Clipper Race launches 2026 Oban events - and calls for engagement

Event Lead Phill Prentice said: "Basically its a festival of the sea, a celebration of our Scottish culture.

"As a natural prelude to the Commonwealth Games, we’ll have the King’s Baton paraded through the town.

"We’ve got concerts with the likes of Skerryvore, Garry Innes, Manran, Ardmore, Michael Garvin.

"We’ve literally got a packed program full of really interesting things, but we do need support from the local community, we do need support from local businesses.

"So please step up to the plate and just make Oban the most welcoming experience for all of these international sailors."

But how do you get involved? As Cathy Craig from Wild About Argyll explained, the team need "energy and ideas" for more events, and are encouraging everyone to get in touch. You can email Phillprentice@bid4oban.co.uk or kay@bid4oban.co.uk with plans.

When the Clipper was last in town, it brought an estimated £2.5 to £3 million extra to the town’s economy. 

The organisers want to spread that benefit around Argyll, with the meeting discussing ways to strike the right balance between promoting both Oban and Argyll as a whole. 

"This event has already put Oban and Argyll on an international map," said VisitScotland’s David Adams MacGilp, "So it’s not confined to what’s happening in and around the water or even Oban.

"This is about a destination-wide extravaganza, and we delivered it in 2024 and we did it at short notice and with limited resources, but we managed it and we’ve learned from that and we can do better to everyone’s benefit this year."