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Aberdeen’s first ever dolphin festival gears up for launch

Bottle-nosed dolphins are a familiar sight around the north-east coast. (Picture: Chis O'Reilly/RSPB)
Bottle-nosed dolphins are a familiar sight around the north-east coast. (Picture: Chis O'Reilly/RSPB)

Aberdeen’s first ever dolphin festival launches tonight.

DolphinFest – a spin-off from the hugely popular Dolphinwatch – is poised to be a celebration of the array of marine wildlife around Aberdeen and the north-east coast, and aims to encourage people to help protect it.

The festival will run for four days at four locations across the city, starting at the Beach Ballroom tonight.

Dolphin Watch continues at the waters near the Torry Battery in Aberdeen.

Sadie Gorvett, RSPB Scotland’s Dolphinwatch community events officer, said: “DolphinFest has been so much fun to organise and I cannot thank everyone involved enough for making it possible.

“I hope the festival will inspire people who may not know much about the marine environment to get involved and enjoy it.

“I want those that already love it to feel a sense of community and know that there are so many people who are just as passionate as them and want to make a difference.”

Tomorrow, Aberdeen University’s Zoology Museum will host a science day, featuring a range of talks and screening of the award-winning documentary, Chasing Coral.

On Saturday, a family fun day will be held at Duthie Park with talks from litter-picking schoolboy Thomas Truby and a performance by Big Noise Torry’s Dolphin Orchestra.

Thomas Truby

Thomas, founder of The Rubbish Club, said: “”I love all marine life, especially turtles, but I love dolphins too – I am really excited to attend DolphinFest, it’s going to be a great event.

“I’m looking forward to having the chance to talk all about The Rubbish Club and why I want to clean up our planet.”

The festival will conclude on Sunday at Torry Battery, with activities including guided walks, rockpooling and a beach clean.

Over the entire four days of the festival, special guest artists Fresh Paint will create some marine-inspired wall art influenced by local children – which will be revealed on Sunday.

An orca pod photographed from Torry Battery by WDC volunteer Walter Innes in 2017

Throughout the festival, Dolphinwatch viewing will take place at Torry Battery, with staff and volunteers there each day from 11am to 5pm, to help visitors spot and learn more about the bottlenose dolphins that call the North Sea their home.

The full programme for DolphinFest is available www.rspb.org.uk/dolphinwatch