The spectacular Tall Ships Races will visit Aberdeen for four days in July as part of this major international sailing event. The ships dock in Aberdeen from 19 to 22 July following a 430-mile nautical mile trip from Dunkirk. To celebrate the arrival of the fleet, this exhibition of paintings, ship models and photography highlights some of Aberdeen’s historic and cultural ties to these iconic, fast-sailing vessels, from shipyard construction to racing and competition.

Spooky themes with stories of murder, executions and tortured witches. Discover the the darkest characters in Aberdeen’s history with this free tour of the city's most notorious witches, murderers and ghosts. If you love gory grisly history, then this is the tour for you. As dusk falls, see a different side to the city centre as you learn all about the most fiendish characters to ever walk these streets. The tour meets outside the Aberdeen Maritime Museum on Ship Row. The tour lasts an hour and a half.

Talk by David Henry, Trustee of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society, Chair of Dundee Heritage Trust, Member of the Explorers Club of New York. Maritime historian David Henry will delve into the fascinating world of polar exploration and its scientific endeavours. From Captain Cook to the Challenger voyages, via the Heroic Age, to the present day, many expeditions have to learn more about these remote and extreme parts of our planet. Frequently, the success of their expeditions depended on the quality of their ships - some specially designed, some not, and some plucked from obscurity. This is a chance to hear more about what it took to sail into the unknown and what happened when they did.

Zombie worms, yeti crabs, vampire sharks, gummy squirrels, the barbie-pig and shrimps that can achieve invisibility without an ‘invisibility cloak’.  Not all the mysterious creatures of the deep ocean are monsters, but they are all fascinating. There are mysteries of the deep still to be explored and this illustrated talk will provide a glimpse of the wonderful animals that live in the dark, cold, high- pressure conditions of the deep ocean basins.

Discover what happens to plastic in the marine environment with Macduff Marine Aquarium’s Ocean plastic workshop. Take part in a hands-on experiment to extract and identify microplastics from beach sand via simple filtration and the use of handheld microscopes. Workshop suitable for families with children aged 8+

Join Macduff Aquarium for an interactive show and tell session featuring the amazing diversity of shells. Our Marine Master will help you explore the shells found on our local beaches and show some impressive examples of shells from around the world. Workshop suitable for families of all ages.

Flex your scientific skills and learn how to operate a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) in a test tank. Take control of this underwater robot using simple switches and find out about the work of underwater scientists who use ROVs to explore and collect samples from deep sea locations. Come along to this interactive session, experiment with our kit of simple electronics and Lego to build and pilot an underwater robot. Suitable for ages 8+. Children must be accompanied by an adult.

In 1841 Mary Elmslie, an affluent childless widow, opened the doors of the newly constructed 19 Albyn Place, officially known as: the Aberdeen Female Orphan Asylum. The institution offered another life far from the often squalid and insanitary Workhouses; providing shelter and education to destitute girls born within St Nicholas and its surrounding parishes between the ages of 4 and 8 years old. Join Dr Ashleigh Black to find out more about the lives of the girls fostered within this fascinating institution. 

Talk by Dallas King, Film Critic and Trustee of The Belmont Cinema Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water... People have always had equal fascination and fear of what lies beneath the waves, and in this talk we will dive into Davy Jones' Locker to discover and discuss some of the silver screen's most memorable sea monsters. From 'The Kraken' and 'Godzilla', to modern day creature features like 'The Host' and the Oscar-winning 'The Shape of Water'.