Cupar’s Celebration & Commemoration Weekend 2022

29th August 2022 by simon

An update from the event organisers …

“Our Celebration Weekend falls in the middle of the official Period of Mourning for HM The Queen.

After consulting with HM Lord-Lieutenant of Fife, organisers plan a two-minute silence at The Cross at 1100 on Saturday 17 September.

A Proclamation from the Lord-Lieutenant to the people of Cupar & District will be read out, the traditional bugle calls blown, and pipes will be played. All are invited to be a part of this commemoration.”

In September 2021, a collaboration of community groups delivered Cupar’s inaugural Celebration Weekend. Thousands of people came to town to enjoy all manner of events and we are delighted that an expanded collective has agreed to work together to make the Celebration an annual event …

Celebration Weekend: 16th-18th September

Cupar’s Celebration Weekend will combine a whole host of activities that will run throughout the weekend from Friday 16th to Sunday 18th September 2022.

This Blog will be updated as we countdown, so will be the ‘go to’ resource for anyone looking to visit and take part in any of the celebrations. We have created a QR code for sharing (see below) that can help all to find this information easily. Please feel free to share it with friends, family and colleagues – and, to businesses, we invite you to use the same on your own menus and promotional literature to help spread the word. Thank you!

Planned Events & Activities …

Stirlings Family Fun Fair – the return of the Funfair to Haugh Park complete with children’s and family rides as well as white-knuckle rides! There will also be the usual stalls and a bouncy castle too! Look out for their vouchers (available closer to the event in many shops across Cupar) for money-off family and children’s rides. Based on last year …
- Daily: 1800-2130
- Saturday/Sunday: 1400-2130
- Saturday 17th: Noon-2130
- Sunday 18th: 1400-1700

Friday 16th September … let’s get the weekend started!

Come to Cupar and enjoy the many food & drink outlets across the town …

The Cupar Trail is part of a wider network that helps to promote food & drink across the whole of north-east Fife – with Cupar very much at its heart. You can find more via this link that showcases seven trails – all of which begin and end in Cupar. If you’re reading this and you run a food or drink business and are NOT featured, please use this link to complete our questionnaire and we can add you.

Saturday 17th September

Please be aware that Crossgate will be closed to cars between the Cross and Kirk Wynd from 0900-1400.

From 0900-1300 …

The Fife Farmers’ Market: it is expected that Cupar Heritage, Cupar Development Trust and Three Estates Cupar will all be attending.

The market will also host the latest in a line of community groups who have attended the market throughout 2022 at stall sponsored by CuparNow …

Cupar U3A “We are Cupar U3A and are part of the national affiliation of U3A’s. We specifically aim to support retired and semi-retired people in Cupar and North East Fife by providing a range of activities and organised events for our members. The events range from wellness and physical activities to recreational and learning type interest groups. We are a thriving organisation with over 240 members and are looking for ways to promote our activities to a wider diverse group of people in and around Cupar. 2022 is the 40th Anniversary of the U3A and we hope to arrange a number of activities to recognise this milestone. Specifically our U3A day falls on the 3th weekend in September.“
Lucky Ewe “Lucky Ewe offers the opportunity for people to look after the needs of a flock of dairy sheep, develop basic husbandry skills and do outdoor work in the fresh air: we produce sheep’s cheese for sale and at Teasses Christmas market 2021 ran a successful stall selling cheese and various wool products from our sheep’s wool. With a stall at Fife Farmer’s Market, we hope both to raise funds for Lucky Ewe and to raise awareness of our charity.“

You can find more on this initiative by clicking on the image below.

Take a stroll …

Please take time to enjoy a walk to explore Cupar – including Bonnygate where you can visit the Cupar Y’s Table Sale (0930-1130).

You can pick up a copy of our free Town Guide & Map when in town (available from many outlets), or download one via this link. It includes Cupar’s Blue Plaque Trail together with QR codes to help to discover more on the town’s shopping, places to eat and drink, services and more. Staying longer? Download a guide of local walks from this link to see trails and paths around the town.

From 1000 …

Cupar’s Children’s Day in Old Scots (Bairns’ Day in Auld Scots)

An array of events and activities will be delivered throughout the day and into the evening as a celebration of and for Cupar’s children – all based around the town’s medieval history.

Cupar’s role in this goes back to the 16th century when poet and playwright, Sir David Lindsay – aka ‘Scotland’s Shakespeare’ – wrote Scotland’s first play, Ane Satyre. He lived at The Mount – just outside Cupar – and was Lord Lyon to King James V. The Bairns’ Day activities are a 21st century celebration the town’s medieval past!

