Dundee Play Festival Kicks off Across the City
Almost 10,000 Dundee primary school pupils kicked off Celebrate! Dundee Play Festival in style today (Thursday 11 June 2026).
Marking the four-day celebration of play (11–14 June 2026), coinciding with the FIFA World Cup opening day and the International Day of Play, all 9,909 pupils from Dundee’s 33 primary schools were invited to simultaneously take part in a city-wide, football-themed outdoor activity at 2pm. The coordinated event is Dundee’s largest known collective participation event of its kind, with all primary pupils taking part in the same play activity at the same time.
Celebrate! Dundee Play Festival, running from 11-14 June 2026, will see over 30 partners delivering over 50 free play events and activities for all ages across the city. Taking place in more than 10 venues, from community centres and charity hubs to pubs, coffee shops, visitor attractions and Dundee city square, the festival will transform Dundee into a city-wide celebration of play.
As part of a partnership with Ember, a free shuttle bus will transport people to different events and will also serve as a festival venue, with planned on-board comedy and karaoke for passengers.
As part of the wider city project, each Dundee primary school pupil also received a ‘fandana’ (Football Fan Bandana). Designed by four young people from Rockwell Learning Centre in Dundee, the fandana is inspired by their design for the V&A Dundee World Cup Football Scarf launched in April. The fandanas were created to promote sun safety across the city’s school communities. Children also received a sun safety information pack, created by local artists Cara Rooney and Laura Darling, including a sample of sunscreen to encourage safe habits during outdoor play.
The festival, which is funded by NHS Tayside Charitable Foundation, Northwood Trust and Foundation Scotland, is organised by the Dundee Play Forum, which was launched by ScrapAntics in 2024 to support with community wellbeing.
Sandy Greene, Managing Director of ScrapAntics, said, “It’s absolutely amazing to see Celebrate! Dundee Play Festival launched in such spectacular style today, with every single primary school child given the chance to get outside and enjoy a football activity simultaneously.
“Play is transformative, and it comes in many different forms. It’s not just about having fun or stepping away from everyday routines; it’s about bringing people together and strengthening communities. Whether it’s football, craft, quizzes or dance, play has a key role in our physical and mental wellbeing, social inclusion and overall happiness. It creates space for people of all ages to connect, share experiences, and simply enjoy time together. Alongside almost 30 partners, we’ve created four days full of activities where everyone is welcome to get involved and do something a bit different. Come along and enjoy!”
Professor Mountain, a recently retired NHS Tayside Surgeon, who now teaches and supports Healthcare Design research, explained, “Our message today is, please get outside and play, but play safely, particularly on your summer holidays! In Scotland, skin damage and the rates of skin cancer are rising significantly. However, there are lots of ways to enjoy being outdoors safely, like using high SPF sunscreens, avoiding peak hours of sunlight, and wearing shirts, hats and sunglasses. I’m firmly of the view that we need to start sun protection habits in childhood, in the same way as we teach our children to brush their teeth. But for today, let’s focus on fun, getting outside together and embracing play as we mark day one of Celebrate! Dundee Play Festival!”
Meanwhile, Gary Jamieson, Schools Development Officer, V&A Dundee added, “By building on the skills developed through the V&A Dundee World Cup Football Scarf design, this project allowed the young designers to revisit and extend their learning in a meaningful way. Transforming that work into the fandana helped them understand how creativity and design can respond to real‑world Health and Wellbeing needs. It reflects the shared responsibility we all have for wellbeing within the Curriculum for Excellence and highlights how young people can play an active role in shaping positive change for themselves and others.”
The festival partners are Abertay University, Anna Rooney, Boomerang, Cake or Dice, Camperdown Zoo, Cara Rooney, Caroisma, Change Centre, Changemakers Climate Action Hub, Dundee Carers Centre, Dundee City Council, Dundee Rep, Dundee Science Centre, Dundee Transport Museum, EH9 Espresso, Ember, Infinite Sky, Kidical Mass, MAXwell Centre, Nicemaker CIC, Ninewells Community Gardens, Roundhouse Dundee, Ruby’s Reading Room, Street League, Thirsty Work, University of Dundee, Up & Coming Whitfield, V&A Dundee.
For more information, visit www.scrapantics.co.uk/play-forum
ENDS
Note to Editors – The fandana was designed by Aoife Cawley and Lochlan, Rachael, Jayden and Sid from Rockwell Learning Centre & AIM (Anxiety in Motion). A true Dundee collaboration, the fandana cotton textile was supplied at cost by Halley Stevensons, sun safety packs were printed by Winter & Simpson at cost, and significant donations were made by the Tayside Dermatology Research fund, Photobiology Research and Education Trust, NHS Tayside Charitable Foundation and by Macmillan Cancer Support. The V&A Dundee World Cup Football Scarf is available to buy from V&A Dundee Shop.