AroundTown EVENTS
✽✽ FREE Bruncheon! Featuring The Sound of Muesli Sat 9 Jun,
11am–2.30pm. Out of the Blue Drill Hall, 30–36 Dalmeny Street, Leith, 555 7101. Live music plus your choice of breakfast. If you can have a dinner dance, why not a breakfast dance? Leith Festival. Healing Herbs In The City Sat 9 Jun, 11am–1pm. £8 in advance; £10 on the door. The Hub, Castlehill, Royal Mile, 473 2000. Led by a medical herbalist, this walk talks you through the uses of common weeds and plants as well as some more exotic species, passing through an urban wildlife garden not usually open to the public. Ages 16+. Booking essential.
✽✽ FREE Leith Festival Gala Day Sat 9 Jun, 11am–4.30pm. Leith
Links, leithfestival.com Something of an institution, with crowds gathering every year to see the pageant (setting off at noon from Pilrig Park), packed with puppets, bands and dancers, wend its way to the Links, where there’s food, drink and funky tunes. There’s also a country dancing demonstration by local children (2pm) and the announcement of the winners in the Big Man Walking prize (3pm). Leith Festival. Café Voices Wed 13 Jun, 7–9pm. £5. Scottish Storytelling Centre, 43–45 High Street, 556 9579. A relaxed session of oral storytelling, poetry by memory.
✽✽ FREE Leith Festival Tattoo Sun 17 Jun, 7.30–9.15pm. The Shore,
Out of the Blue Arts Market Sat 2 Jun, 11am–5pm. 80p. Out of the Blue Drill Hall, 30–36 Dalmeny Street, Leith, 555 7101. Art, accessories and clothing from over 50 sellers. Market Tree Craft & Gift Market Sat 16 Jun, 10am–4pm. £1. Café Camino, Parish Centre, 1 Little King Street, 523 0102. Stalls from Scottish crafters.
Sport FREE Rock’n’Roll Ping Pong Sun 27 May, 7.30pm. The Bongo Club, Moray House, 37 Holyrood Road, 558 7604. Free table tennis club with DJs providing the music. If you’re feeling brave enough it’s £1 to enter the sudden death tournament. FREE Joseph Pearce’s Jogging Club Tuesdays, 7–8.30pm. 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.
✽✽ FREE Charity Football Matches & Sponsored Walk Sat 16 Jun, noon–5pm. Leith Athletic Football Pitch, Leith Links, leithfestival.com Charity matches including Ex-Hibs players taking on Leith Athletic, plus there’s a sponsored walk for local children and their families. Leith Festival. FREE Oot an’ aboot on yer bike! Sat 16 Jun, 1–3pm. The Acorn Centre, Junction Place, Leith, 553 7877. Explore local cycle paths. Everyone welcome; bikes and safety equipment are provided.
Leith, 554 0568. Annual Leithers’ answer to that big noisy thing up at the castle – expect massed pipes and drums, appearances from Leith Community Concert Band, highland dancers, a samba band and other guests. Leith Festival. The Royal Highland Show Thu 21–Sun 24 Jun, Thu 7am–8pm, Fri & Sat 8am–8pm; Sun 8am–6pm. £22–£25 (£18–£20; under 16s free). Royal Highland Centre, Ingliston, 335 6236. The biggest event in the agricultural calendar with oodles of tempting Scottish produce, endless shopping opportunities, children’s activities, music, ferreting, BMX stunts and your chance to check out some prize- winning turnips. Edinburgh Zoo Gardens Tour Thu 21 Jun, 6–8pm. £7 (members £5). Edinburgh Zoo, Corstorphine Road, 334 9171. Find out about the site’s horticultural history and the new projects the team is taking on this year. Fairs & Markets FREE Out of the Blue Flea Market Sat 26 May, 10am–3pm. Out of the Blue Drill Hall, 30–36 Dalmeny Street, Leith, 555 7101. Bargain buys including furniture, clothes and music. FREE Pop-Up Shop: Vi Nouveau Thu 31 May, 7pm. Boda Bar, 229 Leith Walk, 553 5900. Vintage clothing pops up in Sofi’s. FREE Morningside Makers Market Sat 2 Jun, 11am–4pm. Columcille Centre, 2 Newbattle Terrace, 447 7404. Boutique craft and design market.
Talks The Edinburgh Lectures: Who Speaks for the Dead? Thu 24 May, 6.30pm. £5. National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street, 0300 123 6789. A forensic anthropologist’s tale from Professor Sue Black.