Cupar & District Pipe Band at The Cross (on Crossgate) announces the start to proceedings with a performance at the market
At the Cross …
- The BBC will be at the event, filming for an upcoming episode of ‘My Kind Of Town’ with presenter, Ian Hamilton. Ian and his crew will interview Sir David Lyndsay – a 21st century reincarnation of Scotland’s most famous 16th century playwright, welcomed to the 2022 proceedings by Bill Pagan, Chair of Cupar Development Trust (below, right).
- From 1035: throughout the next 90 minutes there will be a series of Announcements, Readings, Songs & Proclamations – overseen by our master of ceremonies, Joe Preece, of Cupar’s Food Bank (below, centre).
- This will now include:
  - 1050: a piper’s lament
  - 1100: the last post, played by John Simpson, to introduce a two minutes’ silence at 11am as a mark of respect for our late Sovereign, Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. All attending, including those at the market, the stall holders and customers, are asked to join this commemoration and to observe the silence
  - 1102: reveille – and the markjet resumes
- An Unveiling: an interpretation sign will be unveiled at The Cross; we’d like to thank all of those who have contributed to make this possible with a particular note of thanks to the William Hill Cupar branch.

Those at The Cross will hear the reading of The Cupar Banns, Sir David Lyndsay’s actual words that were used in 1522 to call the townsfolk to enjoy the very first performance of his iconic play. Gerda Stevenson (below, middle) – award-winning writer, actor, director and singer-songwriter – will perform as part of this unique celebration … a celebration that will also contain a few surprises too! John Sampson (below right) will be on hand again this year to add fanfares to the occasion.

At the Corn Exchange and Castlehill Community Centre …

Throughout the day, a series of events and activities will be staged at the Corn Exchange and the nearby Castlehill Community Centre.

The Medieval Feast – in the Corn Exchange’s lower hall, local school children and their teachers will enjoy a medieval feast served up by the local charity, The Sunshine Kitchen. Gerda Stevenson will perform a short recital for those attending.
School Art Displays – a showcase of art from local children (Corn Exchange – lower hall); throughout the afternoon, there will be Medieval Wind poerformances.
Story Telling (Castlehill Community Centre)
Parents and guardians are asked to collect children from the venue at 4pm when there will be tea available for those attending the 5pm concert. Tickets are available on the door: £5.00 per adult, £10.00 for a family ticket (two adults with two children), £3 for U16s and U3s are free.
Live Music at 5pm: A concert in the Corn Exchange (upper hall) performed by a trio from the University of St Andrews:
- - Rebecca Black – Soprano: “Rebecca is a fourth year history student from Perthshire. Before taking her place at St Andrews, Rebecca sang with the National Choir of Scotland and performed in various musicals, including ‘Guys and Dolls’, ‘Mary Poppins’ and ‘Godspell’. In her first and second year Rebecca sang with the St Salvator’s Chapel Choir, holding the Mary Carpenter choral scholarship. Supported by a music centre vocal scholarship since third year, Rebecca has enjoyed performing as a soloist in university concerts, with the Musical Theatre Society as part of their productions of ‘ Spelling Bee’ and ‘Sweeney Todd’, and with the Byre Opera in their production of ‘Pelleas and Melisande.’ Rebecca studies under both Jonathan May and Megan Read.“
  - Brannon Liston-Smith – Baritone: “Brannon is a Baritone from Llanelwy, North Wales. He is a regular on stage in St Andrews and beyond, singing operatic roles including Papageno (The Magic Flute) with the Opera Society, Giuseppe (The Gondoliers) and Grosvenor (Patience) with St Andrews G&S Society, and Doctor/Shepherd (Pelleas et Melisande) with Byre Opera. He has just finished a run playing Strephon (Iolanthe) at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Brannon will appear as Ben in Menotti’s The Telephone with the newly formed St Andrews Chamber Opera Group in October, and again as Don Alfonso (Cosi Fan Tutte) in 2023. He is the Senior Chorister of St Salvator’s Chapel Choir at the University of St Andrews and is also a keen composer. Brannon studies the voice under Jonathan May at the Laidlaw Music Centre.“
  - Sophia Kiely – Piano: “Sophia is an Irish-English Penultimate Year Maths student. She studied Piano and Violin at the Centre for Young Musicians, a division of Guildhall London for 9 years prior to coming to St Andrews. Sophia was a Music Centre Piano Scholar from 2020-2021, plays Violin in Chamber Orchestra and sings in Holy Trinity Choir. Sophia also loves theatre and you can catch her as a member of the University’s Improv Comedy group Blind Mirth.“
- The programme for the concert is shown below: Cupar Development Trust would like to thank Jonathan May, Head of Vocal Studies at the University of St Andrews, for his help in planning this event.

Tickets (£5.00 each / £10.00 family / £3.00 for U16 and U3s free) will be on sale through Maisie & Mac, The Lighthouse as well as on the door on the day of the concert …

Our Crowd Fund! None of this weekend’s celebrations would be possible without the help and support of a huge number of volunteers from the town’s businesses, organisations and community groups. As a result of the collaboration, a new Crowd Fund has been launched that will help to support ongoing community events and activities that deliver community benefit in the town and district. This fund – managed through the charity Three Estates Cupar – will be overseen by Cupar Development Trust. More will be shared in the coming weeks and months. In the meantime, if you value events such as the Celebration Weekend and are able to make a contribution, no matter how small, please use this link to do so. It is greatly appreciated.

