Each year Highland community groups join together for our annual festival which aims to support the arts and challenge stigma and preconceived ideas about mental health. Organisations involved include Creativity In Care, Inverness Openarts, Mikeysline, Centred & the Discovery College, Arts in Nature, Green Tree Arts Studio, Tongue Walking Group, HUG (Action for Mental Health), Rag Tag n Textile (Skye), UHI Inverness, North Coast Helping Hands, Highland Mindfulness Group.

In October 2025, the Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival Highland became a registered charity (Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation number SC054677).

SMHAF Highland is grateful for funding from the Highland Communities Mental Health & Wellbeing Fund for Adults from Highland Third Sector Interface and the Scottish Government, as well as the Caithness & North Sutherland Fund. 

We are grateful for any donations - simply use this link to donate to us via PayPal paypal.me/smhafhighland and thank you for your support!

Follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

Please contact individual event organisers with any queries.
You can contact the SMHAF Highland team on smhafhighland@gmail.com

2026 PROGRAMME OF EVENTS

Annual art ehibition by Rag Tag n Textile
4th - 7th August at Blank Canvas (next to Love from Skye) in Broadford.
Some of the artworks will be included in the autumn/winter exhibitions Inverness and Thurso.

Film Screenings in Wick
5th September at The Pulteney Centre, Huddart Street, Wick KW1 5BA.
Short film programme from 2pm followed by Q&A with panel guests.
Screening of "Riptide" at 6.30pm. See more details on our Films page.
Entry to the films is free thanks to funding by the Caithness & North Sutherland Fund.

Art Exhibitions in Inverness
5th - 28th October at Eden Court Theatre & Cinema, Inverness (Open Mon-Tue from 4pm, Wed-Sun from 11am)
The Bike Shed in Merkinch will host a smaller exhibition - dates to be confirmed (Open Thursday 10am - 12 noon, Friday 10am - 12 noon and 5.30pm - 9pm, Saturday 10am - 12 noon).
This year’s theme - 'Reflections' set by the Mental Health Foundation for the 20th anniversary of the festival will inspire many creative artworks from established local artists and from people creating art for the first time individually or through mental health groups around the Highlands. Many of the unique artworks are for sale. The exhibitions celebrate the value of arts in mental health recovery and wellbeing.
Launch event  at Eden Court on Friday 9th October - more details coming soon.

Annual Art Exhibition
Dates to be confirmed from November - December (Open Mon & Wed 10am-6pm, Tue & Fri 10am-8pm, Thu & Sat 10am-1pm)
Thurso Art Gallery, Thurso Library, Davidson’s Lane, Thurso KW14 7AF
Following the exhibitions in Inverness, this year's artworks will be on display in Caithness over the winter.

Short Film Screenings in Inverness
Sunday 4th October at Eden Court Theatre & Cinema
Join us from 3pm for the annual SMHAF Highland short film screening followed by Q&A session with panel guests. More details coming soon. Tickets will be available from the groups involved and from Eden Court's box office.

Finding Your Fool: A Journey in Play
Saturday 24th October from 2pm – 5pm
The Bike Shed, 23 Grant Street, Inverness, IV3 8BN
Dramatherapy workshop.
Embrace the inner fool! Join dramatherapist Kate Stevens to explore how sparking creativity can be a powerful tool for transformation.
The fool doesn't fear getting things wrong; they're curious, maybe even enjoy it. Join dramatherapist Kate Stevens for "The Inner Fool," an exploratory workshop where we bring the inner fool into consciousness. By embracing play through the art of clowning and reflection, you will discover how creativity can serve as a powerful tool for safely containing anxieties, challenging personal narratives, and courageously transforming them.
This workshop is an invitation to look at your frame of reference through a different lense, using the distance of playing the character of the Fool to explore and remain curious. It is an experimental playground for anyone curious about using the arts to expand self-expression and gain a deeper understanding of their mental health. 
Whether you're a performer, writer, artist, or just curious, no professional experience is required—this is about process and play, not perfection.
Pay what you decide (£25 / £30 / £35)
Age 16+
Contact: dramatherapywithkate@gmail.com
Book tickets: Eventbrite