In 2026, Eden Court is celebrating fifty years at the heart of Highland culture - and we’re marking the milestone with a year of unforgettable experiences.

From iconic performances to immersive experiences and shared stories, this anniversary year celebrates where we’ve been, and where we’re going next.

We launch in April with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra featuring Scottish Opera, mirroring our opening performance in 1976. Download or view an original 1976 Opening Gala Programme here.

A major exhibition celebrating the people and moments that have shaped Eden Court over five decades, led by artist Jacqueline Briggs, will close the year.

Across 2026, audiences will be welcomed into everything from immersive performance and cinema to musical theatre, a touring production for schools, community celebrations and a special Under Canvas music festival.

This is a celebration for everyone - artists, audiences, communities and first-time visitors.

Highlights across the year will include:

• In May, audiences can step back in time with a week-long Cinema Flashback, celebrating five decades of film at Eden Court. Classics, cult favourites and rediscovered gems will screen for just 73p - the 1976 price of a cinema ticket when the venue first opened. The season will open with the first film we ever screened - Martin Scorsese’s Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore - and local filmgoers will have a chance to suggest further titles to put back on the big screen.
• June will see a Youth Takeover shine a spotlight on young creatives, with the Eden Court Youth Arts Festival and Scotland’s National Festival of Youth Theatre taking over the building. 
• In July, Inverness Musical Theatre, Starlight Musical Theatre and Ness Entertainment will join forces for One Night Only! - a celebratory evening honouring fifty years of musical theatre on the Empire stage.
• August sees a special celebration of Gaelic music and culture at Eden Court’s outdoor summer festival Under Canvas: opening with a newly commissioned work by Sian that will celebrate Highland women, a big birthday party-themed Family Fun Day, and a 50th anniversary closing event in the Empire Theatre, featuring Chisholm, McGoldrick, O’Connor and Byrne - four of trad music’s most exemplary players.
• In September, Eden Court’s Engagement team will take The Lonely Pine, a brand-new production, to primary schools across the region. The show follows a tree in its 50th year and the community of animals it shelters, offering children a warm, hopeful story about growth and connection. The team will also embark on community project Feast, which brings people together in venues across the Highlands to share food, conversation and creative connection.
• October sees the building transformed for Confluence, a unique promenade performance that captures the spirit of Eden Court as a place where people, ideas and creativity meet. Audiences will embark on an immersive journey through hidden corners of the historic building, encountering newly commissioned performances across theatre, music and dance. Confluence will celebrate connection, exchange and shared experiences, honouring Eden Court’s legacy while inviting audiences to imagine the creative possibilities of the next fifty years.
• November brings a special Inverness Film Festival moment, which will include site-specific screenings developed in partnership with Eastgate Shopping Centre. While the details remain a closely guarded mystery, the events will promise some unforgettable screening experiences.
• The year culminates in December with Eden Court Stories, a dynamic exhibition led by Jacqueline Briggs, whose work spans large-scale public artworks, illustration and creative engagement projects. Drawing on visual storytelling and public art, the project will gather and celebrate stories exploring Eden Court’s impact across the Highlands.