SATURDAY 28th MAY 2016
Lunchtime Concert: The NOTEables Community Choir. A fun West Fife Community Choir based in Duloch, Dunfermline. 12.15pm, St Giles’ Cathedral, High Street. Free.
BoX Wars 4: Build Day: the return of the annual Box Wars event (hosted by the Forest Café tent at the Meadows Festival on 4-5th June). Come build your glorious folly, your cardboard conundrum or your little slice of paper joy at the Forest Cafe in preparation for the big day! There will be people on hand to help you realise your wonderful ambitions; all you need bring is your dreams, (+ your scissors, your masking tape and some salvaged recyclable cardboard). 1-5pm, Forest Café, 141 Lauriston Place. Image courtesy of Swithun Crowe.
Elmer Activity Day: come and celebrate Elmer’s special day! Storytimes at 11am and 2pm followed by craft activities. Lots of fun with balloons, stickers and special Elmer prizes! From 11am, Waterstones West End, 128 Princes Street. Free, drop-in.
Vibrant Musselburgh Arts Festival: with community sessions (music, poetry, storytelling) throughout the town, an open mic session, workshops (creative writing, songwriting), a Big Busk along the Promenade, craft fair, children’s storytelling with Tim Porteous, poetry slam with local writer Stephen Barnaby, and the Festival Concert with Yard of Ale + Henry Ibbs and Paul Brown. Various times and venues today and tomorrow (Sunday). For details see the Festival’s Facebook page here. Organised by Vibrant Musselburgh, a voluntary group which aims to showcase the town through arts, crafts, heritage & culture, creating new exciting events and promoting existing ones.
North Edinburgh Arts: Garden to Glass. NEA will be demonstrating affordable, effective and fun ways to get your recommended five-a-day; join them in the café for a fruitful event to celebrate the opening of the brand new juice bar. Enjoy canapés devised and crafted by NEA volunteers, sample a range of juices and smoothies, learn how to forage for natural ingredients, make some delicious homemade pesto and try some raw chocolate sampling and making. 
Plus additional workshops from Pilton Community Health Project – learn all about sugar levels and how you can reduce your sugar intake. Oaklands School will be selling craft items and homemade jam, there’ll be a graffiti wall for your off-the-cuff artistic creations, you can try plastic arts – turning waste into art – and relax in the chill-out room with storytelling sessions. 1-3pm, North Edinburgh Arts, Pennywell Court, Muirhouse. Free but entry will be by ticket only, available from NEA on 0131 315 2151 or by emailing admin@northedinburgharts.co.uk.
Beyond the Veil: Storytelling at Twisters. Play, food, and storytelling about Prophet Musa (Aleyhisalaam, Part II). For children aged 4-10. 3-5pm, Time Twisters, Unit 5, Catalyst Trade Park, 2B Bankhead Drive. £8 per child. Booking is essential and may be made by emailing beyondtheveil@hotmail.co.uk. Beyond the Veil is a Muslim Women’s Group based in Edinburgh. It aims to promote a better understanding of Islam on a basic level, believing that it is through integration and partnership that understanding on a reciprocal basis can be achieved.
Scotland’s Stories at the Scottish Parliament – History Tour: travel through the award-winning Parliament building and along a timeline from the 9th to the 21st century! Your guide will tell legends, stories and facts specially selected from 1100 years of Scotland’s fascinating history. Inspired by the Parliament building, its location and objects on display, learn about the legend of the Saltire, the lives of kings and queens, the outcome of battles and more, all woven together on this one hour tour. Recommended for visitors aged 10+. 12 noon, Scottish Parliament, Holyrood. Advance booking is essential and may be made by contacting Visitor Services on 0131 348 5200 or emailing visit@scottish.parliament.uk. Image: Andrew Cowan.
Imaginate Festival Family Fringe Weekend: the Imaginate Festival is Edinburgh’s international festival for children, showcasing some of the world’s best theatre and dance for young people. This weekend the National Museum is hosting various free events, including storytelling, live music, pop-up performances and hands-on art activities. For full details please see the Museum’s website here. 10am-5pm, National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street. For the Imaginate Festival programme with events at venues throughout the city, click here.
