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Alan Cumming Joins Winter Words Festival as DJ

The Winter Words Festival 2025 runs from 21- 23 February.

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Alan Cumming Joins Winter Words Festival as DJ

This year's Pitlochry Festival Theatre’s Winter Words Festival is scheduled to present a range of activities for everybody including the news of a DJ set by the Theatre’s new Artistic Director Alan Cumming.  The festival, curated by Cumming, is set to include entertaining performances, literary lunches with award-winning chefs, yoga sessions, a running and reading experience, and events designed to captivate audiences of all demographics. The festival promises a vibrant celebration of words and ideas.

Culinary aficionados are invited to enjoy one of the festival’s literary lunches featuring MasterChef 2022 finalist Sarah Rankin, and chef Gareth Cole, located in the Theatre’s beautiful River Room. In the Studio, Ghillie Başan will talk about food, whisky, and life, accompanied by whisky tastings.

For anyone feeling active why not join Chris Carse Wilson for a 5km run with readings from his book Fray.

Chris Carse Wilson, author of Fray, said, "My novel Fray is an intense exploration of what it means to experience darkness and keep moving on to recovery and to hope. I can't wait to take readers out on a gentle run, mixing movement and words, bringing those pages to life by the banks of the River Tummel.

"To be sharing a weekend with Alan Cumming and other literary superstars is a dream come true. I can think of nowhere better to be than Pitlochry in February, in its beautiful Highland setting, for three days full of celebrating the joys of the written word together."

Festival tickets are selling fast, with some events already sold out. Event tickets are still available for Michael Pedersen, Edinburgh Makar, who will be in discussion with Alan Cumming; writer, musician, and academic Arun Sood; Scotland’s Geographer Royal Jo Sharp; and broadcaster Peter MacQueen. The festival will also include the "Fierce Salvage: Contemporary Scottish Publishing" panel which will feature the award-winning independent publisher 404 Ink and author Titilayo Farukuoye, chaired by Heather Parry.

Poet and novelist Michael Pedersen said, “It is a thrill supreme to be part of Pitlochry’s Winter Words Festival. Firstly, because it’s the wonder churner Alan Cumming’s inaugural year, what a salient moment. He’s lit a beacon for the future here. Secondly, because some of Scotland’s, thus the world’s, finest writers are zesting to stage – a line-up to rival international literature festivals ten times its size. Thirdly, more personally, because I’ll be doing a world preview of my new novel – something you can only ever do once, and so a moment for the annals. I’m swooning at the thought. Is it time?!”

Excitingly, the Theatre has just announced that on Saturday 22 February, Artistic Director Alan Cumming will be performing a DJ set after his talk with the broadcaster Kirsty Wark. The free event will take place in the Theatre’s foyer from 9pm-12am (last orders at 11.30pm) and yes, he will be taking requests!



Theater Fans' Choice Awards
2026 Theater Fans' Choice Awards - Live Stats
Best Sound Design - Top 3
1. Adam Fisher - The Lost Boys
38.4% of votes
2. Tony Gayle - Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)
12.5% of votes
3. Kai Harada - Ragtime
6.9% of votes

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