Ten-day programme of new and experimental music, from new classical and jazz to electroacoustic music and sound art, across Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire.
Sound Festival 2026 runs from Thursday 29 October to Saturday 31 October at Union Terrace Gardens, in the heart of Aberdeen. It's the latest edition of a ten-day programme of new and experimental music spread across Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire, run by sound, the new-music organisation based at Woodend Barn in Banchory. The repertoire covers new classical and jazz, electroacoustic music and sound art, staged in concert halls and in less usual spaces alike.
The line-up for these three days brings together a wide range of voices. Red Note Ensemble and Claudia Molitor both appear, alongside Les Harmoniques du Néon, James Weeks, and the Seasonal Quartet. There's a late-night soundsession with Tom Macfadyen, and on Saturday 31 October, Alistair MacDonald on electronics plays with Darren Gallacher on percussion.
Sound has built a following of its own over the years, and the festival's reputation for contemporary music has brought audiences back to the city. This 2026 edition runs alongside WayWORD Festival, a cross-arts literary festival that celebrates new work and ideas, amplifies diverse voices and breaks down barriers to culture in the communities. Between the two, there's a lot of new work to catch across the city over the same period.
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Union Terrace Gardens is the main hub for these dates, and the programme runs from Thursday 29 October through to Saturday 31 October.