Bohemia Craft Fair: over 35 stalls selling arts and crafts, plus a café for refreshments. 10.30am-4.30pm, Greyfriars Kirk, Greyfriars Place. Free entry.
Edinburgh College of Art Degree Show: featuring the work of over 500 students from Art, Design, ESALA (Edinburgh School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture), History of Art and Music. 11am-5pm, then 11am-5pm daily, with late night openings to 8pm on 1st & 2nd June. Edinburgh College of Art, Lauriston Place (also at Evolution House, West Port and Adam House and Minto House, Chambers Street). Ends 5th June.
Rebel Arkeology: you are invited to a free workshop to help set up WHALE’s new museum! For ages 5-12. 2-4pm, WHALE Arts, 30 Westburn Grove. For more information and to book your place call WHALE on 0131 458 3267 or email info@whalearts.co.uk.
National Gallery Highlights Tours – May 2016: an introduction to and tour of the National Gallery’s permanent collection, focusing on key paintings. 2-2.45pm or 3-3.45pm, Scottish National Gallery (meet in Main Entrance), The Mound. Free and unticketed; no booking required.
Alan Lennon: substance – an exhibition of contemporary figure painting and sculpture. Graphic designer and artist Alan Lennon paints primarily in oils; since starting to explore sculpture, clay forms and stone carving have become an increasing part of his creative output. 
‘My quiet figures occupy barren landscapes, still monuments that focus on unspoken communication, the subtlety and complexity of a moment, the simple gesture loaded with meaning’. Open preview tonight 6.30-9pm, then 11am-6pm 28th-31st May, Gayfield Creative Spaces, Gayfield Square.
Rosemary Goring: Dark Tales of Scotland After Flodden. One of Scotland’s darkest days was that of the Battle of Flodden, 9 September 1513, at Branxton. Rosemary Goring‘s two novels offer the reader a taste of the horrible aftermath suffered in that lawless time in history. After Flodden and Dacre’s War bring to life the political intrigue of the time and the merciless violence experienced by all walks of life during those tumultuous, reiving days. 3pm, Netherbow Theatre, Scottish Storytelling Centre, 43 High Street. Tickets £5 from the Box Office in person, by calling 0131 556 9579 or online here.
St Bride’s Family Cinema: see your favourite films for free! Adventure, excitement, fun and laughs – everyone welcome. Juice and choc ices are available to purchase in the interval at 50p each. This week’s film is The Wild (U). Please note that all children under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult. 10.30am-12.30pm (includes interval), Saturday 14th May, St Bride’s Centre, Orwell Terrace, Dalry. Next week’s film is Inside Out (U).
Out of the Blue Flea Market: over 45 stalls full to bursting with clothes, jewellery, small furniture, music, books, bric-a-brac, vintage clothes, musical instruments, antiques and much more. Treat yourself to delicious coffee and cake at the Drill Hall Arts Café. 10am-3pm, Out of the Blue, Dalmeny Street.
Tiger Tales: stories and crafts for ages 4-7. 11-11.30am today and every Saturday, Currie Library, 210 Lanark Road.
City of Edinburgh Methodist Church 200th Anniversary Celebration. The City of Edinburgh Methodist Church was formed in 2008 from four previous Methodist congregations in Edinburgh. It adapted its oldest building (completed in 1816 at Nicolson Square) to be its new home – that’s how it manages to be both 200 years old and yet only eight years young! Come and see a brand new exhibition, join in a beetle drive and enjoy a celebration concert with guest soloists Lesley-Ann Hastie, David Norris and George Ross. Full details here. The weekend will also raise funds for Edinburgh Courts Chaplaincy Project. City of Edinburgh Methodist Church, Nicolson Square.
Figgy Do: an afternoon in the Park for the whole community. Yarn bombing, pavement art, circus skills, face painting and lots more – tea and cake too! 1-4pm, Figgate Park, Mountcastle Drive North. A free non-ticketed event – donation buckets will be in the park throughout the day for any park user who would like to contribute to and support FoFP activities. Organised by the Friends of Figgate Park.
