Are you looking for a few fun things to do across the north and north-east this weekend?
You’re in for a treat. We’ve got everything from the highly anticipated World Porridge Championships to Haddo Arts Festival.
We’ve also found the pumpkin patches near you in case you’re on the hunt.
World Porridge Championships
The 30th Annual World Porridge Making Championship takes place in Carrbridge on Saturday.
30 competitors will put their best porridge forward in the hopes of taking home the coveted Golden Spurtle. The drama will unfold in Carrbridge Village Hall from 9.45am, starting with a pipe band parade through the village.
MasterChef finalist Sarah Rankin will host the event, finding out more about the competitors and their recipes.
Don’t worry if you can’t make it along in person, the championships will be livestreamed on the Golden Spurtle Facebook page.
Pick up a pumpkin
It’s impossible to go on social media in October without seeing someone at a pumpkin patch.
On a more serious note, they support local farmers and will send you home with some seriously tasty pumpkins you can carve and make into soup.
Here are some of the pumpkin patches in the north and north-east this year:
Provenance Festival
Provenance Festival is a celebration of the north-east’s food and drink scene, with producers welcoming locals and visitors to engaging, hands-on and memorable experiences.
The 10-day festival, which ends on Sunday, enables people to get behind the scenes and hear first-hand the stories behind our iconic and sustainable food and drink.
This weekend’s events include Torrisoule Cider Talk and Tasting in Huntly, The Terrace Market at Common Sense in Aberdeen and the Kilts and Spices Provenance Finale at 8848 in the Granite City.
Find out more at promenancefestival.co.uk.
Exclusively Highlands at Balmoral
Exclusively Highlands market is adding more and more venues to its calendar every year.
This Saturday will be the first time it has been held at Balmoral Castle, with market goers able to enter the famous castle and grounds for free.
Between 10am and 4pm, a tented village will host vendors selling everything from local delicacies to handmade crafts, with familiar faces and new ones at this weekend’s market.
If you have been to an Exclusively Highlands market before, you know what you’re in for and can enjoy a new location. If not, go ready to carry many bags.
Haddo Arts Festival
This year’s Haddo Arts Festival, held in Haddo House and its grounds, starts on Friday and runs up until October 10.
Haddo has been associated with the arts for some 200 years, but Haddo Arts Festival Organisation was started in 2012 to host an official autumn festival.
There is lots of fun to be had this weekend, with a Mozart Requiem on Saturday night and Wee Tales story sessions on Sunday for little ones.
For the full programme and ticket information, head to haddoarts.com.