Community Land Festival 2025

The Pairc Trust is gearing up to celebrate community ownership, as the biggest ever Community Land Festival takes place across the country next week.

Celebrating the new signage for the Pairc Trust is among dozens of Community-owned projects highlighting the aspirations and benefits of local empowerment as part of the Festival which runs from October 17 to November 2.

This event celebrates a meaningful milestone in the story of Pairc, correcting a long-standing boundary where the original signage was placed in the wrong location. After the unveiling, the community is warmly invited to the Ravenspoint community café for a lunch with locally sourced Pairc venison burgers and sausages.

Emma Mackenzie, Estate Manager at the Pairc Trust, said: “We are delighted to mark this year’s Community Land Festival by inviting the community to come together and celebrate the correction of a historical error in our boundary signage, a meaningful act that restores accuracy and honours the heritage and history of Pairc. We are thrilled to welcome everyone to celebrate together, and to enjoy a meal of locally sourced Pairc venison at Ravenspoint, another community-owned organisation within the Estate.”

The Community Land Festival is organised by Community Land Scotland and The Community Land Team. It developed initially from Community Land Week.

A record-breaking Festival

This record-breaking year sees more than 30 groups signed up take part, from Shetland down to the Borders and Dumfries & Galloway and out to the Western Isles, and over half are taking part for the very first time.

Community Land Scotland Assistant Development Manager and Festival Organiser, Meg Taintor, says: “Community Land Festival is all about people – the communities who make it happen, and the wider public who get to join in and experience what they’ve achieved.

“Now in its seventh year, this is the biggest yet. The Festival continues to feel fresh and exciting because each community brings its own creativity, energy, and ideas to the table. 

“That sense of new energy and involvement is incredibly exciting and really shows how vibrant and growing the community land movement is across Scotland.” 

The 2025 festival sees a huge range of community activities, including; workshops, play readings and Halloween dress-up parties. Some are using the Festival to celebrate with pumpkin trails, family days and woodland walks, while others are using it to spark conversations about future projects.

Stronger and Better Communities

“To me, as organiser, that’s the heart of the Festival”, Meg continues, “communities coming together, celebrating what’s already been achieved, and inspiring one another to dream about what comes next.

“The Festival creates a sense of momentum and possibility that lasts far beyond a single festival event, and it’s incredible to witness communities connecting, and inspiring each other to take on new projects. It’s a chance to celebrate the diversity, resilience, and energy of communities across Scotland, and a reminder of the power of people working together to make their places stronger and better.”