AroundTown Ragged University
We’ve got a wee bit of a crush on the folks behind Ragged University, because we like their ethos that while formal education isn’t for everyone, learning should be. Also, their sessions are free and sometimes happen in the pub. The first one this month (Tue 12 Apr, venue tbc at time of print) has a dance theme as B-Boy Tesco leads you through the history of hip-hop and dance artist Kate E Deeming (pictured) talks about her experiences of sharing dance. On Thu 14 Apr at Hillhead Library there’s a talk from Carrie Newman on her Life After Iraq exhibition and, finally, in the Blind Pig on Tue 26 Apr, the topics are arthritis and the history of cinema in Glasgow. ■ See raggeduniversity.com
FREE Bruncheon! Featuring The Sound of Muesli Sat 9 Apr, 11.30am–3pm. Out of the Blue Drill Hall, 30–36 Dalmeny Street, Leith, 555 7100. Brunch and live music. FREE Gallery of Modern Art Highlights Tours Sat 9 Apr, 2pm & 3pm. Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, 75 Belford Road, 624 6200. A tour of the permanent collection. FREE Open Day at the Melting Pot Tue 12 & Thu 28 Apr, 9am–9pm. The Melting Pot, 5 Rose Street, 243 2626. A free event for freelancers and home workers.
✽✽ First International Afro- Brazilian Festival Thu 14–Sun 17
Apr, times vary. Prices vary. Art’s Complex, St. Margaret’s House, 151 London Road, 661 1924. Four-day festival. See Hitlist. Fun Fast Flirting Charity Speed Dating Thu 14 Apr, 7pm. £15. The Three Sisters, 139 Cowgate, 07840 836414. Have a chat with some eligible types and congratulate each other on the fact that you’re raising money for a good cause in the process. Enquiry 2011 Conference Sat 16 Apr, 11am–8pm; Sun 17 Apr, 10am–4.30pm. £45 for the weekend (students £35). The Jam House, 5 Queen Street, 226 4380. Conference on science, scepticism and humanism featuring Jon Ronson and Robin Ince as well as entertainment including live music and magic. See preview, page 46. FREE Meet the Artists Sat 16 Apr, 11am. Institut Français d’Ecosse, 13 Randolph Crescent, 225 5366. A chance to meet the artists behind the current exhibition.
✽✽ FREE Shadows of our Ancestors Mon 18 Apr, 8pm. Old
Town, shadows2011.co.uk As part of World Heritage Day, Scotland’s five (count ’em!) World Heritage sites are teaming up to offer events involving everything from a Roman encampment to 40 THE LIST 31 Mar–28 Apr 2011
a light installation inspired by St Kilda, as well as a processional art and movement piece in Edinburgh’s Old Town involving dancers, light and sound. Other events take place at Callendar House, Falkirk (the site of the Antonine Wall), New Lanark, the Isle of Harris (for World Heritage site St Kilda) and the Pier Arts Centre in Orkney. FREE Easter Egg Hunt Sat 23 Apr, times tbc. Sofi’s, Joseph Pearce’s, Boda and Victoria Bars, Leith, 555 1979. Easter fun with eggs to be found in all four of Leith’s Swedish bars – suitable for families with children in the daytime or bigger kids in the evening. FREE Happy Birthday John Muir Sat 23 & Sun 24 Apr, 1pm–4pm. John Hope Gateway Centre, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, 20a Inverleith Row, 552 7171. Join the John Muir Trust team to hear about the pioneering Scottish naturalist on the anniversary of his birth. Quizzes, crafting and fun activities take place throughout the day. Meet at 19th Century Surgeon Sun 24 Apr, 12.15pm–3pm; Mon 25 Apr, 10.30am–2.30pm. £5 (£3) as part of museum admission. Surgeons’ Hall Museum, Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh Nicolson Street, 527 1649. Meet Mr Alexander Baber, an Edinburgh surgeon from a time when modern medicine was just being born. Fairs & Markets FREE The Food Market & Tinker Tailor Saturdays, 10am–2pm. Out of the Blue Drill Hall, 30–36 Dalmeny Street, Leith, 555 7100. A weekly local shop for Leithers in search of quality ethical goods including food, drink and household items. The Drill Hall’s friendly fixers are also on hand to provide a mending service with a twist, where you can come along and be taught skills and techniques to help you fix your own broken items – anything from bikes to clothes and bric-a-brac.