✽✽ The School of Life: Live Tour Thu 24 May, 7pm. £20. The Hub,
Castlehill, Royal Mile, 473 2000. Six life lessons from speakers including John Paul Flintoff and Alain de Botton. FREE Ragged University Thu 24 May, 7–10pm. Counting House, West Nicolson Street, 667 7533. Talks on happiness and democracy. FREE Character: A Masterclass Sat 26 May, 10.30am–12.45pm. Filmhouse, 88 Lothian Road, 228 2688. Mia Bays presents this discussion about writing and acting for the screen, focusing on characterisation. The Conan Doyle Connection Sun 27 May, noon–4pm. £5 as part of museum admission (£3). Surgeons’ Hall Museum, Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, Nicolson Street, 527 1649. A celebration of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s birthday with talks troughout the day and music from the Arthur Conan Doyle String Quartet. FREE Joseph Beuys and Edinburgh Mon 28 May, 12.45–1.15pm. Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art One, 75 Belford Road, 624 6200. Art historian Bill Hare talks about the charismatic Beuys’ legendary 1970 exhibition Strategy: Get Arts.
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68 THE LIST 24 May–21 Jun 2012
Café Art: Monet et les artistes américains à Giverny Wed 30 May, 5.30pm. £8 (£5). Institut Français d’Ecosse, 13 Randolph Crescent, 225 5366. A talk (in French) about American artists in fin de siècle France. Dale Pinnock: Medicinal Chef Wed 30 May, 7–9.30pm. £7.50. Real Foods, 37 Broughton Street, 557 1911. An insight into cooking for health. FREE Gallery Talk: Dialogue Sat 2 Jun, 2–3pm. Edinburgh Printmakers, 23 Union Street, 557 2479. Artists from Quebec whose work is currently on show discuss their work. Booking essential.
✽✽ Breathin’ Air with Howard Marks & John Sinclair Wed 6
Jun, 7pm. £16.50. Electric Circus, 36–39 Market Street, 226 4224. See Glasgow, Talks. FREE L’Oreille musicale Thu 7 Jun, 6pm. Institut Français d’Ecosse, 13 Randolph Crescent, 225 5366. Find out (assuming you possess a smattering of French) about le jazz en France. Edinburgh Local Food Network: Meet, Eat and Talk Thu 7 Jun, 7–9pm. £5. Edinburgh Larder, 15 Blackfriars Street, 556 6922. A talk by John Fletcher of Fletchers of Auchtermuchty.
✽✽ More whores with more sores Fri 8 & Sat 9 Jun, 7.30pm. £5. The
Waterline, 58 The Shore, Leith, 554 2425. Comedienne Susan Morrison leads these fun walks tackling the seedier side of Leith. Leith Festival. Edinburgh Forteans Tue 12 Jun, 7.30pm. £1. The Bongo Club, Moray House, 37 Holyrood Road, 558 7604. A look at the strange and the bizarre. Café Art: Paris vu par les artistes à travers les siècles Wed 13 Jun, 5.30pm. £8 (£5). Institut Français d’Ecosse, 13 Randolph Crescent, 225 5366. Agnès Ness leads a discussion (in French) about the eternal appeal of Paris as an inspiration or subject for artists. Downton Abbey – The Truth Sat 16 Jun, 2.30pm. £20. Lauriston Castle, 2a Cramond Road South, 529 3963. Food historian Ivan Day discusses the realities of service in a wealthy household in Edwardian times, with a particular focus on the cuisine of the period, and explores just how accurate popular TV depictions really are. Includes special Edwardian- style buffet lunch. Night of Adventure Edinburgh Mon 18 Jun, 6.30–9.30pm. £14. Vue Omni, Omni Greenside, 01722 790111. Adventurous speakers from the world of adventure and travel tell tales of their far- flung exploits. Workshops Weave a Portrait Thu 24 & Wed 30 May, 2–4pm; Sat 26 & Tue 29 May, 10.30am–12.30pm. £5 (£3). Institut Français d’Ecosse, 13 Randolph Crescent, 225 5366. Three of the artists from STAR collective (behind the current Vive la Tapisserie exhibition at the Institute) offer a series of two-hour public workshops exploring the basics of tapestry by weaving a self-portrait or a portrait of a friend to contribute to a mass communal work. Booking recommended. CircuSkool Sundays, 6–9pm. £4. Out of the Blue Drill Hall, 30–36 Dalmeny Street, Leith, 555 7101. Run by Edinburgh-based