A NEW carnival of arts and music is coming to the Rosneath Peninsula this October.

Cove Carnival will run for five days and feature everything from a performance by Scottish Opera, to a celebration of architecture and entertainment from the Peninsula Ukelele Band.

The carnival is sponsored by Garelochhead Coaches and organised by the Rosneath Peninsula West Community Development Trust as part of their remit to raise awareness of the peninsula and its business community.

The inaugural event will run from Friday, October 6 until Tuesday, October 10, with most events running in Cove Burgh Hall.

A spokesman for the Rosneath Peninsula West Community Development Trust said of the festival: “We have been planning it formally for about five months; however, the origins of the event go back over a year as we have bandied about different ideas and concepts.

“We hope the Cove Carnival provides our local communities with a great five days of fun and also encourages people from further afield to visit our villages.

“This is the first year of what we envisage being a regular event in the Rosneath Peninsula calendar.”

Already lined up for the Friday are performances by the Peninsula Ukelele Band in Rosneath Primary and Kilcreggan Primary, followed by a celebration of Scottish folk singer Matt McGinn at Cove Burgh Hall.

The events on the Saturday include a children’s film show and Brass Monkeys Big Dance, sponsored by Kilcreggan Garage.

The Brass Monkeys is a Glasgow band with a twist who play covers. Their styles are soul, funk, rock, Latin, jazz and swing.

A talk and display of Francis Cadell’s painting of Cove Pier will take place on the Sunday at Cove Sailing Club. Cove Burgh Hall will also play host to a lunchtime concert by Allander Jazz, sponsored by Plugit Decorative Wood.

Cove Burgh Hall will once again play host to Monday’s events which include Catherine Wheels Theatre’s children’s production The Little Gentleman, sponsored by Ensign Motifs, and ‘Greek Thomson 200’, a celebration, in conjunction with Cove and Kilcreggan Literary Society, with film and lectures, of the 200th anniversary of the birth of the renowned architect and designer Alexander Thomson, whose work can be seen throughout the area.

Finally, on the Tuesday Scottish Opera will visit Cove, with a reception in Knockderry House Hotel followed by a ‘highlights’ performance in the Burgh Hall, sponsored by the Knockderry House Hotel.

The idea of a festival came from the Rosneath Peninsula West Community Development Trust’s Community Action Plan, which sets out the priorities and aspirations of the local community.

Tickets for the event vary in price from free to £12 and will be available from Kilcreggan Post Office or Cove Store nearer the time.