Dug Day: new name but the same doggy fun! A great way to socialise your wet-nosed friend and meet other dog owners from the area. 12 noon, Sofi’s Bar, Henderson Street. Free.
Humanitarian Aid for Ukraine: a fundraising afternoon tea with a glass of bubbly or juice, sandwiches and home baking. 4pm, Ukrainian Club, 14 Royal Terrace. Tickets cost £8 (children £4) and can be obtained by contacting Senia Urquhart on 07920 854 136 or Lesia Demianczuk on 07939 460 500 or emailing ScottishUkrainians@gmail.com.
Portrait Gallery Thematic Tour: Seven Queens of Scotland. Former Senior Curator Susanna Kerr will examine the style of royal portraiture from the 16th to the 21st century. 2-2.45pm or 3-3.45pm, Scottish National Portrait Gallery, 1 Queen Street. Free: no booking required.
Edinburgh International Science Festival: Reindeer Safari. Experience the city as a reindeer. Hear about the reindeer’s way of life from Timo Jokitalo, Eeva Kemppi, Minja Mertanen and Veera Turunen, members of Finnish live arts collective Other Spaces, then walk – quietly and collectively as a herd would – through Edinburgh. On your return, the materials and ‘data’ collected on the walk will be displayed to the public as an art piece, with the chance to ask questions of the organisers and participants. This piece won the Finnish Environmental Art Piece of the Year in 2011 and has been taking its participants on a wayfaring experience through the semi-urban landscapes of today ever since. It opens up new ways to experience the city and its natural spaces, allowing the senses to sharpen as the group experiences the borderline between nature and human culture. Bring walking shoes, a backpack, water bottle and weather-appropriate clothes – no costumes! For ages 14+. 11am-4.30pm, Old Lab, Summerhall, 1 Summerhall. Tickets cost £10 and may be purchased online here or by calling the Festival Box Office on 0844 557 2686.
Polish Rhymetime! For young children and babies and their parents and carers. 11am, Piershill Library, 30 Piershill Terrace. All welcome!
Raoul De Keyser: Curator’s Tour. Curator Paul Nesbitt and Exhibitions Officer Chloe Reith lead an in-depth discussion on the work of Raoul De Keyser and the current exhibition Paintings 1967-2012. 2-3pm, Inverleith House, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, Inverleith Row. The exhibition continues until 12th April 2015.
Cowgate Pop-Up Market #2: a one-day, pop-up, multi-venue arts/flea market – art, craft, fashion, music and food, with a dozen Cowgate venues (Movement, Opium, Sneaky Pete’s, The Bongo Club, Dropdick Murphy’s, Three Sisters, Brewdog, The Mash House, La Belle Angele, City Cafe, Cabaret Voltaire and Pilgrim) opening their doors. 1-5pm, Cowgate. Free entry.
Alastair Clark: Lithography Demonstration. Artist and master printer Alastair Clark will introduce his new gallery installation Star Clusters, commissioned by Edinburgh Printmakers for the exhibition Dark Matters. Alastair will then give a demonstration of the printmaking technique used to create the work, the process of lithography. 2-3.30pm, Edinburgh Printmakers, Union Street. Tickets £3 or two for £5 (EP Members free): places are limited so please book in advance via eventbrite here. Dark Matters is a collaborative project between Edinburgh Printmakers, the UK Astronomy Technology Centre and Edinburgh University, curated by artist David Faithfull; it continues until 23rd May 2015.
Edinburgh International Science Festival: Forage on the Farm. Experience the delicious delights of the farm, and find out what it takes to get fresh ingredients from the field to your plate: take a tour around the farm with some foraging on the way, and once your basket is full you’ll have the opportunity to cook up a tasty treat in the kitchen and challenge your palette with an eggy taste test! 2-3.30pm today and every day until 19th April 2015, Gorgie City Farm, 51 Gorgie Road. Tickets cost £6/£4 (under 3s free) and may be purchased online here; please remember to book a free ticket for any child under 3 years.
Open Eye Gallery: New Exhibitions. (1) The Living Mountain – Edinburgh painter and calligrapher Susie Leiper presents an exhibition in tribute to Nan Shepherd and the mountains of Scotland; (2) New Works – Edinburgh-based artist Deborah Cumming’s still life paintings offer vibrant colour, texture and fine detail. 10am-4pm today then 10am-6pm Monday to Friday, 10am-4pm Saturdays, Open Eye Gallery, Abercromby Place. The Living Mountain ends 22nd April 2015; New Works ends 20th April 2015.
Puppet Animation Festival 2015: Mousetale Puppets Present Oscar and the Highland Castle. Answering a call for help, Oscar the mouse leaves his attic home and heads for Loch Ness, where he finds Incy Wincy Spider among the ruins of an old castle. Mysteriously swept back in time, Oscar joins Incy’s campaign to free the castle from English rule and restore Scotland’s independence! For ages 4+/family. 11-11.40am, North Edinburgh Arts, 15a Pennywell Court. Tickets cost £4/£3/£2 and can be booked by calling North Edinburgh Arts on 0131 315 2151, emailing admin@northedinburgharts.co.uk or in person. Please note this show takes place in the dark: please call the centre in advance if this is your child’s first time at a UV performance.
St Cuthbert’s Organ Recitals: Morely Whitehead (Morningside Parish Church). A devotional performance of Alan Ridout’s Stations of the Cross, interspersed with readings. 12.30-1.15pm, St Cuthbert’s Parish Church, 5 Lothian Road. Free: retiring collection.
Edinburgh Central Mosque Dads and Toddlers Group: stories and play in an Islamic environment for babies and children up to the age of 5 and their Dads. 10am-12 noon today and every Saturday, Exhibition Hall, Edinburgh Central Mosque, 50 Potterrow. For more information please email tajzareenok@gmail.com.
Retrograde: live DJ set of deep cosmic grooves with an old school flavour. 9pm, Victoria Bar, 265 Leith Walk.
The Edinburgh Easter Play: On The Edge. ‘A radical new perspective on the Easter story’, seen from the point of view of wives and daughters, soldiers and siblings, the play offers an idea of the way in which Jesus affected the lives of ordinary people around him. The Edinburgh Easter Play is a large-scale community production (now in its 10th year), with a cast and crew of volunteers drawn from groups all across the city. Last year’s production attracted an audience of around 2,500 people. 2pm, West Princes Street Gardens (please note this is an open-air performance). Free.
LateLab – Tron v Tron: Legacy. Kick off the 2015 Latelab season by playing Light Cycle to decide which film, Tron or Tron: Legacy gets the Atmosphere treatment in a special expanded cinema event to complement the Games Master exhibition. Be transported inside the software world of a mainframe computer, where interaction between programmes, good and malicious, is the only way to get back out. Behind the smoke and mirrors, watch out for the bits and bytes. Sean Williams and Matt Collings will be mixing a new 5.1 soundtrack for the audience in the auditorium. For adults and over 14s only. 7.30-10pm, Auditorium, National Museum of Scotland (entry via Lothian Street). Tickets cost £10/£8 and may be booked online here (transaction fees apply). Latelab is a collaboration between the Edinburgh International Science Festival and New Media Scotland, in association with the National Museum.
