| Where: | Kilbarchan, Renfrewshire at Kilbarchan Public Park with Parade from Tandlehill Road to the Park |
| When: | 1st Saturday in June |
| Time: | From 12 noon with Parade at 1pm |
The original fair at Kilbarchan was held to commemorate the saint after which the village was named, St Barchan; tradition has it that the local laird changed the name in honour of his daughter Lilias in the early 1700s, and the name stuck. Today the event is held on the first Saturday in June and usually includes one of the most spectacular historic pageants in the country, featuring characters from the history of the local area and beyond (and the Scots are particularly good at historic pageants), all helpfully captioned with their names on standards. Miss Lilias travels in a coach in the parade and Habbie Simpson, a celebrated local piper from the fifteenth century, also features as well as William Wallace,Mary Queen of Scots and many more; in 2018 Miss Lilias was followed by a host of other people who played the part in the previous 50 years. There are also a large number of floats with many of the children from the village taking part, and several pipe bands. The parade leads to the Kilbarchan Public Park where there are all manner of entertainments from food & drink, dog shows, sports like tug-of-war, crafts, living history and children’s activities. Other events take place around Lilias Day including the musical Lilifest.
Helpful Hints
In 2024 it should be on Saturday June 1st.
Due to logistical problems, in 2022 there was no parade, though the Lilias Day characters were all at the Party in the Park.
Click here for the event website (which has the full programme for the day): http://www.liliasday.co.uk
and here for the Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Kilbarchan-Lilias-Day-324656667565024/
help! I and my 92 year old Mom want to be there. when will we know the date? please advise
Hello, I’ll be surprised if the date isn’t Saturday 3rd June as it’s normally on the first Saturday in the month, but we’re not connected in any way to the running of the event so can’t be 100% certain! I’ve checked the event website which appears to be out of action, and their Facebook page hasn’t been updated for a while, though that’s where I’d expect the first announcements about next year to be made. You can contact the event organisers direct at https://www.facebook.com/liliasday/ if you need to make sure,
Best wishes,
Averil