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Perth Museum is inviting the public to help celebrate the venue’s remarkable first year of opening with a series of special events and offers in March.
Since opening its doors to the people of Perth and the world on 30 March 2024, the Museum has welcomed over 250,000 visitors, exceeding its annual visitor target of 167,000 by 50%. More than 75,000 people have viewed the Stone of Destiny alone.
The Stone of Destiny has been viewed by more the 75,000 people since 2024
The impact of the success has been felt far beyond the walls of the Museum. According to Perth and Kinross Council, there have been more than 5.5 million visits to Perth city centre, more than 2 million more than the previous year, a 68% increase on average from 2023, even in traditionally quiet months such as November.
VisitScotland have also reported that Perthshire was the fastest growing area outside of Edinburgh for Scottish hotel stays in 2024.
The Museum has been no stranger to the awards circuit in the past year, scooping up Cultural Building of the Year at the Archello Awards, Best Civic Brand Identity at the Scottish Design Awards, the Museums Association Social Justice Award for its first temporary exhibition Unicorn, best Travel PR Campaign at the Roxhill Media Awards, and the, Small Regeneration Project of the Year at the Scottish Property Awards. Perth Museum was also nominated for three prestigious Museum + Heritage Awards; Best Use of Digital – UK for the Stone of Destiny Experience at Perth Museum, Marketing + Communications Campaign of The Year for the Perth Museum Opening Campaign and Sustainable Project of The Year for Waters Rising at Perth Museum. The Museum + Heritage Awards Ceremony will take place in London on 15 May 2025.
Perth Museum and Stone Cafe staff pose with 1st Birthday Cake. Lauren, Andrew, Kali and Laura (left to right) Photo by Bart Masiukiewicz
Leader of Perth and Kinross Council Grant Laing said, “Perth Museum has been a fantastic success since it opened and has smashed its target for visitors in its first year. It is fantastic that people have responded so positively to the Museum and I am sure its success will continue in the years ahead. The Macbeth exhibition will be a fantastic event and next year it has been chosen as the venue for Mary, Queen of Scots’ final letter, written just hours before her execution, to go on display. Perth Museum is not just bringing more people into Perth, it is also raising our profile across the globe. It is an attraction we can all be proud of and I congratulate staff at Culture Perth and Kinross on such a brilliant first year.”
Ashleigh Hibbins, Head of Audiences and Learning at Culture Perth and Kinross (the charity that looks after Perth Museum), said
“It’s Perth Museum’s first birthday and everyone is invited. The last twelve months have been full of so many amazing milestones, and we could not have done it without local people and businesses; from visitors, to schools, to community leaders, our staff, volunteers, suppliers, and supporters. The success of the Museum belongs to everybody in Perth and Kinross, and we cannot wait to see what the future holds. We hope to see many faces from near and far celebrating with us on our birthday weekend.”
The Museum displays over 2000 unique objects from 10,000 years of Scottish and global history, including the 3000-year-old Carpow Logboat, the largest-ever rod and line caught salmon in the UK, a 1000-year-old egg, and the world’s only surviving example of a cloak of feathers from the endangered kākāpō bird, alongside the iconic Stone of Destiny.
Plans to build on the Museum’s phenomenal first year include the Macbeth exhibition opening 25 April (tickets on sale now at Perthshire Box Office), a new free display celebrating Perth’s craft heritage opening in May, and the arrival of Mary, Queen of Scots’ last letter on a 3-month loan in January 2026.
Birthday celebrations kick off on Thursday 27 March with a special public talk about how the Museum was created with curator Dr Mark Hall. The party continues across the weekend of 28 – 30 March with a flash online sale of £1 Macbeth exhibition tickets, a 5% discount at the Perth Museum gift shop, and the chance to meet a Suffragette, a Civil War soldier, or even Mary, Queen of Scots, plus activities for the whole family to enjoy.