fire troupe PyroCeltica, these workshops teach modern day circus skills including poi, juggling, diablo and unicycling. Learn European Swordsmanship Thursdays, 7.30–9.30pm. £7 (£5) per lesson; £25 (£20) per month of lessons; first lesson free. Kirk O’Field Parish Church, Brown Street, Pleasance, 332 2758. Get to grips with a variety of historical weapons of war. Equipment provided, so leave that antique longsword at home. Suitable for beginners. Edinburgh Drawing School Fri 25 May, 9.30am–noon, 12.30–3pm & 3–5.30pm. £20. Quaker Meeting House, 7 Victoria Terrace, 07791 121313. Life drawing classes with experienced tutors. Blue and White Sat 26 May, 10.30am–3.30pm. £18. Lauriston Castle,
2a Cramond Road South, 529 3963. Make painted crockery and a stencilled bag. FREE Introduction to Maps at NLS Tue 29 May, 2pm. National Library of Scotland, 33 Salisbury Place, Causewayside, 623 3918. Learn about maps available and view highlights from the collection. Photography Tour Sat 2 Jun, 9.30am–12.30pm. £25. Edinburgh Zoo, Corstorphine Road, 314 0334. Shoot some exotic animals (with a camera, not a gun – all perfectly legal) with tips from local photographer George Neilson. Booking essential. Botanical Art Society: Studio Days Sat 2 & 16 Jun, 10am–3.30pm. £10. Royal Botanic Garden, Arboretum Place, 248 2937. Use the quiet surroundings of the Botanics’ Teaching Lab as a place for painting. Booking essential. Walking in the Garden – Miniature Figures and Animal Sculptures Sat 2 Jun, 10.30am–3.30pm. £18. Lauriston Castle, 2a Cramond Road South, 529 3963. Create miniature sculptures with artist Tessa Asquith-Lamb. Arty Birdhouses Sun 3 Jun, 10.30am–3.30pm. £18. Lauriston Castle, 2a Cramond Road South, 529 3963. Build a birdhouse for your garden. FREE Ways of Seeing Sat 9 Jun, 10.30am–3.30pm. City Art Centre, 2 Market Street, 529 3993. Experimental, playful drawing workshop. Handmade Felt Designer Jewellery Sun 10 Jun, 10.30am–3.30pm. £18. Lauriston Castle, 2a Cramond Road South, 529 3963. Artist Jacqui Pestell leads this craft workshop. Dr Sketchy’s Anti-Art School Sun 10 Jun, 3pm. £7 (£6). The Jazz Bar, 1 Chambers Street, 220 4298. Where cabaret meets life drawing – the antidote to solemn, lifeless classes. Sewing Workshop: Gorgeous Frock Tuesdays, 12–26 Jun, 6–9pm. £80 for the three-week course. Materialise, 28 Lady Lawson Street, 07860 245696. A workshop aimed at those with some existing sewing machine skills, making a perfectly fitting dress. FREE Discovering Family History at NLS Thu 14 Jun, 10am. National Library of Scotland, George IV Bridge, 623 3918. Delve into your family’s past as NLS reveals research techniques. Day Workshop: Sufi Mystic Poetry and Storytelling Since Prophet Muhammed Sat 16 Jun, 9.30am–4.30pm. £25 (£20). The Augustine Church, 41–43 George IV Bridge, 331 4469. Explore mystic poetry and storytelling over the past 1,000 years. Champagne Afternoon Tea with Flower Arranging by Mood Flowers Sun 17 Jun, 2–5pm. £30. Hotel du Vin, 11 Bristo Place, 247 4900. Watch a flower demo while sipping on tea and fizz. OUTSIDE THE CITIES TweedLove Bike Festival Sat 26 May–Tue 5 Jun, times vary. Prices vary. Peebles, Scottish Borders, tweedlove.com A friendly bike festival featuring races, adventures and family-friendly rides in the Tweed valley. Music, film screenings and short film and photography competitions are provided for recovery time. World Wars Experience Sun 27 May, 10am–5pm. £10.50 (£8.50; children £5; under 5s free). National Museum of Flight, East Fortune Airfield, North Berwick, 0300 123 6789. World Wars I and II come to life with living history presenters, military vehicles and demonstrations. FREE iXS European Downhill Mountain Biking Cup Sat 16 Jun, 10am–8pm & Sun 17 Jun, 10am–5pm. Elibank & Traquair, Innerleithen, ixscupinnerleithen.com A packed weekend of entertainment around a seriously testing bit of mountain bike racing, with kids’ skills area, competitions, food and trade stands and more besides.