Sunday 18th September

All the fun of the fair continues in Haugh Park with the last day of this year’s fair.

We are hoping church bells will ring out from Cupar Old and St John’s to welcome in the Sunday of celebration!

Gathering of Socieites: we are delighted to announce the 2022 Gathering of Societies will take place on the same day – to be held at the town-end of the park by the bandstand. Building on last year’s gathering, local organisations have been invited to sign-up for the event that will see all manner of community groups, clubs, organisations and associations taking stalls to showcase their work to residents and visitors alike. If you run a local community organisation and have not yet registered, please use this email link to do so, explaining who you are, your group together with what you’d plan to display on the day. You can view a snapshot of last year’s events via these link – the Celebration and the Gathering. For further information, why not visit our Community Directory that lists some 89 groups delivering all kinds of activities and support for those living and working in our area.
Live Music & Performances: there will be a number of live performances at the bandstand on the day.
Guided Walks from the War Memorial: the opportunity to join local historian, Steve Penrice, on guided walks to discover some of the town’s history and heritage.

Families are invited to take their time to visit and explore all that Cupar has to offer – from the town’s cafes, pubs and restaurants to the walks around the town including those that take in the new interpretive signage launched in 2020, telling the story of Cupar’s past and present.

Cupar on TV!

Throughout this summer, Cupar has run a TV campaign that has invited people to spend a day in Cupar & Country. The campaign – funded by CuparNow with the support received from businesses across the town – has been screened on STV through July and August concludes after the Celebration Weekend. It has also been shared through the STV Player.

You can watch the TV ad via this link or by clicking on the image below.

Visiting?

Cupar, an ancient Pictish name, means ‘where the rivers meet‘. Today, rail, roads and paths bring people together to live, work, play and stay.

By Rail: the town centre is a short stroll or roll from the station … regular services connect Cupar to all mainline stations.
By Bus: Cupar is a hub for Express buses as well as for local services across north-east Fife.
By Car: Cupar is a five-road hub – the A91, A913 and A914 converge with two B roads (from Levenmouth and the East Neuk). The largest car park that’s closest to the Haugh Park (where the funfair will take place) is Fluthers. It is free (circ. 200 cars), has electric car charge points and a toilet block at its entrance. It is a short walk via pedestrian crossings to the park. There is limited on street parking in the town (free for given periods denoted on signs) and pay and display car parks – the largest of which is accessed from Bonnygate. It is operated by Fife Council. You can also use Ringo to pay via your phone: please click on the map below for more.
By Bike & Hike: Cupar is just off the National Route 1 Cycleway. The town has bike racks in a number of car parks. Many local walks & trails are close by.
By Taxi: there are a number of taxi operators in the town. The taxi rank is by the Corn Exchange.

Please note that all events/activities are subject to change without prior notice but we will do all we can to ensure this page and the information shared on our channels is as up to date as it can be. If you are running any activity and need to make us aware of changes to this Blog, please use this link to email us. Thank you.

Flash! Bang! Whallop! What a picture!

At last year’s celebration, we asked Cupar Camera Club to capture the weekend’s activities: they snapped photos across the town and submitted a selection. We are looking to you to choose one photo from the eight shortlisted that best represents ‘celebration’.

Nominations can be made via this email link giving your favourite image from the selection. Simply email with you name and the number of your chosen image from the video shared.

The photographer of the photo that gets the most nominations will win a wee gift from CuparNow – and the Club’s photos from 2021 will be used in publicity for this year’s Celebration Weekend.

We’re delighted the Club has offered to help cover and capture the events again this year – and we extend a heartfelt ‘thank you’ to the members for their support.

Beyond Cupar’s Celebration Weekend?

CuparNow is very happy to help in the support and promotion of this unique weekend. A huge thank you is given to all of those involved – so many volunteering their time and resources to deliver this celebration. Steered by Cupar Development Trust, the collective includes:

The organisers would also like to thank the staff at Fife Council and Police Scotland for their help and support in planning and delivering the weekend. We would also like to thank all those at Stirling’s Family Funfair for their help and co-operation.

This weekend is a continuance of an initiative started by Cupar Development Trust to mark and celebrate celebrate Cupar’s place in the history of Old Scots. More can be found via this link – sharing a series of talks that have taken place through 2021/22. You can also click on the image below to access the YouTube playlist.

Download the Celebration Weeekend QR Code

As mentioned, we have created a sharable QR code that will link to this feature.

Please feel free to share and/or use it on your own literature and channels to help promote this community event …

Thanks for reading!