Sean Lee Presents Constellations. Sean’s paintings, a single figure against a dark background, are the product of what the artist calls ‘closed-circuit drawing’: the figure is found through a series of drawings, each developed from the previous one, with no reference material. 12 noon-5pm daily, The Bongo Club, 66 Cowgate. Ends 5th June 2016.
Tamsyn Russell Dance: Go Get ‘Em Kid. A funny and high energy dance duet about friendship and sharing. Join Tamsyn and Adrienne as they dance and test the bonds between them, stretching the fabric of their friendship – starting with 100 oversized T-shirts on stage and ending with both performers sharing just one. ‘Go Get ’em Kid is a playful and energetic new dance piece with an eclectic soundtrack that’s a joy from beginning to end’. This new piece has been specially commissioned by Imaginate with support from the Scottish Government’s Edinburgh Festivals Expo Fund. For ages 6+. 2pm, The Brunton, Ladywell Way, Musselburgh. Tickets £7.50 or £28 for a family ticket (2 adults + 2 children) from The Brunton on 0131 665 2240 or online here (booking fees apply).
Edinburgh Interfaith: Breaking Barriers – ‘The Haves and The Have Nots’. A special meeting, hosted by the Edinburgh Liberal Jewish Community and organised by the Community with EIFA and the Alwaleed Centre (University of Edinburgh), to discuss what the Hebrew Scriptures, the New Testament and the Qur’an teach about ‘the haves and the have nots’. It is hoped that this will lead to some fruitful discussion about questions of equality and inequality in local, national and international contexts. The session will begin with brief reflections from faith leaders, followed by facilitated group discussion focused on short passages of Scripture. Light refreshments will be provided. 3-5pm, Columcille Centre, Newbattle Terrace. Free but please register via eventbrite here. Born in 2012, Breaking Barriers is an inter-faith initiative which aims to bring Christians, Jews and Muslims together in Edinburgh to discuss important topical issues in the light of scripture. This process is known as ‘Scriptural Reasoning’.
Morningside and Fairmilehead Christian Aid Spring Fair. Stalls including books and plants, raffle, children’s tombola, bottle stall and home baking; refreshments and soup lunches for sale, and entertainment in the form of a performance by choral scholars led by Morley Whitehead at 10.30am, a thrilling storytelling journey (for all ages) across Africa with Mara Menzies at 11.30am and a talk on Colours in your garden through the seasons at 12.15pm. The Morningside Heritage Association will also present an exhibition on One Hundred Years of the 55th Edinburgh Boys’ Brigade Company. 10am-2pm, Morningside Parish Church Halls, Braid Road. Admission free.
The Festival of Architecture: Magical Cities. Build models of fantastic buildings using a variety of exciting materials and textures – come along and work with artists and architects to build a fantasy city in the gallery, representing a new vision of the city of Edinburgh. Your design can be as off-the-wall as possible, and the emphasis is on creativity. You will also get the opportunity to create a diorama of present day Edinburgh to celebrate the heritage of existing buildings. For all ages. 2-4pm, City Art Centre, Market Street. Free (donations welcome), drop-in, no booking required.
El viaje a Nicaragua: Challenges and Opportunities for International Cooperation and Volunteering. 26 years after La Revolución Popular Sandinista and a brutal civil war, Nicaragua stands up with dignity and pride to preserve its political and economic independence against new forms of colonialism. In this talk, speakers Mari Cruz García (social and political activist), Sister Rebecca Trujillo (Founder of Familias Especiales) and Louise Joyce (Project officer for Latinoamérica SCIAF Scotland) will explore the recent history of Nicaragua, from the foundation of the Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional to the ‘Orteguismo’ of the current Nicaragua´s Government of Daniel Ortega. There will also be the opportunity to meet several local NGOs working in the area of education, such as Familias Especiales and El Sueño de la Campana, based in the central department of Matagalpa. Both organisations admit volunteers from all over the world. If you want to help or you are simply interested in visiting Nicaragua, do come along! 6-8pm, Augustine United Church, George IV Bridge. For more information please see the event’s Facebook page here.
