Could Do List – Orkney in September 2026

September can be a lovely time of year to visit Orkney. It’s a quieter time of year in Orkney because children have returned to school. However, there can still be mild weather and a fantastic range of events to attend.

Starting on the 3rd and running until the 9th is the Orkney International Science Festival. Melding Orkney’s environment, history, skies and culture with scientific insights makes the Orkney this a really unique event. World class speakers visit, and there are science talks, hands-on experiments, demonstrations, bus tours, ceilidhs, good-humoured lively discussion and workshops for adults and children alike. https://oisf.org/

The Orkney Rock Festival returns with performances from a line-up of local and visiting artists from the 3-6th of September. They will hold their biggest main event yet at Rapture in Garden Square on Saturday 5th September with a second event on Sunday 6th! This festival has quickly grown in popularity and presents a head-banging, foot-stomping, rip-roaring line up. Tickets are available here.

The relatively new Orkney Archaeology Festival which celebrates Orkney’s world-renowned archaeological heritage runs from the 9-13th of September. Delivering a packed four-day programme of over 27 free and ticketed events, ranging from guided walks across ancient landscapes to inspiring talks, family-friendly hands-on activities, site tours, and special behind-the-scenes experiences. See more information here.

On the 26th, Orkney Time Travel run their ‘Smugglers, Pirates & Gin’ event. A wildly entertaining journey through Kirkwall’s lanes and legendary tales, where history comes alive with a splash of gin. Meet shipwrecked survivors, Jacobite rebels, and the infamous Pirate Gow. See more information and book tickets here.

The Pier Arts Centre is an Art Gallery and Museum in Stromness, Orkney. Home to a permanent collection and year round exhibitions and events. Open Tuesday-Saturday 10:30am-5pm it’s always worth checking their website to see what exhibitions are running.

If you’re looking for a great place to visit, why not take a trip to Windwick Bay? Six miles south of St Margaret’s Hope, the cliff scenery here is quite spectacular. There’s a parking space for three cars here, and you can either descend down to a rocky shore, or take a cliff top path leading to two sea stacks. The smallest and closest stack is called The Clett, and the furthest away stack is called the Clett of Crura. Windwick is a dramatic place, so make sure you don’t forget your camera! There’s a plaque at Windwick commemorating the Destroyers HMS Opal and HMS Narborough which both ran into these cliffs during a blizzard on 12 January 1918 and broke up. There was only one survivor out of a crew of 189. Windwick can also be a popular spot for seals.

We hope you enjoy exploring Orkney in September!

By Victoria Dixon Orkney and Shetland fanatic, likes to capture life through a lens, loves creating, eclectic taste in music, enjoys being a Mum; would secretly love to be a star of the West End!

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