If you have been curious about the more adventurous end of the music scene in Aberdeen, the next couple of weeks offer plenty to try. SoundFestival 2026 runs from 22 to 31 October across the city and Aberdeenshire, with more than thirty concerts, recitals, workshops, installations and other events. This year's theme is Listening, and according to the festival's own programme, the aim is to get people paying closer attention to what is happening around them. The events are split across two weekends, so you can pick and choose what suits you.
Every week we pick 🏆 the 5 best 🏆 things to do in Aberdeen and send them to your inbox. Just one weekly email, no spam.
By submitting your email, you accept our Privacy Policy
If a full evening feels like too much at first, the installations are an easy way in. Where Listening Begins is already open at the Aberdeen Science Centre on Constitution Street, running until 1 November between 10:00 and 16:30, and it is included with normal entry. Leona Jones' babblesnatch takes over the Attic Shop Unit at 87 Union Street from 22 to 24 October, open from 11:00 to 17:00, and the same unit hosts Claudia Molitor's Silent Seas on 30 and 31 October. That piece looks at underwater noise pollution. Both installations are free to visit.
The concerts are spread across a range of spaces. Cowdray Hall hosts Ensemble Haar's lunchtime concert on 22 October, from 12:45 to 13:30 with a pre-concert talk at 13:00, and later in the festival it stages Ali Smith and the New European Ensemble's Seasonal Quartet on 30 October, from 20:00 to 21:15. At The Lemon Tree, Neil Smith's Try Try Try is on at 18:00 on 22 October, and James Weeks and Quatuor Bozzini perform the weatherworld quartets on 30 October from 18:00 to 19:15. St Andrew's Cathedral has a free Any Enemy spotlight gig on 24 October from 14:00 to 14:30, followed by James Tenney's In a Large Open Space at 17:00. Red Note Ensemble plays at King's Pavilion on 29 October from 19:30 to 20:30, and The Edinburgh Quartet gives the world premiere of Ben Lunn's String Quartet No. 2, The Tyrant's Might is Passing on 29 October, with a pre-concert talk at 12:00.
Families have their own strand too. A soundwalk around Union Terrace Gardens takes place on Friday 23 October from 11:00 to 12:00, and the Lydenskab Ensemble's promenade concert is at Aberdeen Maritime Museum on Saturday 24 October, from 10:30 to 11:15. Both are free. Sunday's Community Day at Cowdray Hall runs from 10:00 to 15:30, with a free concert at 15:00. Ticketed events cost £14 for standard entry, £10 for over-60s, and £6 for jobseekers, full-time students and people with disabilities, with under-18s and essential companions going free. Events at The Lemon Tree carry a 10% booking fee, and a pay-what-you-can option is available. The late-night sessions at King's Pavilion on 24 October and at The Anatomy Rooms on 31 October cost £5 each.
Published Date
20 October 2026
More information
