Alan Cumming unveils details of his new queer festival in Scotland

Alan Cumming is a busy man. Besides hosting the hit show The Traitors, he has his own cabaret club in New York City (Club Cumming). In 2024, it was also announced that Cumming was taking on the role of artistic director of the Pitlochry Festival Theatre in his beloved Scotland.

Cumming assumed the role earlier this year with plans for his first programming to begin in early 2026. He recently announced that one of the first initiatives under his tenure will be a new LGBTQ+ arts festival. It’s called Out In The Hills.

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The Pitlochry Festival Theatre is in the highlands of Perthshire, around a two-hour drive north of Edinburgh. It’s on the edge of the River Tummel, overlooking glorious views of the nearby ‘Speckled Mountain’, Ben-y-Vrackie.

The Highlands of Scotland will be chilly in the midst of winter, but they offer amazing scenery at any time of the year. Out In The Hills offers a unique opportunity to enjoy some theatrical queer life away from the summer Pride season.

The small festival will run from 16-18 January 2026. Highlights will include Ian McKellen performing a rehearsed reading of a new one-man play: Equinox.

Alan Cumming will lead a cast of six for Me and the Girls, a new stage adaptation of Noel Coward’s 1964 short story. Cumming will also sit down for a conversation with TV chat show king Graham Norton. Another ‘in conversation’ session will feature authors Armistead Maupin (Tales of the City) and Jackie Kay (Red Dust Road).

There will be a “queer ceilidh” (traditional Scottish dance) and yoga sessions with Instagram influencer Finlay Wilson, plus a photo exhibition, among other attractions.

“Queer joy!”

“Out in the Hills is my first piece of new programming in 2026 as Artistic Director of Pitlochry Festival Theatre and I think it perfectly demonstrates the ethos I want to infuse all my work with here,” says Cumming in a press statement. “We have a combination of big names as well as new faces and ideas, and I’m inviting the public to take a chance on new experiences as well as revel in those they already love.

“Also, I love a party!” he continued. “Out in the Hills is a celebration of the amazing contributions the LGBTQIA+ community has made to all our lives. And, at a time in our history when the queer and trans community is once more under threat, this is a chance for everyone to come along and show solidarity and support and be part of a weekend of queer joy!”

Graham Norton said, “When I left drama school almost forty years ago, the very first job that I didn’t get was at Pitlochry Festival Theatre. I went on to not get jobs at many other theatres, but Pitlochry holds a special place in my heart. I am delighted to finally be making my debut and in such stellar company.”

If you’ve never considered discovering the Highlands of Scotland, check out this recent video from Jimmy Fallon. The US chat show host went viral in the UK after revealing he recently took himself off alone for a Highlands adventure which ended up with him hanging out with a group of local soldiers. He had nothing but praise for the warm welcome he received and the friendliness of the locals.

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