Wednesday December 10th 2025
Hawick Reivers Festival
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Paul Kelly
A much-loved festival which transports residents in a Borders town back to the 16th century is seeking a funding boost.
The Hawick Reivers Festival is an annual event celebrating, but not glorifying, the history of the Border Reivers – fierce clans raiding the borderlands between England and Scotland in the 16th century.
It features re-enactments, parades, markets, music, lectures, and torchlight processions to educate visitors about this turbulent era.
It aims to bring the past to life with family-friendly activities, extending the tourist season and fostering local heritage.
The festival, which costs more than £25,000 to stage, will take place from March 27 to 29 next year.
When members of Hawick Common Good Fund meet on Monday, December 15, they will be asked to contribute £3,000 towards the festival’s running costs.
A weekend of 16th century fun is scheduled to take place, and once again there will be keen history enthusiasts descending on Hawick.
Visitors to the festival can experience re-enactments, storytelling, music, and dance that bring to life the gritty and vibrant history of the Border Reivers.
A report to the committee states: “The sole purpose of our association is to organize and run the annual Hawick Reivers Festival.
“The Festival has now become a well established event in both the town’s and region’s calendar, attracting many visitors to Hawick from far and wide with considerable economic impact.
“The delivery of the many and varied events making up our programme brings together a large number of groups, organisations and individuals to work together for the good of the town.
“Wherever possible we use local companies and businesses so a large percentage of our spends are within Hawick and/or Scottish Borders.”
“Now in its 23rd year the Reivers festival has hopefully proved its ability in terms of sustainability although we suspect we will always have a degree of reliance on support funding to allow us to maintain free events.”
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