Religion as Poetry: Revd Canon Dr Mark Oakley, Canon Chancellor of St Paul’s Cathedral, explores this theme in a keynote address. Canon Oakley is the author of the book The Collage of God, ‘a vivid and memorable portrayal of a search to uncover God’s hidden presence in often surprising corners of the modern world’ and is at present working on a new book exploring themes of poetry and religion. He is also a renowned preacher, and will preach at the 9.30am and 10.45am services on Sunday 29th May. Canon Oakley’s talk will be followed by a buffet, finishing with music & poems: food for the body, mind and soul! 7-9pm, Mayfield Salisbury Church, 1a Mayfield Road. Free, all welcome, but tickets are required and may be obtained from Sandra Carter on 0131 667 6052 or sandra.carter@barts.myzen.co.uk or via eventbrite here.
Edinburgh Society of Musicians: Italian pianist Guilio Potenza (winner of the Hanna Brooke prize in piano at Trinity Laban Conservatoire and second prize winner in the Bradshaw & Buono International Piano Competition, New York) plays Schumann, Rachmaninov, JCF Bach, Philip Martin and Scriabin in a 4-hands recital. 7.30pm (prompt), Edinburgh Society of Musicians, 3 Belford Road. Free and open to all.
Open Orchestra Symphony Concert. 7.30pm, Canongate Kirk, 153 Canongate. Free.
Photography on Film: a new collaboration between Stills and the Filmhouse. Today’s film is Blow-Up (15), Michelangelo Antonioni’s provocative look into the world of mod fashion, and an engaging murder mystery that examines the existential nature of reality through photography. Thomas (David Hemmings), a nihilistic 
London fashion photographer based in part on David Bailey (who is said to have been approached to play the role himself), lives a life of excess in newly-Swinging London. Becoming bored with his lucrative career, he one day takes candid photos of a rendezvous between a woman (Vanessa Redgrave) and a middle-aged man. She pursues him to ask for the illicit photos, and he imagines that he has witnessed a scene of sexual intrigue – never thinking that he may have accidentally obtained visual evidence of a murder… Introduced by Anne Lyden, International Photography Curator, National Galleries of Scotland. 6.15pm, Filmhouse, Lothian Road. Tickets may be purchased from the Box Office in person, by calling 0131 228 2688 or online. Ticket deals are available for this season.
Sofi’s Crossdressing Party: dress to impress as the opposite sex. Prizes for best dressed. ‘Exactly what is says on the tin, let’s bend the gender stereotypes!’ 7pm, Sofi’s Bar, 65 Henderson Street. Free entry.
Edinburgh Light Orchestra: Journey Into Melody. Edinburgh’s premier concert orchestra invites you to a tuneful evening of ‘easy-listening’; its summer programme features music from The King and I and Guys and Dolls, an orchestral tribute to Frank Sinatra in A Salute to Ol’ Blue Eyes; ‘light’ favourites by Eric Coates, Leroy Anderson and Edward Elgar, gems by Gilbert and Sullivan and much more! Plus a selection of well-loved songs with Bruce Graham (baritone). Conductor: James Beyer; Leader: Lawrence Dunn. 7.30pm, The Queen’s Hall, 85-89 Clerk Street. Tickets £11.50/£10/£8 from the Box Office on 0131 668 2019 or online here.
Scots Music Group Ceilidh with Matthew Maclennan Ceilidh Band. 7.30pm (dancing from 8pm)- 12 midnight, St Bride’s Centre, Orwell Terrace, Dalry. Tickets £9/£7 in advance from Scots Music Group on 0131 555 7668 or online here, or from St Bride’s on 0131 346 1405, or drop in (during office hours 9.30am – 4.30pm Mon – Fri), £10 on the door, sta (and often sold out!) Please note that only alcohol purchased from the licensed bar at St Bride’s may be consumed on the premises. Water is available free of charge.
