The Johnsmas Foy Shetland's summer festival

All Season Lerwick Up Helly Aa Exhibition Visit the Lerwick Galley Shed to immerse yourself in all things relative to Lerwick's world famous Viking fire festival - Up Helly Aa. read more

18th - 28th June 2009 Displays of Viking Books and more... Throughout the Johnsmas Foy both The Shetland Times Bookshop and Shetland Library will be displaying a range of fiction and non-fiction books centered around Viking themes. read more

18th - 28th June 2009 Sails in St Magnus - Exhibition Orkney's dramatic Sails in St Magnus exhibition comes to the Shetland Museum and Archive to coincide with this year's Johnsmas Foy and its Viking theme. read more

18th - 28th June 2009 Islesburgh Photographic Club Exhibition - 'Our Viking Heritage' Shetland's long established amateur photographic club hold their annual Johnsmas Foy exhibition with a range of photos true to this years Foy theme. read more

18th - 28th June 2009 Historic Lerwick Guided Walk Join local historian and registered tour guide Douglas Sinclair on a two-hour guided walk of old Lerwick. read more

18th - 21st June 2009 Walhalla Viking Re-enactments Old Scatness Broch and Iron Age Village is a pristine Iron Age time capsule. Now in its consolidation phase, this site has unearthed fascinating finds and even changed expert opinion on Scottish history. read more

19th June 2009 Old Scatness Viking Feast The Old Scatness team are set to host a full-blown Viking Feast in Dunrossness Central Hall as part of the Johnsmas Foy. read more

20th June 2009 Fetlar Foy The 11th Fetlar Foy boasts another jam-packed line up of live music and many other fun-filled events, including football tournaments plus other 'sporting' events and challenges, BBQ's and a licensed bar (photo ID will be required) – you name it and it's likely to be happening in Fetlar. Session musicians are also welcome to entertain visitors throughout the day read more

20th June 2009 Scandinavian Fiddle and Vocal Workshop Acclaimed Finnish musician Marianne Maans delivers a workshop focusing on Finnish and Swedish fiddle tunes, accompanied by some vocal parts. read more

20th - 21st June 2009 Viking Galley Children's Workshop Children of P5–7 age groups are invited to join artists Jo Jack and Ana Horne to create a large Viking galley sculpture from willow. The finished galley will be displayed in Shetland Museum and Archives. read more

20th June 2009 Concert of Viking and Medieval Music Take a musical journey back in time to the old Norse world with us and Norwegian group 'Strengleikr' and Finnish musician Marianne Maans. read more

22nd - 23rd June 2009 "The Icelandic Sagas and the British Isles" - Talks by Professor Gisli Sigurðsson As part of this year's Johnsmas Foy the renowned Icelandic academic, lecturer and author Professor Gisli Sigurðsson will deliver two hugely interesting talks on the 'Icelandic Sagas and the British Isles'. read more

22nd June 2009 'Hnefatafl' - A Viking board game Lay aside any thoughts of Monopoly, Scrabble or even latter day computer games and let the Johnsmas Foy's 'Hnefatafl' workshops transport you back to an earlier era of social recreation. read more

24th - 25th June 2009 Shetland Film Club presents Secrets of the Ancients Originally shown on BBC television in 1969 this film investigates whether the Vikings would have had to sail around the north of Shetland to reach the open Atlantic or whether, using the technology available to them at the time, they might have dragged their ships across the narrow isthmus at Mavis Grind read more

24th and 26th June 2009 Rognvald's Journey Prepare to be transported back to the year 1151 in the company of master storytellers and musicians Bob Pegg, Tom Muir and Bill Taylor to learn of the pilgrimage undertaken by Earl Rognvald II of Orkney from Orkney to Jerusalem. read more

25th June 2009 'Stepping into the Past' - A talk on Shetland place names by Eileen Brooke-Freeman Durng this talk, Eileen takes us on a virtual tour of Shetland, exloring some common and more unusual place names featured on the recycled glass pavers outside the Shetland Musuem and Archives. A must hear presentation for anyone interested in Shetland's pride of place and Nordic links. read more

27th June 2009 Viking Parade A spectacular Viking Parade featuring Jarl Squads from throughout Shetland providing a lively event mixing the colourful and distrinctive styles of the ten different squads. read more

28th June 2009 Mavis Grind Foy Another Foy within a Foy, this one taking place in the north mainland of Shetland at Mavis Grind, the narrow istmus of land where the North Sea almost meets the Atlantic. read more

21st and 28th June 2009 Viking Unst: Belmont Longhouse Dig - Open Days Shetland's most Northerly Isle, Unst, has the highest concentration of rural longhouse sites anywhere in the world, making it the ideal place to interpret Shetland's Viking past. read more

Thursday 18th June Johnsmas Foy 2009 - Opening Ceremony The Johnsmas Foy 2009 will be officially opened on Thursday 18th June by the Convenor of Shetland Islands Council Sandy Cluness. read more