HISTORIC Environment Scotland (HES) has revealed the action-packed programme for the History Live festival taking place in Stirling later this year.

Partners from across Scotland's heritage and tourism sectors are working with HES to coordinate the weekend of entertainment from Friday, September 29 to Sunday, October 1 in venues across the city.

As part of the Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology, History Live will invite inquisitive visitors and fun-seeking families to step back in time with a series of activities set to fully immerse visitors in Scotland’s past.

Gillian MacDonald, head of sales and marketing at HES, said: "We’re so excited to be staging the History Live festival this autumn which will allow visitors to touch, feel and even taste the past thanks to a diverse programme of demonstrations, displays and live performances.

"History Live promises to bring the past alive like never before with activities for all ages.

"We’ve lined up a feast of history and heritage events for the whole family to get stuck into, from walking tours, art exhibitions and foodie stalls, to battlefield re-enactments, War on the Home Front workshops and archery sessions."

Local music groups and renowned playmakers staged performances at the programme launch event, giving a flavour of the weekend-long festivities set to shine a spotlight on Scotland’s history later this year.

Gillian added: “The main focus of the festival is to showcase Scotland’s rich heritage to the world, and we can’t wait to share our history with visitors and locals alike.”

Boasting a packed programme of events, performances and exhibitions, highlights of the festival include:

-Performances from youth orchestra Glasgow Philharmonia and the Big Noise at the Raploch.

-Interpretive dance performance ‘Coal’ based on Scotland’s mining heritage.

-Gruesome Games and the Weapons Tent from the National Wallace Monument.

-Walking tours at Stirling’s oldest prehistoric cemetery and a chance to play on  one of the world’s oldest bowling greens.

For more information and to book tickets, visit historylive.scot and follow @welovehistory or @HistEnvScot ‏on Twitter for updates.