Making Grass Head Characters: for ages 5-12. 3-4pm, Muirhouse Library, 15 Pennywell Court.
Blooming Marvellous: a spring craft session bursting with life and fun! 2pm, Water of Leith Visitor Centre, 24 Lanark Road. £4 per child, accompanying adult free. Booking is essential; call 0131 455 7367 or email admin@waterofleith.org.uk.
Red Kite Animation Workshops: create an animation of anything you can imagine! Red Kite is a Leith-based award-winning production company, specialising in the development and production of children’s animated content; these workshops are for primary school age children. 2-4pm, Leith Library, 28-30 Ferry Road. To book call 0131 529 5517 or email leith.library@edinburgh.gov.uk. Some drop-in places may be available on the day.
Craigmillar Library Spring Break Activities: Joe’s Tricks. 1.30-2.30pm, Craigmillar Library, 101 Niddrie Mains Road. Any child under 8 years must be supervised by a family member over the age of 12.
Puppet Animation Festival 2015: The Folding Theatre Company Presents Jabberwocky. An evil prince is ruining the kingdom; he taxes the people something rotten! To make matters worse, a plague of monsters has descended on the poor benighted people – something has to be done! It falls to (somewhat gormless) Quentin to track and slay the Jabberwock – if only he had heeded his father’s warnings! But Quentin is doing it all for his beloved Cynthia – and the prince has designs on her as well…. For ages 5+. 10.40-11.15am, Out of the Blue Drill Hall, 36 Dalmeny Street. Tickets cost £6 (adults)/£4 (children) and can be booked via eventbrite here.
Puppet Animation Festival 2015: Angus Arts Magical Miniature Marvels Puppet Making Workshop. Using a fabulous array of materials and methods, create delightful, daring, charming and champion, amazing, astonishing miniature puppets. Create your own scenery, sound effects, music and lighting, and help your puppets perform stunning short shows in magical mini theatres. For all ages – children under 8 must be accompanied by an adult. 2-4pm, Out of the Blue Drill Hall, 36 Dalmeny Street. Tickets cost £6 (adults)/£4 (children) and can be booked via eventbrite here.
Portrait Gallery Curator’s Talk: Beauty By Design. A monthly chance to chat to the curators about the current exhibitions: this time Kate Anderson, Senior Curator, discusses Beauty By Design. 5.30-6pm, Scottish National Portrait Gallery, 1 Queen Street. Free: no booking required.
Blackwell’s Edinburgh Presents Quintin Jardine: Last Resort. In the 25th instalment in the Bob Skinner series, the former Chief Constable faces the possible end of his police career when a quiet trip to Catalunya takes on a different flavour. 6.30-8pm, Blackwell’s, South Bridge. Free tickets may be obtained from the shop’s front desk, by calling 0131 622 8218 or emailing events.edinburgh@blackwell.co.uk. or via eventbrite here.
The Drawing Room: informal, artist-led drawing sessions led by contemporary artists and reflecting concerns within the artist’s work. 5.30-6.45pm, Scottish Gallery of Modern Art ONE, Belford Road. All materials supplied, no experience necessary. Free but booking is required: please contact the Education Department on 0131 624 6410 or email or email education@nationalgalleries.org.
Refugee Survival Trust and Scottish Poetry Library Poetry Reading with WN Herbert: Journeys – reflecting the refugee experience. Dundee makar WN Herbert will open the session by reading his own poems for half an hour; he will then invite others to read and discuss their poems. Members of the public are invited to contact Sarah at fundraising_volunteer@rst.org.uk if they would like to read a poem in English or another language. Refreshments will be provided. 6.30-8pm, Lauriston Hall, Lauriston Street. Tickets cost £5/£4 and may be booked via eventbrite here.
Fine Art Society Edinburgh Spring Show: a collection of paintings, drawings, photography, craft and design from 21 Dumfries and Galloway artists. Preview tonight 6-8pm – RSVP via eventbrite here, then 10am-6pm Monday to Friday, 11am-2pm Saturdays, Dundas Street Gallery, 6 Dundas Street. Ends 25th April 2015.