Heriot-Watt University Fashion Show 2016: The School of Textiles and Design will again host its annual fashion show at Abbotsford House, the home of Sir Walter Scott. Bruce Roberts (Teaching Fellow, Fashion Technology) will curate the catwalk fashion show, which will celebrate the innovation, technological expertise, craft skills and cutting-edge design showcased in the work of students. 7.30pm, Abbotsford House, Melrose, TD6 9BQ. Free but registration is required and may be made via Border Events Tickets here. Image (c) Colin Hattersley.
Vegas: Scotland’s award-winning retro club night presents an evening of cocktails and cool, showgirls and swing, roulette and romance with DJs Frankie Sumatra, Bugsy Seagull, Sam Jose and Nuno Endo, plus Nikki Nevada & The Vegas Showgirls, and The Fabulous Scott Brothers. This date will also feature special guests Cow Cow Boogie, performing live. Over 18s only. 8.30pm, The Voodoo Rooms, West Register Street. Tickets £6 + booking fee in advance from Skiddle, Ticketweb or online here, £7 on the door (sta).
SUNDAY 29th MAY 2016
Interfaith Peace Walk: EIFA’s annual peace walk around some of Edinburgh’s places of worship. This year the walk will begin at St Mary’s RC Cathedral, York Place at 2pm, setting off to walk into Leith. It will pass the Baha’i Centre, Annandale Street Mosque, the new Kagyu Samye Dzong Centre and the Hindu Mandir, and finish with an Interfaith Peace Service at the Sikh Gurdwara, followed by a shared meal. This is an opportunity to walk together, getting to know other cultures and more about the diversity of our city. All are welcome. 2pm, St Mary’s RC Cathedral, York Place (Peace Service 3.45pm (approx), Gurdwara, 1 Sheriff Brae, Leith). Please RSVP to info@eifa.org.uk and let EIFA know if you would like to meet them along the way or join them for the Peace Service and meal.
Filmhouse Junior: films for a younger audience. This week: A Monster in Paris (U): Emile, a shy film projectionist, and Raoul, a colourful inventor, find themselves searching for a monster who has been terrorising the citizens of Paris. They team up with a scientist, his monkey and the star of the cabaret to try and save the monster (which turns out to be an over-sized flea) from the city’s ambitious police chief. 11am, Filmhouse, Lothian Road. Tickets cost £4 per person, big or small.
Wild About Scotland: help celebrate Scotland’s Nature Festival and do some hands-on exploration of the wonderful world of plants and fungi. Join Botanics staff exploring and conserving nature in Scotland, including the Garden’s very own Celtic rainforest. 1-4pm (drop-in), Real Life Science Studio, John Hope Gateway, Royal Botanic Garden, Inverleith Row. For all ages, free and unticketed.
Storytelling – Macastory Italiano: pack your bag, grab your passport and join storytelling duo Macastory on a trip to sunny Italy! Discover why Scottish artists were so enchanted by the Italian way of life, and explore the new display Scots in Italy through the stories of Italo Calvino. You can even tell your friends and family all about your adventure by sending them a handmade postcard! 2pm or 3pm (45 minutes sessions), Scottish National Portrait Gallery, 1 Queen Street. Free and unticketed. Image (c) Alicia Bruce.
Picturehouses Vintage Sundays: classic films back on the big screen. Today: To Kill A Mockingbird (PG). Robert Mulligan’s classic adaptation of Harper Lee’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel set in the racially charged atmosphere of Macon County, Alabama in the 1930s, To Kill A Mockingbird is a poignant coming-of-age story. It is told from the perspective of a young girl nicknamed Scout (Mary Badham) whose widowed father Atticus Finch (Gregory Peck), an attorney, decides to defend a black man (Brock Peters) charged with raping a white woman. But the bigoted townspeople would rather lynch the accused than try him, and they make life hellish for the lawyer, his daughter and his son Jem. While their father is in the throes of the trial, his bright, inquisitive children learn a hard and unforgettable lesson in justice, morality and prejudice, part of which requires overcoming their unfounded fear of their mysterious neighbour Boo Radley (a very young Robert Duvall). 1pm, Cameo, Home Street. Tickets may be purchased from the Box Office in person, by calling 0871 902 5723 or online.
