Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival is delighted to announce that Skills Development Scotland (SDS) will present the Highland Futures Zone, a free, hands-on activity hub for all the family, taking place in the Walled Garden.
Running across all three days of the festival, Thursday 30 July to Saturday 1 August, 11am – 6pm daily, the Highland Futures Zone brings together some of the Highlands and Islands’ leading employers and organisations to showcase the exciting world of careers available in the Highlands. From hands-on science to real-world engineering, it’s a chance for young people and families to play, explore, and get inspired.
Now in its 22nd year, Belladrum remains one of Scotland’s best-loved family festivals, and the Highland Futures Zone continues that spirit by turning big questions about the future into something fun, tactile and genuinely exciting for all ages.
As one of the area’s biggest annual events, Belladrum draws thousands of people to the heart of the Highlands each summer.
The Highland Futures Zone builds on that pull, turning a weekend of music and fun into a moment of discovery and showing the next generation that some of the most exciting careers in STEM, engineering and green energy aren’t somewhere else. They’re right here, on their doorstep.
What’s on in the Highland Futures Zone:
- Skills Development Scotland (SDS) Careers advisers on hand with games including lucky dip, dingbats and Wheel of Fortune, plus My World of Work Live activities featuring robots, Spheros and Lego renewables.
- Developing the Young Workforce – Future Me Strike a pose at the photo booth, take on Jobs Charade Battles, and catch the No Wrong Path videos and chats.
- Engineering in Action (Ross-shire Engineering, West Fraser, Balfour Beatty) Water treatment challenges, simulators, drones, and a look at how infrastructure shapes the world around us.
- NHS Highland Get creative and curious with DIY DNA bracelets, origami hearts and interactive games exploring the science in your body, and the careers behind it.
- Energy & Net Zero (Proterra Energy, Green Freeport, Freedom Group) Wind, solar and hydro demonstrations up close, with hands-on activities to generate your own power.
- Industry & Innovation (Murphy’s, LifeScan and more) Meet employers and get hands-on: take on LifeScan’s Clinic Race Challenge, guess the hidden sugar in everyday foods, build and race a marble run, and explore innovations shaping engineering, manufacturing, science and tech across the region.
- Royal Highland Education Trust (RHET) Tractor and digger simulators, hands-on science, and the latest in farming tech. Discover how drones, GPS and digital tools are transforming agriculture, and explore careers in peatland restoration, nature conservation and Scotland’s green economy.
- STEM Starts: Wild Discoveries STEM Drop-In Hunt for hidden caterpillars in the Camouflage Challenge, build animal dens and bridges, excavate dinosaur fossils, explore bugs under the microscope, bring sea creatures to life, dive into AR/VR wildlife adventures, and take on coding challenges.
- Spot the Robot Dog The National Robotarium’s robotic dog will be roaming the Walled Garden and making special appearances with live presentations in the Highland Futures Zone.
Whether it’s meeting apprenticeship providers, testing out a drone simulator, or just having a go at building a marble run, the Highland Futures Zone is designed for young people, families, and anyone curious about their next step.
The Highland Futures Zone also marks the next step in Belladrum’s own journey towards a more sustainable future. On site, the festival already runs an active recycling operation and works hard to keep its environmental footprint as low as possible year-round. Now, organisers are keen to go further, deepening ties with renewables and wider energy companies as part of an ongoing drive to improve Belladrum’s onward sustainability offering.
The timing could hardly be better. The Inverness & Cromarty Firth Green Freeport is positioning the region as a major strategic hub for renewable energy, with an estimated 11,300 long-term jobs projected for the Highlands and £6.5bn in planned investment over the next 25 years. With that scale of opportunity opening up right on Belladrum’s doorstep, producers say there’s never been a better moment for the festival and the energy sector to come together.
Dougie Brown, Belladrum Festival Producer, said: “We’re really proud of what we already do on site to keep Belladrum as green as we can and to involve and encourage STEM discovery – from our recycling operation to how we run the site day to day. But we know there’s more we can do, and we’re excited to be building closer links with the renewables and energy sector. It’s early days, but we’d love to see things like battery power play a role on one of our stages one day. With everything happening on our doorstep through the Green Freeport, it feels like the right time to be having these conversations.”
Susan MacRae, Head of Operations for the North at Skills Development Scotlandis thrilled to see the expansion of the Highland Futures Zone. “The Highland Futures Zone aims to light a spark of inspiration in the Belladrum audience. We live in one of the UK’s most exciting regions and there’s so many opportunities right here on our doorstep. All of the activities in this Zone have been designed by SDS and our partners to demonstrate what’s possible here in the Highlands – come and join in the fun, try out our workshops and activities, and you never know what ideas you might come away with!”
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