Pete Irvine
(Founder, Unique Events) 

Website: www.unique-events.co.uk

Pete Irvine is the founding Director of Unique Events who have created, produced and managed Edinburgh’s Hogmanay since its inception and who have been responsible for most of the major public events in Scotland since Glasgow’s European City of Culture celebrations in 1990 (The Big Day, Frank Sinatra, U2 etc).

Over the years Pete initiated inaugural events starting with what became Edinburgh’s legendary “Monday Nights at Tiffany’s”, the Edinburgh Playhouse, Queens Hall, The Caley Palais (later the Picture House), Clouds, the Odeon and many more. And in Glasgow: Barrowlands, The SECC, Ibrox Stadium, The Arches. Along with other festival programmes Pete organised events surrounding the opening of the Scottish Parliament (Scottish Opera, Garbage etc)

Last year Unique produced the signature event of the Homecoming year, Bannockburn Live and the Forth Road Bridge 50th Celebrations, Botanic Lights at the Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh (currently in its second year).

Pete is the author of Scotland the Best, Scotland’s best-selling independent guide book. A photographic version, Scotland the Best 100 Places was published in November 2014.

Pete was awarded the Scottish Tourist Boards Outstanding Achievement Award for 2000, an MBE for services to the City of Edinburgh in 2001 and in 2010 an Honorary Doctorate from the Open University.