Discover, Share and Celebrate Largo’s Heritage
Alexander Selkirk 350
A programme of exhibitions, film, theatre, talks and community events across Largo
21–30 August 2026
Alexander Selkirk was born in Lower Largo in 1676. A sailor who spent more than four years marooned on an uninhabited Pacific island, his extraordinary story later helped inspire Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe.
A statue of Selkirk still stands on Main Street, Lower Largo, on the site of the cottage where he was born.
2026 marks the 350th anniversary of his birth, and Largo Heritage Group is marking it with a programme of events bringing together local history, storytelling, film, theatre and community celebration.
At a glance
Friday 21 August 7:30pm
Cast Away – Film Screening
The Largo Library and Community Hub, Lundin Links
Saturday 22 August
Alexander Selkirk Exhibition opens and runs 10am-4pm every day
The Aurrie Mor, Lower Largo
Saturday 22 August, 2pm
Book Launch: Alexander Selkirk – Fiction’s First Celebrity
The Aurrie Mor, Lower Largo
Sunday 23 August, 12pm
The Reaper Visits with Flotilla
Largo Bay
Wednesday 26 August, 7pm for 7.30pm
SOLD OUT
Selkirk Island Discs
The Aurrie Mor, Lower Largo
Thursday 27 August - Usual Time
Railway Inn Quiz – Selkirk Round
Railway Inn, Lower Largo
Friday 28 August, 10.30am
Storytelling with Elizabeth Black
The Library, Lundin Links
Saturday 29 August 3pm
Ukrainian Amateur Theatre: Robinson Crusoe
Montrave Hall, Lundin Links
Saturday 29 August
Sandcastle Competition 10am
Lower Largo beach
Sunday 30 August
Cricket Match and BBQ
Upper Largo Cricket Club
Plus throughout exhibition week: treasure hunt, artefacts, local history and more.
Alexander Selkirk 350 Exhibition
Saturday 22 – Saturday 29 August 10am-4pm every day
The Aurrie Mor, Lower Largo
Drop into the Aurrie Mor during exhibition week to explore the life, times and legacy of Alexander Selkirk.
The exhibition will include a range of artefacts, stories and material connected with Selkirk, Largo and the castaway story that travelled around the world.
There will also be activities taking place throughout the week.
Sunday 23rd The Reaper comes to Largo Bay
The historic fishing vessel Reaper, from the Scottish Fisheries Museum in Anstruther, is expected to appear in Largo Bay at around 12 noon, on Sunday the 23rd of August accompanied by a flotilla of boats.
It should make quite a spectacle from the shore.
Further details and confirmation of timings will be added here.
Full programme
Friday 21 August 7:30pm
Cast Away – Film Screening
The Largo Library and Community Hub, Lundin Links
Directed by Robert Zemeckis and starring Tom Hanks and Helen Hunt.
Certificate: 12
Running time: 143 minutes
Tickets: Largo Library & Community Hub event tickets from TicketSource.
Chuck Noland is a FedEx systems engineer who lives by the clock until a plane crash leaves him alone on an uninhabited Pacific island.
What follows is a story of survival stripped to its essentials: fire, food and shelter, but also the much harder question of how a person keeps going when there is no one else there.
More than three centuries after Alexander Selkirk faced a similar predicament in the Pacific, the questions remain remarkably familiar. What does isolation do to a person? What do you hold on to? And what happens when you finally come home?
A fitting way to open Selkirk 350.
Saturday 22 August – 2pm
Book Launch: Alexander Selkirk – Fiction’s First Celebrity
Ronnie Graham
The Aurrie Mor, Lower Largo
Free – no booking required
Alexander Selkirk is arguably the most famous castaway in history, yet much has been written about him and surprisingly little agreed.
Robinson Crusoe became so famous that the real man behind the story can be difficult to find.
Working from the available evidence, local historian and author Ronnie Graham brings Selkirk’s story to life and asks what kind of man he really was:
Hero, anti-hero – or skellum?
Join us for the launch, hear from the author and put your own questions to him.
Books will be available on the day.
Ronnie Graham is a Scottish historian and the author of five books, most recently Zanzibar: A People’s History. He grew up in Largo, returned in 2017 and now lives only a hundred yards from the Selkirk statue.
Wednesday 26 August
Selkirk Island Discs NOW SOLD OUT
7pm for 7.30pm
The Aurrie Mor, Lower Largo
An evening with local personalities, inspired by the classic Desert Island Discs format.
Expect stories, music and a few choices about what our guests might take with them if they found themselves cast away.
