Pitlochry in late January is usually the quiet lull between the New Year’s Day street party and the first signs of spring: short days, empty car parks and a Festival Theatre between seasons. In 2027 the theatre fills that gap with something entirely new. Out in the Hills, a first-edition festival “that celebrates all things LGBTQIA+” and, in the theatre’s own words, invites everyone, runs from Thursday 28 to Sunday 31 January 2027 on the theatre’s campus at Port-na-Craig, above the River Tummel. The theatre frames it as a way to “Brighten up your January with three days of theatre, music, film, dancing and so much more” — four days, really, once you count the Thursday opener. Curated by Lewis Hetherington, it was assembled as a deliberately broad weekend rather than a niche one.
This is a first edition, so the shape matters more than any track record. Out in the Hills is the Festival Theatre’s new January event, built around conversations with LGBTQIA+ icons, first looks at new plays, dance, music and poetry readings, and — in the programme’s own phrase — “topics from house renovations onwards”. The whole weekend happens on the one 11-acre campus at Port-na-Craig, so it feels like a single site rather than a scatter of venues across the town. The weekend opens on Thursday 28 January with a single event, “not for glory”, in the Studio, then runs at full stretch from Friday to Sunday. A ceilidh and a disco sit beside play readings, and a handful of events cost nothing at all. If you have been weighing a winter trip to Pitlochry, this is the clearest reason in years to come in January.
Six names anchor the programme. Rosie Jones appears in conversation with Robert Softley Gale, hosted by Johnny McKnight, on the Saturday; Armistead Maupin, the American novelist behind Tales of the City, talks to Zoe Strachan on the Friday night; and Val McDermid, the crime writer, marks “40 Years of Plotting” with Kezia Dugdale on the Sunday. Yotam Ottolenghi, the chef and food writer, does a Saturday lunch event, while Chitra Ramaswamy, the journalist, brings “Food for Thought” with Gemma Cairney, and Stephen Libby talks to Greg McHugh. The conversations are the spine of the weekend, and everything else hangs around them.
Friday is the first full day, running from afternoon theatre to a ceilidh at night. “Life Worthy of Life”, a play reading by Birds of Paradise Theatre Company, plays in the Studio, and “Good Enough”, an interactive installation by John Darvell / Nocturn, sits in the theatre’s other spaces. In the Main House, Armistead Maupin talks to Zoe Strachan. The evening then turns louder: “Wild Things: a night of drag, comedy and Queer Ecology” with Dr Elysia Chlorotica and Bi-curious George, followed by “Queer as Folk! – A Big Gay Ceilidh” with the Malin Lewis Trio, hosted by Chris Wilson. It is the kind of night that rewards staying on the campus between events rather than drifting back to town.
Saturday is the fullest day, built around the headliner conversations and the weekend’s physical side. “Kilted Yoga with Finlay Wilson” runs across both Saturday and Sunday. In the Studio, “Wha’s Like Us? Queer Scots Poetry” brings Shane Strachan and Mae Diansangu, and Chitra Ramaswamy’s “Food for Thought” pairs her with Gemma Cairney. “Lunch with Yotam Ottolenghi” anchors the middle of the day, Stephen Libby talks to Greg McHugh in the Main House, and the big Main House double bill pairs Rosie Jones with Robert Softley Gale, hosted by Johnny McKnight. At night “Disco in the Hills” closes the day with DJ Tamboi, sign singing by Jamie Rea and drag king Loose Willis. Across both days, a Glasgow Community Sauna pop-up runs a wood-fired sauna and a cold plunge pool on the campus — the closest thing the weekend has to a Highland winter ritual.
Sunday eases down rather than closing abruptly. “Kilted Yoga with Finlay Wilson” continues from Saturday, so anyone who missed the first day can still join. “Let’s Go Outside!” with Matt Hyndman and Lauren MacCallum, chaired by Lewis Hetherington, points the day back toward the landscape around the theatre. Val McDermid’s “40 Years of Plotting”, in conversation with Kezia Dugdale, is the afternoon’s Main House event, and Banjo and Ro, also in conversation with Johnny McKnight, follow. “These Violent Delights”, by Scottish Ballet with Forest of Black, plays in the Studio. It is a shorter programme than Saturday, which leaves room to walk the riverside before heading home.
A good part of the weekend needs no ticket at all. “Drag Me Up!” with Loose Willis and Ella Lovelock runs 29–30 January in the River Room, and the programme notes simply say no ticket required. “(Un)Seen (Un)Heard”, an exhibition by LGBT Youth Scotland, sits in the Foyer on 30–31 January, also free. On Sunday 31 January, “Plucking Classics: Queer Pop on the Clàrsach” with Christina Gordon plays in the Foyer, and “Here Come the Curls!”, an inflatable curling rink, takes over the River Room — both free to drop into. These events give the weekend its drop-in texture: you can check the day’s programme and join what fits without a booking, whether that is an hour of poetry or an afternoon on the rink.
Individual event prices live on the theatre’s booking pages rather than the programme page, so check the box office for the figure that matches your dates. The theatre sells a Festival Pass that discounts bookings of two or more Out in the Hills events, with one carve-out worth noting: headliner events sit outside the pass discount. Membership, from £40 a year, adds priority booking. The box office is open in person 9.30am to 5pm and by phone on 01796 484626 from 10am to 4.30pm, with hours that can shift on performance evenings; tickets also book online. If a particular conversation matters to you, book it rather than assuming a drop-in will cover it.
The theatre sits on Port-na-Craig Road at Port na Craig, on an 11-acre campus above the River Tummel with Ben-y-Vrackie behind it. From Pitlochry station it is about a 14-minute walk, and the most accessible route crosses the Iron Suspension Bridge. Parking on site is free. Buses serving Pitlochry include Ember, Megabus, Stagecoach, Flixbus and Scottish Citylink, and the Caledonian Sleeper from London Euston stops at nearby Blair Atholl for anyone who wants to arrive rested. There is no Uber in Pitlochry, so book a taxi in advance; local firms include Seb Taxi on 07849 044319, Elizabeth Yule Pitlochry Taxis on 01796 472290 and B-Line Taxi on 07534 323270. The theatre’s accessibility page sets out step-free access, Blue Badge parking and hearing loops.
The theatre café and bar is the easiest option: open 9am to 5pm on non-performance days, with the kitchen closed on Mondays, and until 6.45pm Monday to Saturday on performance days, 9am to 5pm on Sundays. For anything more substantial, the eating guide walks through Port-na-Craig by the river and the Atholl Road restaurants; on a festival night you will most likely eat early and walk, or book a table for after the Main House event.
Out in the Hills is the first of two winter festivals at the theatre. Winter Words, in its 23rd edition, runs 18–21 February 2027, curated for the first time by Michael Pedersen — the current Edinburgh Makar, appointed by artistic director Alan Cumming — with a headline list that runs from Joanne Harris and David Nicholls to Kae Tempest and Nicola Sturgeon. January itself stays a good month for the short walks that fit the daylight, and the winter guide has them; the theatre’s own article carries the season around it. If you are coming from further afield, the New Year’s Day street party on 1 January has its own article and pairs naturally with a late-January return.