All you need to know ahead of V&A Dundee’s 3D Festival
With just one week to go until the 3D Festival kicks off, V&A Dundee has complied an essential guide to the event including advice on getting to and from Slessor Gardens and key times.
Created in collaboration with DF Concerts & Events and V&A Dundee’s Young People’s Collective, the 3D Festival will celebrate the opening of Scotland’s first design museum created by acclaimed Japanese architect Kengo Kuma.
Up to 20,000 people from Dundee, Scotland and around the world are expected to attend the festival across Friday 14 and Saturday 15 September, which will take place next to V&A Dundee in the city’s waterfront park space, Slessor Gardens.
Full event information for both the sold-out ticketed Friday 14 event and non-ticketed Saturday 15 event can now be found on V&A Dundee’s website, and travel advice is available on the Dundee City Council website.
Legendary Scottish rockers Primal Scream will headline the 3D Festival on Friday 14 September. The psychedelic rock ‘n’ roll band will be joined by singer-songwriter, and BBC Radio 1 Brit List artist, Lewis Capaldi and Dundee’s own Be Charlotte, to perform on the eve of the museum’s official opening.
As well as musical performances there will also be spectacular new dance, design and lighting collaborations, putting the audience and the museum at the heart of the show.
Everyone attending the sell-out event on Friday 14 September is advised to get down early when gates open at 17.30 so as not to miss the full experience. Those without a ticket can watch the 3D Festival on BBC2 Scotland, from 9pm.
To mark the official opening day of the museum, the festival will continue on Saturday 15 September with a day dedicated to celebrating the very best creative talent in Scotland.
Performances will include up-and-coming Dundee music talent, mass participation choral collaborations, and specially designed hands-on makerspace workshops. Dundee legend, Gary Clark, former Danny Wilson frontman, will join the 3D Festival line-up with a special performance.
V&A Dundee is also pleased to announce that The View frontman Kyle Falconer will perform on the main stage on Saturday. The Dundee singer-songwriter said: "I'm proud to be involved in the 3D Festival to launch V&A Dundee which is a truly historical event for the city. This brilliant addition to Dundee will provide a place of creative inspiration to many as the city itself has for me. I'm ecstatic to be celebrating all things Dundee and showcasing this beautiful city to a global audience."
The 3D Festival on Saturday will be open to everyone on a first come, first serve basis with no tickets required, so those attending are advised to plan their day ahead.
Saturday main stage times:
- 11.00 - SHHE
- 11.50 - Kashmir Crows
- 12.40 - St Martiins
- 13.30 - Andrew Wasylyk
- 14.30 - Kyle Falconer
- 15.30 - Be Charlotte
- 16:30 - Gary Clark
- 16.50 - Gary Clark & Sistema
Workshops will run from 10.00 – 17.00 on Saturday *
Over the weekend, on Saturday 15 and Sunday 16, V&A Dundee will also welcome the first visitors to the new museum. Access to the museum on the first two days has been ticketed but those without a ticket will be able to visit V&A Dundee after opening weekend.
Those with tickets to visit the museum over opening weekend can access V&A Dundee via the entrance near Discovery Point. Those with a ticket for the museum on Saturday can also make their way to the entrance via the 3D Festival.
Dundee City Centre will be busier than normal during 3D Festival, with a number of road closures and diversions in place between Friday 14 September and Monday 17 September.
Riverside Esplanade will be closed from 10.00 on Friday 14 September to 22.00 on Saturday 15 September. Thomson Avenue will be closed from 14.00 on Friday 14 September to 6.00 on Sunday 16 September.
People are asked to adopt a flexible approach to transport, plan their journeys in advance and use public transport, or walk, wherever possible.
Philip Long, Director of V&A Dundee, said: “There is just one week to go until the 3D Festival, a massive celebration to mark the opening of V&A Dundee, begins. Over the two days of the festival around 20,000 people are expected to join us in Slessor Gardens for this important moment for all those who have supported and been involved in creating the new museum.
“The demand for tickets to Friday evening at the 3D Festival highlights the invaluable support the event and the museum has enjoyed, and Saturday is another great opportunity to get involved and celebrate the wonderful creative talent the city has to offer on the day V&A Dundee officially opens.
“There will be a number of road closures over the weekend of the festival so please do consider your journey in advance and keep looking on the V&A Dundee website and Dundee City Council website for all the latest information.”
The 3D Festival is being co-designed by V&A Dundee’s Young People’s Collective, a group of 16 to 25-year-olds from across the city. It is a key event in Scotland’s Year of Young People 2018, a year-long programme of events and activities that will give young people in Scotland the opportunity to show the world what they are made of.
The 3D Festival is supported by EventScotland, Year of Young People 2018, wealth managers Brewin Dolphin, DC Thomson, global self-service technology supplier NCR and Arts & Business Scotland.
V&A Dundee is working in partnership with Dundee City Council to deliver the event at the heart of the rejuvenated Dundee waterfront.
Dundee City Council leader Councillor John Alexander said: “The weekend represents an exceptional opportunity for the city to celebrate the opening of Scotland’s first museum of design.
“I appreciate that this event will cause travel disruption but we hope people will understand what a momentous event this is for the city of Dundee and for Scotland and why it is necessary to take these measures.
“With the numbers involved, the closures of both roads is necessary to ensure the safety of people attending the opening and the 3D Festival. In the long term this two-day road closure will be worth it. I would like to thank people for their patience and hope that they enjoy this great weekend for Dundee.”