About Spring Fling

Spring Fling is a vibrant visual art and craft open studios event covering the length and breadth of Dumfries and Galloway in South West Scotland. It is highly regarded as one of the UK’s most successful contemporary visual art and craft events.

Every year around 90 professional artists and makers throw open the doors of their studios over the late May Bank Holiday weekend. Visitors can get behind the scenes of artistic practice, experience artists and makers demonstrating and explaining their processes and inspirations, and have the opportunity to buy a piece of art direct from the maker. Each studio experience is unique: every artist is different, but each will offer a meaningful insight into the inner workings of their creative life.

In addition to the open studios, over the Spring Fling weekend visitors can enjoy a number of extra events and happenings. These have included such projects as EDGE; Spring Fling Rural Mural (SFRM); and Spring Shows, a series of local, national and international exhibitions. And visitors can studio-hop the green way on one of the Spring Fling Bus Tours.

Evolution and development

In autumn 2015 Spring Fling CIC evolved to become Upland CIC, a bold, ambitious, rural-based visual art and craft development organisation. Spring Fling remains Upland’s Flagship Event.

Dumfries and Galloway: inspiring, vibrant and buzzing with creativity, the region is recognised as a haven for artists and makers, and Spring Fling has helped put the region on the national and international cultural map.

Between 2003 and 2018 Spring Fling attracted over 100,000 visitors who made almost 300,000 studio visits. Over those 16 years £1.9 million-worth of art and craft were bought in studios, and the event brought over £8.5 million to the local economy.