Festival Around Town Telephone Booking Fringe 0131 226 0000 International Festival 0131 473 2000 Book Festival 0845 373 5888 Art Festival 07500 461 332
Activities & Events FREE Thursday Health Walks Thu 5 Aug & Thu 12 Aug, 10.15am. Royal Botanic Garden, 20a Inverleith Row, 552 7171. Enjoy fresh air and meet new people on a health-boosting garden walk at the RBGE. Part of the Paths for all Partnership. Under 16s must be accompanied. FREE Amble Around Arthur Mon 9 Aug, 1–2.30pm. Holyrood Park, Holyrood Lodge, 652 8150. A guided walk with park rangers exploring many different aspects of Arthur’s Seat. Booking essential. FREE Arthur’s Adventure Wed 11 Aug, 1–4pm. Holyrood Park, Holyrood Lodge, 652 8150. A challenging walk over some of the tougher routes around Holyrood Park and Arthur’s Seat. Booking essential. FREE Tracks Through Time Thu 5 Aug, 7–9pm. Pencaitland Railway Walk, Ormiston Station Car Park, Tranent, 01620 827421. Go for a jaunt down the old Pencaitland Railway, and learn about the people that used to live and work along this line. Booking essential. Edinburgh Ceilidhs Fri 6 & Sat 7 Aug, 8pm. £6–£10. Lauriston Hall, 28 Lauriston Street, 339 5374. Traditional fun with ceilidh bands and a piper, and some international folk dances to complement the Scottish classics. Refreshments available.
✽✽ Edinburgh Mela Festival Fri 6–Sun 8 Aug, Fri 9–9.30pm; Sat & Sun noon–8.30pm. £2.50 (children free). Leith Links, Leith, 473 2000. Celebrating
Edinburgh Festivals’ Cavalcade With floats from all aspects of the Edinburgh
Festivals, as well as community groups and commercial ventures and the entire cast of the Edinburgh Military Tattoo, the cavalcade returns to Holyrood Park to kick-start yer official Edinburgh Crazy Season. Before and after the procession through the city, grab a chance to see some of the acts performing in Holyrood Park. ■ Sun 8 Aug, noon–4pm. Holyrood Park, www.edinburghcavalcade.com.
the cultural diversity of Scotland, the Mela (Sanskrit for ‘gathering’) brings together musicians, singers and dancers from a huge variety of ethnic groups for performances with a carnival atmosphere on Leith Links. See Big Picture, page 84.
✽✽ FREE Edinburgh Festivals’ Cavalcade Sun 8 Aug, noon–4pm.
Holyrood Park,
www.edinburghcavalcade.com. The official start to the Festivals, all in one handy green area. See picture, below. FREE Naturally Inspired Sun 8 Aug, 1–5pm. Royal Botanic Garden, 20a Inverleith Row, 552 7171. Nature-inspired new performances commissioned by the Edinburgh Mela Festival, the Edinburgh International Jazz and Blues Festival and
PALACE OF HOLYROODHOUSE
NEW TOURS OF HOLYROOD ABBEY
18 July – 30 September Join a guided tour of the historic Abbey ruins and discover 900 years of fascinating history.
FREE daily tours, included as part of a standard admission 0131 556 5100 www.royalcollection.org.uk
Palace of Holyroodhouse, The Royal Mile, Edinburgh, EH8 8DX
the Scottish International Storytelling Festival. Bat-tastic! Thu 12 Aug, 2–4pm & 8–9.30pm. Afternoon activities included in admission; evening walk £4 (children £2). Inveresk Lodge Garden, Musselburgh, 0844 493 2124. Bat-based games and crafts for children in the afternoon, and a walk along the Esk to see if you can spot any in the evening. Booking essential for walk.
Books Havers and Blethers Until 21 Aug, 7.30–8.30pm. £2. Captains Bar, 4 South College Street, captainsedinburgh.webs.com. A nightly spoken word-based event from the Captain’s Bar, hosted by fiddler Kirsty- Jacqueline Lingard and featuring writers, poets, actors and musicians performing short snippets from their works. Free acoustic folk sessions every night after the show. FREE Launch of Time Loop, an Adventure in Dream Time Fri 6 Aug, 6pm. Word Power Bookshop, 43 West Nicolson Street, 662 9112. Launch of a new novella by Morelle Smith, the action of which takes place partly in 13th- century France, and partly in fin de siècle 20th-century France and Scotland.
✽✽ FREE Edinburgh Book Fringe Wed 11–Wed 25 Aug, times vary.
Word Power Bookshop, 43 West Nicolson Street, 662 9112. Word Power’s very own Book Fringe, featuring readings, discussions and book signings from the likes of Ewan McVicar, Louise Welsh, Stewart Lee, Max Schaeffer and Richard Herring. See 5 Questions, page 84. Exhibitions FREE A Swing Through Time: The Story of Golf in Scotland Until Sun 14 Nov, Mon–Fri 10am–8pm; Sat 10am–5pm; Sun 2–5pm. National Library of Scotland, George IV Bridge, 623 3918.
r e k c a P r e t e P : r e h p a r g o t o h P 5–12 Aug 2010 THE LIST 85