Grab a Golden Ticket to Scotland’s Past

Thousands of free tickets available for top heritage attractions across Edinburgh and the Lothians

Historic Environment Scotland is giving people across Edinburgh and the Lothians a golden ticket to some of the region’s most iconic heritage attractions as part of its annual ticket giveaway weekend.

On Saturday 26^th and Sunday 27^th November, visitors will have the chance to explore centuries of history across the length and breadth of the country – from a Neolithic Village in the Orkney Isles to a trio of abbeys in the Scottish Borders. Edinburgh, Blackness, Craigmillar, Dirleton, and Tantallon Castles along with Linlithgow Palace are amongst 32 attractions taking part in the promotion throughout Scotland. Thousands of tickets have been released and visitors have from 11am on Tuesday 1^st November until 5pm on Friday 25^th November to register. Visitors can apply for a maximum of two adult and three family tickets to each historic property of their choosing; family tickets admit up to two adults and three children. Tickets can be applied for through a dedicated website, www.ticketgiveaway.co.uk. Whilst there is no limit on the number of participating attractions that visitors can apply for tickets to, early online registration is being encouraged to avoid disappointment.

Commenting on this year’s Ticket Giveaway weekend at Historic Scotland properties, Stephen Duncan, Director of Commercial and Tourism for Historic Environment Scotland¹, said:

“As Scotland’s largest operator of paid for tourist attractions, we’ve got a lot to offer the public. 32 historic sites will be opening their doors this Ticket Giveaway weekend, giving visitors the unique chance to get a taste of what’s available in their area for free. Our hope is that this will encourage communities to explore and discover more about some of their local sites, helping foster interest in and passion for Scotland’s iconic castles, abbeys and palaces.

“It’s important for us that we’re reaching out to new audiences, and finding new ways to engage them. If you’ve never visited your local historic site, now is the time! As well as being filled with historic stories and interpretation, many of our sites offer first class catering, and uniquely tailored shopping experiences too – so there’s something for the foodies and the shoppers as well as for history buffs.

“Ticket Giveaway weekend is always very popular, so we would encourage people to register online through our dedicated website as early as possible.”

The two day event is part of the lead-in to Scotland’s wider St Andrew’s Day celebrations this year, and is part of the Scottish Government’s Winter Festivals initiative. This sees a number of events take place across Scotland, through Christmas and Hogmanay right up until Burns Night. To mark the celebrations, social media users are being encouraged to take to Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to share how they plan to mark St Andrew’s Day this year using the dedicated hashtag #ourstandrewsday.

For a full list of sites participating in Historic Environment Scotland’s Ticket Giveaway weekend, and to apply for tickets please visit: www.ticketgiveaway.co.uk