The free event will see King Street, Friars Street, Port Street and part of Murray Place closed to vehicles with visitors enjoying a range of fun, family friendly activities between 10am and 4pm. This will include come-and-try sports, live music, arts and crafts, story sessions, a silent disco and historical walking tours.
There will also be information stalls for a range of environmental groups, advice about active travel and sustainable living and activities such as seed planting, bug hotel making and opportunities to take part in a junk model competition and contribute to a collaborative community mural.
Showcase
The festival is being organised by Stirling Council in partnership with Go Forth Business Improvement District and will offer a unique, pedestrian-focused environment for residents and visitors, who can experience the busy city centre streets and enjoy its shops, cafes and attractions with reduced traffic congestion and environmental impact.
The increased footfall will bring positive impacts and opportunities for the city centre.
Stirling Council Leader Chris Kane, said: “We are delighted to welcome Open Streets into the city centre for the second year to showcase the best that Stirling has to offer.
“It’s a terrific chance for retailers, residents and visitors to visualise the possibilities of a car free city centre and the economic and environmental benefits that could bring.
“We hope as many people as possible come along and take part in the wide range of activities that have been organised, especially for families. We also hope it inspires people to consider active travel more frequently in future.”
Targets
Earth Day is a global movement where people around the world are encouraged to raise awareness of environmental issues and commit to a sustainable and equitable future for our planet.
This year’s Earth Day theme is ‘Invest in our Planet’. Families are being encouraged to leave their cars at home and walk, cycle or take public transport to get to the event.
Stirling Council declared a climate emergency in April 2019 and is committed to achieving net zero carbon by 2045. We will be carbon neutral for our own operations by 2035 and are working towards achieving the Scottish Government Net Zero targets.
Opportunity
Project Director at Go Forth Business Improvement District Stirling, Danielle McRorie-Smith, said: “The Open Streets programme offers a great opportunity for our excellent businesses to showcase all that they have to offer and what is best about their neighbourhoods.
“This is a great opportunity for local businesses to be innovative and attract new customers by engaging with the wide variety of events on offer.”
Event Programme
Free activities from 10am-4pm including:
Music
- Central FM
- Europa Music Stage – live music for Record Store Day
- Stirling Gaelic Choir
Sport and Active Travel
- Yoga Tree – come and try outdoor yoga
- Recyke A Bike’s Dr Bike – Bring your bike along for a free bike check with Recyke-a-bike, who will be offering minor adjustments and repairs to keep your bike running smoothly
- Active Stirling Bikes Without Barriers – come and try adapted bikes
- Forth Environment Link – trial e-bikes and info on sustainable living
- Dunblane Cricket Club
- Ross Brown Football Freestyler demonstration and workshops
Kids' Fun
- Blairdrummond Safari Park on tour
- Made in Stirling Shop – drop in art workshops and contribute to a collaborative community artwork
- GOSSIP Collective - crafts activities including a junk model competition. Bring your own from home or create one on the day!
- Face painting
- Circus Skills
- Storytelling and crafts with Central Library
- Play, Talk, Read – under 5s play and reading fun
Eco Activity
- Transition Stirling - Drop-in workshops making flowers from recycled carrier bags. Take part in our consumer quiz and our recycling game.
- Stirling Council Waste Services - compost and recycling games. Can you correctly identify what goes in which bin?
- Braehead Community Garden - seed planting
- Treelink - Find out more about community planting projects, volunteer gardening opportunities and our Free Tree For Babies scheme.
- Butterfly Conservation Trust - Find out more about moths and butterflies and what you can do to help them thrive.
- Forestry and Land Scotland - Find out more about renewable energy schemes, how we create and maintain trails and visitor facilities and conserve habitats, wildlife and archaeological treasures.
- On The Verge - Learn about native wildflowers and what you can do to attract insects to your garden.
Other
- Farmers Market
- Bannockburn House – volunteering opportunities
- Stirling City Walls heritage walk - Stirling Council Archaeologist Murray Cook (pre-booking required)
- Stirling Silent Disco Walking Tour (pre-booking required)
Wider City Involvement
On 22 April there will also be a range of other activities and music in the city centre visitors can explore:
- Corn Exchange - live music
- Nicky Tams – live music
- No 2 Baker St – live music
- Stirling Gin Distillery Tours
- Stirling Ghost Walk 8pm – Stirling Ghostwalk :: The popular tourist attraction in the Old Town area of Stirling
- Smith Art Gallery and Museum
- Tolbooth – 7.30pm Scottish singer Horse HORSE Trio - Acoustic-Y - Stirling Events
The full event programme and booking information for the tours can be viewed at www.yourstirling.com
Parking and Transport Information
The following streets will be closed to traffic during the event: Murray Place, Station Road, Friars Street, King Street and Port Street.
All disabled parking spaces displaced from the event space during the festival will be replaced on the perimeter of the event footprint and a drop off point will be located on Port Street.
Parking restrictions will be in place from 7pm on the 21st of April to 7pm on the 22nd of April. Roads will be closed from 5am till 7pm on the 22nd.
A free park and ride service will be in operation from Springkerse and Castleview.
Accessibility
The festival will also host a changing places toilet. The Mobiloo will be on site – a mobile vehicle toilet with hoist and changing table. Facility users are requested to bring their own sling should you wish to use the toilet – full info at www.mobiloo.org.uk