Virgin Money Fireworks Concert – Today at the MELA – Edinburgh Art Festival – Today at The Filmhouse – Balerno Music Festival
Fans of the Virgin Money Fireworks Concert, the traditional finale to the Edinburgh International Festival, can be confident of getting to the concert and safely home afterwards thanks to an enhanced service being provided by ScotRail especially for the occasion.
Tonight over 400,000 fireworks will light up the sky over Edinburgh Castle in this hugely popular event. Scottish Chamber Orchestra conducted by Garry Walker will perform Musorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, accompanied by an awe-inspiring display created by international firework artists Pyrovision. The concert starts at 9pm and last approximately 45 minutes.
ScotRail has announced it will run more than 60 extra carriages – and ten additional trains – to transport spectators to and from central Edinburgh this evening. Before the concert, ScotRail will provide longer trains from Glasgow Queen Street and Fife into Edinburgh, as well as an additional train from Newcraighall.
A total of nine additional trains will leave the capital after the concert – including services to North Berwick, Newcraighall, Fife, West Calder and Glasgow via Bathgate. And extra carriages will be added to late night trains to Glasgow Queen Street, Fife, Perth and Dundee.
Sir Jonathan Mills, Director of the Edinburgh International Festival, said:- ‘The Virgin Money Fireworks Concert is a great night out. With the enhanced train service provided by ScotRail we look forward to welcoming even more visitors to Edinburgh to share in the fabulous music from the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and what I am sure will be a stunning fireworks display.’
ScotRail managing director Steve Montgomery added: “We are providing dozens of extra carriages on trains to and from the capital to help customers’ journeys run smoothly. However, we would stress that some services will still be busy and it’s worth buying tickets in advance.”
The fireworks concert trains are in addition to ScotRail’s 2013 Edinburgh Festivals timetable, which provided more than 330,000 additional seats for festival-goers during August.
Visit eif.co.uk/virginmoneyfireworks for tickets, up-to-the-minute news, features and advice on how to make the best of your evening at the Virgin Money Fireworks Concert.
Virgin Money Fireworks Concert
Scottish Chamber Orchestra
Garry Walker Conductor
Smetana Dance of the Comedians
Musorgsky Pictures at an Exhibition (arr. Ravel)
Sunday 1 September 9.00pm
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The Edinburgh MELA continues to delight audiences down in Leith Links today beginning at 12.30 with the Fashion Show.
12.30 – 13.30 Mela Fashion Show This year, the Mela devotes its annual catwalk show to an Asian wedding fashion spectacular.
14.15 – 14.45 Edinburgh Chinese Choir Showcasing the beauty of Chinese folk songs and heritage music, Edinburgh Chinese Choir was formed by a group of music lovers. The choir aims to promote friendship and understanding through music.
15.05 – 15.45 Gouri Choudhury A former vocalist and songwriter with indie band Kula Shaker, Gouri Choudhury is also a hugely popular Bengali music star in her own right, winning a number of awards and releasing six albums.
16.05 – 16.45 Thermal & A Quarter is the non-Bollywood musical voice from modern India, playing impossibly funky Bangalore rock – a sound as unique and layered as the city of its birth. After rocking New York, London, Hong Kong, Seattle, Dubai, Singapore, Jakarta, Male and opening for acts like Guns N’ Roses, Deep Purple and Jethro Tull, TAAQ now spices up the Edinburgh Mela!
17.10 – 18.00 Son Yambu Red hot rhythms, straight from the streets of Santiago de Cuba! This excellent ten-piece band play authentic Cuban son, an infectious style of Afro-Cuban music that originated in eastern Cuba & is the root of all salsa music. Formed in 2011, Son Yambu features a new generation of Cuban musicians who are passionate about maintaining the traditions of the genre.
18.20 – 18.55 Surinder Rattan Last year, ‘Has Has’, his hit with Joga Singh and Metz & Trix was the party tune of the summer. We’re delighted to welcome one of our favourite DJs back to the Mela – look out for exciting special guests too.
19.20 – 20.30 The Orb with Kakatsitsi Dance music legends The Orb team up with Mela favourites the Kakatsitsi Master Drummers from Ghana, layering traditional drums, chants and acoustic instruments on to digital beats and bass-lines to build a cultural bridge between the traditional African and western dance cultures. This performance is the only other major UK date this year after a barn-storming Glastonbury set, and will bring the Mela to an utterly gorgeous close.
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The Edinburgh Art Festival draws to a close today, but there is still time to try and see some of the wondrous creations around the city, including Scaffold out at Jupiter Artland which will be in place till 15 September.
Scaffold is an arresting, immense and powerful wooden structure by the Los Angeles-based, American artist Sam Durant. The first installation in a new programme of temporarily sited sculptures amidst Jupiter’s 60 acres of landscape, Durant’s work is placed within a new orchard. Scaffold will command outstanding views of the Pentland Hills and surrounding area, and visitors are invited to climb upon and explore this vast structure.
Jupiter Artland
Bonnington House Steadings, Nr Wilkieston, EH27 8BB
01506 889 900
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Today at The Filmhouse they are showing a film with a difference – about a man and his cows…. The Moo Man is billed as:-
Dairy farmer Stephen Hook is determined that his small farm will not follow the way of so many others: scaled up or gone bust. His solution is to go niche, by selling his organic, raw milk direct or at farmers’ markets.Filmed over several years on Hook’s farm in southern England, this charming documentary is partly a story about food sustainability, partly about the daily rhythm of farm life and, in particular, the fascinating bond between one farmer and his herd of 50 (named) cows. Heartwarming, hilarious and occasionally traumatic, The Moo Man will have you rooting for the success of Hook and all like him.
The Moo Man trailer from Trufflepig Films on Vimeo.
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Out in Balerno they are in the throes of organising their music festival which starts on 25 September – and it runs for two weeks.
Here is the programme….but you can get more information on how you can help the organisers or buy tickets for the concerts on their website.
Music Festival at a Glance
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Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.