTHSHIRE tourist attraction and a major food event organised by the Press and Journal will be going head to head for a national award.

The Enchanted Forest, at Pitlochry, will be up against the Taste of Grampian in the best large event category of this year’s Scottish Event Awards, which recognise excellence in event organisation, management and publicity.

The woodland music and light show has been held every autumn at Faskally Wood, near Pitlochry, since 2002.

It attracted just 3,000 visitors in its first year and by 2008 the audience had risen to around 20,000. The event, organised by the Perthshire Big Tree Country campaign, has also been shortlisted in the categories for best cultural event and best event marketing strategy.

Taste of Grampian, which celebrated its 10th anniversary this year, brings together the top producers in the north-east food industry to showcase the best produce the region has to offer.

It also attracts leading celebrity chefs – Phil Vickery and Michelin-starred Jean-Christophe Novelli attended last month’s event at Inverurie.

This year more than 14,000 visitors flocked to Taste of Grampian at the Thainstone Centre.

The event is organised jointly by the Press and Journal, Aberdeen and Northern Marts Group, Aberdeenshire Council, Grampian Food Forum and Scottish Enterprise. Awards will be announced at a ceremony at the Glasgow Hilton on September 11.