Tickets are free but numbers are limited.
Tickets are available from:
- Zaphar and Zubi’s - Local Shops in Lower Largo And Lundin Links
- The Largo Library and Community Hub
Cash bar available.
Thursday 27 August
Railway Inn Quiz – Selkirk Round
Railway Inn, Lower Largo
The Railway Inn’s regular quiz gets a Selkirk 350 twist, with a special round devoted to Alexander Selkirk.
The quiz will run at its usual time.
Friday 28 August – 10.30am
Storytelling with Elizabeth Black
The Library, Lundin Links
Free – just turn up
Bring your little ones along for a morning of storytelling with Elizabeth Black.
No booking and no charge.
Saturday 29 August
Ukrainian Amateur Theatre presents Robinson Crusoe
Montrave Hall, Lundin Links
Three hundred and fifty years after Alexander Selkirk was born just along the road in Lower Largo, the castaway story comes home in an unexpected voice.
The Ukrainian Amateur Theatre brings its musical Robinson to Montrave Hall: a bold retelling of the Crusoe story using modern rhythms, vivid costume and dynamic performance.
Written and directed by Varvara Mishina, and first staged as part of Refugee Festival Scotland, the production explores resilience, faith, hard work and strength of spirit when circumstances are at their hardest.
Staged by a company whose members know something about being far from home, it gives the familiar castaway story another layer of meaning.
Ukrainian and Scottish creativity, one island story, and a fitting addition to Selkirk 350.
Tickets
The event is open to everyone.
Tickets are available through TicketSource using a range of optional donation levels to help cover the cost of bringing the production to Largo.
Choose the level that suits your circumstances. Every ticket provides the same seat and the same welcome.
Any money raised beyond event costs will go to the theatre company.
Saturday 29 August
Sandcastle Competition
Lower Largo beach
Time: 10am
Bring your buckets, spades and imagination.
A community sandcastle competition for all ages as part of the Selkirk 350 weekend.
Sunday 30 August
Cricket Match and BBQ
Upper Largo Cricket Club
Round off the Selkirk 350 programme with a community cricket match and BBQ at Upper Largo Cricket Club.
Throughout Exhibition Week
Selkirk Treasure Hunt
22–29 August
Start at The Aurrie Mor
A treasure hunt for all ages, running throughout exhibition week.
Drop into the Aurrie Mor to collect your instructions and get started.
Prizes are on offer.
Alexander Selkirk Writing Competition
Could you write your own story inspired by Selkirk, Largo, islands, castaways, journeys or coming home?
The Alexander Selkirk 350 writing competition is open for entries.
Maximum length: 3,000 words
Closing date: End of August
Send entries to: [email protected]
Guidance will also be available during the exhibition at the Aurrie Mor.
Details of the winner announcement will be confirmed.
Evening Lectures
A programme of talks will also form part of the Selkirk 350 celebrations, including:
Juan Fernández and Crusoe in October
Further dates, speakers, venues and booking information will be announced.
Looking ahead
The Selkirk celebrations do not end in August.
From December 2026, the Scottish Fisheries Museum in Anstruther will host a special Alexander Selkirk anniversary exhibition as part of its wider programme.
More information will follow.
Keep checking back
This programme is still developing, and further details may change or be added as events are confirmed.
For questions about any of the Selkirk 350 events, contact:
This page will be updated as we go.
PAST PROJECT
Memories of Kirkton
One of our past projects was Memories of Kirkton, a collection of stories, photos, and personal histories centred around the Kirkton of Largo area. With support from the local community, we recorded these memories during our Warm Spaces sessions at the Simpson Institute.
In September 2025, we shared this work through an exhibition at the Simpson Institute, celebrating the people, places and everyday life that make Kirkton so meaningful. The exhibition included teas and coffees to help cover hall costs and raise funds, and the community came along to see it.
The Largo Heritage Group
The Largo Heritage Group is a community-based group dedicated to exploring and celebrating the rich history of the Largo area.
Over the past years, we've seen how passionate people are about preserving our local heritage.
Whether you're a local historian, a keen walker, a school pupil, or someone with a great story, there's a place for you here.
We'd love you to get involved:
- Help us collect and record oral histories
- Contribute ideas for exhibitions and events
- Join in with planning heritage walks or local trails
- Or tell us what matters to you about this place
Email us at [email protected]
Follow us on social media for updates and events
Largo Heritage Group, keeping the past alive for the future
Other great links:
VINTAGE LUNDIN LINKS AND LARGO - Blog
Levenmouth Discovery Trails
