History of Hawick Reivers Festival

In 2002 a group of individuals came together under the guidance of The Hawick Partnership – an organisation which had been set up to support regeneration in the town – to look at the possibility of holding a festival based on the themes of Fire and Steel & Border Reivers as a means of attracting visitors to the town.

Hawick Tourist Association agreed to take a lead and with help from various other local organisations within the town the first Festival was held in March 2003 in glorious spring weather! It was a single day event but such was the popularity it was agreed to hold a further event in 2004 and each subsequent year since!

In 2005 Hawick Reivers Association was set up as an independent entity and it has been responsible for running the event since. The Association has a small board of directors – all volunteers from the local community who are appointed on an annual basis – and a number of other members. It is open to anyone wishing to be involved and new members are always welcome

Over the years the festival has grown from a single day to a full weekend of activities with something to suit the whole family. There have also been regular changes to the program and venues with different individual events occurring in different years. These have included historical talks, guided walks both within the town and also in the surrounding area, plays, traditional music concerts, ceilidhs , re-enactments and battles, 16th century market and children’s’ games and of course the biggest highlight of the weekend – the spectacular torchlight procession along the banks of River Teviot followed by the fireworks display in Wilton Lodge Park.

Assistance has come from numerous local businesses and organisations without whom the event could not take place.

It is truly a community event but with lots to offer to visitors and locals alike