Discover Arts: Teatro Alla Scala: The Temple of Wonder (12A) (in English and Italian with English subtitles). The story of one of the world’s most exclusive music and performing arts venues. Thanks to historical music and theatre greats such as Giuseppe Verdi and Arturo Toscanini, and contemporary arts directors including Franco Zeffirelli and Patrice Chéreau, Teatro Alla Scala has upheld its position as a world-class theatre throughout the years. The film leads us through the main historical, musical, social and political events in La Scala’s 238-year history, beautifully brought to life on the big screen through statements and commentary from musicians, experts and aficionados, and featuring photographs, musical scores, paintings and videos from centuries of archive material. 4pm, Filmhouse, Lothian Road. Tickets may be purchased from the Box Office in person, by calling 0131 228 2688 or online.
Joseph Pearce’s Edinburgh Marathon Weekend. Present your medal for completing the marathon and you can receive a starter or dessert free with any main course on the menu; stick around at night for live music and a DJ set provided by Dimo. Joseph Pearce’s, Elm Row. (Music 7-11pm).
Char: Rachel Plummer and Pen Reid perform a powerful sequence of poems on the subject of working women’s history. Written specifically for the Hidden Door festival, Char dips into the various potential histories of a char woman working on Kings Stables Road. Told from the perspective of the buildings that make up the Hidden Door festival site, Char portrays a relationship between the physical structures that make up this historically working class area of the city and the women who have inhabited them – a relationship that is at times harrowing, tender and brutally honest. The poems will be performed during an intimate walking tour of the festival space, exploring the site’s previous uses – as slaughterhouse, street lighting depot, tannery and, ultimately, a medieval stables to house the king’s horses – and the silent role of women in the history of the city. 4pm, 
Hidden Door, King’s Stables Road. Free and unticketed. There will be a second performance at 7pm on 1st June for which tickets are required; these cost £10/£8 + booking fee and give admission to all events (music, cinema, theatre, magic and more) happening that day. Tickets for 1st June may be obtained from Brown Paper Tickets here. For full details of the Hidden Door Festival, which takes place 24th May-4th June, click here. Hidden Door photo by Chris Scott.
Tinderbox Orchestra (Open Rehearsal): listen in as this massive 25-piece youth funk/fusion ensemble gets its music together. 2-5.30pm, The Jazz Bar, Chambers Street. Free.
St Giles’ at Six: Paul Livingston (viola) & Ian Watt (guitar) perform Telemann Sonata in A minor, McGuire Fast Peace III, Bartok Petite Suite and Schubert Arpeggione Sonata. 6pm, St Giles’ Cathedral, High Street. Free; retiring collection.
Lucy Mae at Leith Junction. Lucy fuses together jazz, soul and R’n’B with some modern twists; her new EP is launched on 27th May – meanwhile she is touring Europe with her musical partner, French multi instrumentalist (sax, guitar, loop pedal) Luc Phan. ‘Her style is filled to the brim with cool soul and jazz, her voice is deep and enticing. I think that if it were possible I would listen to her all day. Stunning to watch and stunning to listen to too.’ (The ALT Student Guide, Manchester). From 7pm, Leith Depot, 138 Leith Walk.
The Fair Intellectual Club: The Fair Intellectuals (Jessica Hardwick, Samara MacLaren and Caroline Deyga) are BACK… but for one night only. It’s the last chance to come and join in the fun as BBC Radio 4 records the final episodes in the current series at this free event. For ages 16+. 7pm (no entry after 7.30pm), Netherbow Theatre, Scottish Storytelling Centre, 43 High Street. Free tickets from the Box Office on 0131 556 9579 or online here.
Rock N Roll Ping Pong with DJ Ding & DJ Dong. A free, monthly Sunday-night social with free-play, silly ping pong games, and music from every genre to play along to courtesy of in-house soundtrackmeisters DJs Ding & Dong. Plus an optional, strictly amateur tournament (£1 to enter, winner takes all). 7-11pm, The Bongo Club, 66 Cowgate. Free entry.
