Sunday in Edinburgh – What’s on today

SUNDAY 15TH FEBRUARY 2015

Amnesty International Concert for Captured Hearts: Stop Human Trafficking in Scotland. Orchestra of the Canongait plays Dvorak’s New World Symphony and Strauss’s Don Quixote. Conducted by Robert Dick, with soloists Lindsay Martindale and Asher Zaccardelli. 8pm, St Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral, Palmerston Place. Tickets cost £10/£8 on the door, or in advance from www.skiddle.com here. All proceeds will go to Amnesty International.

Introduction to Veganism Workshop: Edinburgh’s Vegan meetup.com group is holding a workshop for anyone interested in veganism or wanting to know more about becoming a vegan. There will be many experienced people present to answer questions. 1-3pm, ACE (Autonomus Centre of Edinburgh), 17 West Montgomery Place. All welcome.

The Big Screen Movie Day: Up (PG). 3pm, Boda Bar, 229 Leith Walk. Hot chocolate and snacks available. Free for all the family: dogs welcome too!

Hearing Impaired Tour: The Two Roberts – Robert Colquhoun and Robert MacBryde. A free tour, with portable loops, led by Tessa Asquith-Lamb. 11am-12 noon, Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art TWO, Belford Road. Free but booking is required: please contact the Information Desk on 0131 624 6560.

Bags of Art – February. Cool and creative fun with artists Tessa Asquith-Lamb and Louise Fraser. For ages 4-12 years. 2-4pm (drop-in), Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art ONE, Belford Road. Free and unticketed. Supported by the Friends of the National Galleries of Scotland.

Filmhouse Junior: Annie (PG)).  Annie is a young, happy foster kid who’s also tough enough to make her way on the streets of New York in 2014. Originally left by her parents as a baby with a promise they’d be back for her someday, it’s been a hard knock life ever since with her mean foster mum Miss Hannigan. But everything is about to change…  11am, Filmhouse, Lothian Road. Tickets cost £4 per person, big or small, and can be booked online or by calling the Box Office on 0131 228 2688.

Scottish Beavers: find out how the re-introduced beavers are adapting to life in Scotland. Meet the Scottish Beaver Trial education team, who will be bringing games and activities, as well as pelts, skulls and video footage. 1-4pm, Real Life Science Studio, John Hope Gateway, Royal Botanic Garden of Edinburgh, Inverleith Row. Free, no booking required.

Pancake Weekend at Joseph Pearce’s!
, 23 Elm Row. For more information and to book a table, call 0131 556 4140.

2015 Iranian Film Festival: a season of classic and contemporary films from Iran, including a number of Scottish premieres, shown as part of the Edinburgh Iranian Festival. Today: My Name is Negahdar Jamali and I Make Westerns (12A) 6pm, Filmhouse, Lothian Road. Tickets can be booked online here or by calling the box office on 0131 228 2688. Prices vary: there are deals for purchasing multiple tickets for this season. The 2015 Iranian Film Festival is curated by Dr Nacim Pak-Shiraz and sponsored by The Sutton Gallery, Arts & Business Scotland, the School of Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies of the University of Edinburgh, and the Filmhouse.

Friends of the Water of Leith Basin Clean-Up: FOWLb are organising a clean-up of the paths beside the Water of Leith today. If you would like to help, you are welcome to meet them at the Coalie Car Park, just off Coburg Street, at 10am (the event will last about two hours). For more information contact the Secretary at fowl.basin@gmail.com.

I’m Game: a playful programme for half-term, all about games. Today there are two drop-in events: (1) Crafty Character Cards: design and make a pixelated Valentine’s, greeting or picture card, inspired by the Game Masters exhibition. 12 noon-4pm, Grand Gallery Level 1 (2) Replay Events: video games. Join in two Gaming Zones run by Replay Events. 11am-4pm, Grand Gallery and Hawthornden Court, Level 1, National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street. Free. There is a full programme of games-related events throughout the rest of half term – see the NMS website for details. ‘You’ll never be board this half-term’…..

Edinburgh Iranian Festival: Children’s Book Reading. Meet authors Azita Pourghasem (Persian Nursery Rhymes) and Mahdi Ziae (The Adventures of Sohrab and the Genie), who will read from their books and answer your questions. Persian Nursery Rhymesis a collection of 29 Persian Rhyme songs by Hengameh Yashar from 1960s Iran, complete with English translation and CD; The Adventures of Sohrab and the Genie explores a boy’s journey from boyhood to maturity through a series of adventures which teach him about life, kindness and friendship. 3-4pm, Word Power Books, West Nicolson Street. Free admission.

Snowdrop and Early Spring Walk: join a Garden Guide on a walk to discover the Garden’s wonderful collection of specialist snowdrops. You can also see other early flowering plants that herald the onset of spring. For ages 14+. 11am-12.30pm, John Hope Gateway Reception, Royal Botanic Garden of Edinburgh, Inverleith Row. £5 per person, no advance booking required.

St Giles’ At Six: the choirs of Heriot Watt University – Great British Choral Music, conducted by Steve King. 6pm, St Giles’ Cathedral, High Street. Free: retiring collection.