Lanimer Festival

Lanimer Festival

Week in early June

The people of Lanark, Scotland, dedicate an entire week to inspecting and celebrating the boundary stones that enclose the territory gifted to them by King David I of Scotland in the 12th century. This week-long event, known as the Lanimer Festival, features public decorations, a parade of civic officials, marching bands, and a series of tableaux. Because people carrying birch branches march in the procession, it is also known as The Birks .
A standard-bearer, selected each year by the town council, starts off the second, midday procession. The procession passes by each of the boundary stones, stopping occasionally for sports and horse races. The days' activities close with the town clerk's pronouncement that the boundaries remain in good condition, and a 900-year-old bell rings in celebration.

CONTACTS:
South Lanarkshire Council
Almada St.
Hamilton, South Lanarkshire ML3 0AA United Kingdom
44-84-5740-6080; fax: 44-84-5304-0022
www.lanark.org.uk, www.southlanarkshire.gov.uk

SOURCES:
YrFest-1972, p. 45