Locating ‘True Buddhism’ in the Modern World: a special guest lecture by Professor Stephen Berkwitz (Missouri State University). 5.30-6.30pm, Martin Hall, New College, University of Edinburgh, Mound Place. Free and open to all.
All The Fun of the Fair: selected gallery artists bring all the sights and sounds of the Fairground. New work by Kevin Low, Henry Kondracki, David Schofield, Annette Edgar, and new to the gallery, Lindsey Snedden. Preview tonight 6-8pm, then 10.30am-6pm Tuesday to Friday, 10.30am-5.30pm Saturdays, 12 noon-6pm Sundays, Union Gallery, 45 Broughton Street.
Mayfield Salisbury Parish Church Thursday Club: The Canary Islands – a talk by Boyd McAdam. 2-4pm, Upper Hall, Mayfield Salisbury Parish Church, 18 West Mayfield. All welcome; membership is £3 per year but you don’t need to be a member to come along! Tea 50p per week. Please contact Florence Smith on 0131 662 1234 for further information.
Jewellery Event: meet renowned Scottish jeweller Chris Lewis and enjoy a complementary glass of prosecco whilst viewing his new ranges in the Portrait Gallery shop. The first 50 guests will receive a National Galleries of Scotland goodie bag, and all attendees will receive 15% off purchases made on the night. 5-7pm, Scottish National Portrait Gallery, 1 Queen Street. Free and unticketed.
AL Kennedy In Conversation: the multi-award-winning author will read from her work and discuss it with Edinburgh University Writer in Residence Jenni Fagan. ‘AL Kennedy’s books should come with a warning: these stories may break your heart’ (The Independent). 6-7pm, Looking Glass Books, 36 Simpson’s Loan, Quartermile. Free: all welcome.
Edinburgh International Science Festival: Expedition Botanics. Join Expedition Botanics in the search for traditional knowledge about Colombian rainforest plants. Learn how to survive using the resources of the forest and help to discover how the people of the Amazon use plants in daily life. Collect stamps in your passport as you complete activities in Forest Survival, Plant Hunters, Food of the Gods, Amazonian Animals, Gardens in the Forest, Wise People and Incredible Edibles. For ages 4+. 11am-3.45pm today and every day until Wednesday 15th April (drop-in – trail takes about one hour), Palm House, Royal Botanic Garden of Edinburgh, Inverleith Row. Tickets cost £5/£3 and may be purchased on arrival on the day, booked online here or by calling the Science Festival office on 0844 557 2686.
Cafe Voices: The Woods are Lovely Dark and Deep. Stories from the forests with much travelled storyteller Daniel Allison, at the Centre’s monthly session in the Storytelling Court, with an open-floor section for storytellers. 7pm, Storytelling Court, Scottish Storytelling Centre, 43-45 High Street. Tickets cost £5 and may be booked in person, online here or by calling the Box Office on 0131 556 9579; a transaction fee applies to online and phone bookings.
Puppet Animation Festival 2015: Clydebuilt Puppet Theatre Presents 3 Bears. For ages 3+ and their parents/carers. 1.30pm, Valley Park Community Centre, 37 Southhouse Road. 50p per child, accompanying adults free; please call 0131 664 2210 to book.
Edinburgh International Science Festival: Spotlight On Philosophy and the Sciences. How did cosmology evolve from metaphysics to science? How can the laws of cosmology be tested? What are dark matter and dark energy, and what is the evidence for them? Join philosopher of science Michela Massimi and Peter Davidson, senior curator of Minerals and Meteorites, NMS, to ask the big questions about our universe. For ages 14+. 2-3pm (doors open 1.45pm), Auditorium, Level 1, National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street. Free but booking is required: click here to book online.
Chris Tracy: live acoustic session with a selection of classic tunes, old and new. 9pm, Old Chain Pier, Trinity Crescent.