Outdoor Pursuits Scotland 2011 Sat 2 Apr, 10am–6pm; Sun 3 Apr, 10am–4pm. £8–£10 (children free; students/OAPs £5; family ticket £20). Lowland Hall, Royal Highland Centre, Ingliston, 335 6210. A combination of an outdoor activities trade and exhibition fair and a fun interactive family day out, with activities on offer including climbing walls, a surf simulator, zorbing and raft team building challenges. Scottish Rock Garden Club Edinburgh & Lothian Annual Show Sat 2 Apr, 10am–4pm. £1. Fairmilehead Parish Church, 1a Frogston Road West, Fairmilehead. An exhibition of alpine flowers. FREE Morningside Makers Market Sat 2 Apr, 11am–4pm. Columcille Centre, 2 Newbattle Terrace, 447 7404. Monthly boutique craft and design market. Greenbank Scout Jumble Sale Sat 16 Apr, 9.30am–noon. £tbc. Greenbank Parish Church, Braidburn Terrace. Find bargains and perhaps a hidden gem at this jumble sale. FREE Ghillie Dhu Makers Market Sat 16 Apr, 10am–3pm. Ghillie Dhu, 2 Rutland Place, 222 9930. Designs by independent makers and artists from around Scotland. FREE Out of the Blue Flea Market Sat 16 Apr, 10am–3pm. Out of the Blue Drill Hall, 30–36 Dalmeny Street, Leith, 555 7100. Bargain buys including furniture, clothes, music and more. Out of the Blue Arts Market Sat 23 Apr, 11am–5pm. £0.80. Out of the Blue Drill Hall, 30–36 Dalmeny Street, Leith, 555 7100. Over 40 artists, makers and traders punt their wares. Check out the GreatOffers on page 6
Sport Future Cheer Sat 2 & Sun 3 Apr, 9am. £10 (under 12s £7; under 5s free). Royal Highland Centre, Ingliston, 335 6200. Superhero themed cheerleading competition. FREE Joseph Pearce’s Jogging Club Tuesdays, 7pm. Joseph Pearce’s, 23 Elm Row, 556 4140. Weekly running club following the very best kind of route: one with a bar at each end. Edinburgh Half Marathon Sun 10 Apr, 9am. Prices vary. Edinburgh, 0870 122 2003. An exceptionally scenic half-marathon route, starting at the city’s Meadowbank Stadium and finishing up at the Racecourse out at Musselburgh.
✽✽ Gore-onation Street Sat 16 Apr, 2pm. £5. Meadowbank Sports
Centre, 139 London Road, 661 5351. Another awesomely-monikered roller derby. See Hitlist. Kilomathon Sun 17 Apr, 8am. Royal Highland Centre, Ingliston, 335 6200. 26.2km (16.3m) run – for more info registration see www.kilomathon.com. Talks FREE Field-Marshal Douglas Haig (1861–1928) and Field- Marshal George Francis Milne (1866–1948) by John Singer Sargent Fri 1 Apr, 12.45pm. National Gallery of Scotland, The Mound, 624 6200. Susanna Kerr discusses two paintings by John Singer Sargent. State of Play: Art and Culture Today Sat 2 Apr, 9.45am–5pm. £10 (£5). National Gallery of Scotland, The Mound, 624 6200. Symposium exploring Scottish culture from the outside, with speakers from Scotland who now live and practise art elsewhere. Registration is 9.15am–9.45am. FREE Sunday Sermon Sun 3 Apr, 2pm. The Bongo Club, Moray House, 37 Holyrood Road, 558 7604. An