What’s On in Edinburgh this week?

It may not be August quite yet, but we already have FIVE festivals featured this week! So whether it’s books, films, bikes or Leith that you feel like celebrating, now’s your chance. It’s Fathers’ Day on Sunday too; instead of landing your Dad with another pair of socks, why not treat him to a day at the National Museum, a ride on the Bo’ness & Kennel Railway or some jazz at the Old Chain Pier? At least you won’t have to take any of those back to the shop on Monday.

We do our very best to make sure listings are accurate, but please check details with the organisers before setting out.

MONDAY 15TH JUNE 2015

Morefun Book Festival: a four-day celebration of books for children in the Moredun/Gilmerton area. An exciting line-up of authors and storytellers includes Janis Mackay, Sarah Forbes, Annemarie Allan and Simon Radcliffe. There will be the opportunity to create your own book, collage, poetry or comic, plus a chance to bring favourite characters to life with animation screenings in collaboration with Edinburgh College of Art. Today until Thursday 18th June, Moredun Library, 92 Moredun Park Road; contact the library for the full programme.

Blackwell’s Edinburgh Adult Book Group: join the group for lively, friendly book chatter about a wide range of books. Currently reading William Boyd’s The Blue Afternoon. (The book for July will be John Steinbeck’s East of Eden). 6-8pm, Blackwell’s, South Bridge. To join please just email your details to events.edinburgh@blackwell.co.uk.

Picturehouses Culture Shock: bringing you the best in cult and genre films. Today’s film is Ghostbusters (12A): when nightmarish apparitions run amok in the Big Apple, the Ghostbusters charge up their proton packs and send them back where they came from. Starring Sigourney Weaver and Rick Moranis. 9pm, Cameo, Home Street. Tickets may be booked in person, by calling the Box Office on 0871 902 5723 or online here.

Books Always Everywhere: A workshop for 3 and 4 year olds. Join author Jane Blatt to play with books, make books, and act out a story about books! 1.30-2.30pm, Central Children’s Library, George IV Bridge. Free but booking is required and may be made via eventbrite here: please make sure that you book a place for yourself as well as one for your child. This event forms part of Edinburgh City Libraries’ 125th Anniversary celebrations.

The Servery: coffees, teas, cakes, snacks, soups and a warm welcome at this new cafe opening today 10am-4pm, The Salvation Army, 429 Gorgie Road.

Filmhouse Restored Classics: Cry of the City (12A). A vivid depiction of life in New York’s Little Italy, Robert Siodmak’s fast-paced crime thriller anticipates the films of Martin Scorsese. ‘The movie fields a glorious gallery of shady figures, from a lawyer oozing corruption to a memorably sadistic masseuse’. 3.30pm and 6.15pm, Filmhouse, Lothian Road. Tickets may be purchased in person, by calling the Box Office on 0131 228 2688 or online here: prices vary. Also at 6.15pm on Tuesday 16th June and at 3.30pm and 8.40pm on Wednesday 17th June 2015.

Record Breakers Summer Reading Challenge Scotland: join award-winning author and illustrator Catherine Rayner at the launch of this year’s challenge, running in libraries all over Scotland throughout the summer. Hear some of Catherine’s stories and get signed up! . This session will focus on stories for children aged 5-8 years, and will be broadcast live online. 3.45pm, Morningside Library, 184 Morningside Road. Free but please book your place by contacting the library in advance.

Edinburgh Festival of Cycling continues today! Rides, films, talks, drama, books, photos, workshops and lots more. Today’s events include a Bamboo Bicycle Building Workshop, a Guided Cycle Tour to the Bridges, Monday Mechanics workshop and a Spokes Public Meeting on Bike/Rail. For more information please see the festival’s website here or its Facebook page here, or pick up a programme from many venues across the city and beyond, including libraries, leisure centres and many shops. Ends 21st June 2015.

Leith Festival 2015: Citadel Arts Presents Witch Academy. Come to a new family show set in the heart of enchanted Leith! Colourful characters, magical spells – and at the end of the day, even witches have to get along. A play for children by children. Citadel Arts Youth Drama Team is a dynamic youth theatre with talented children from six local primary schools. Witch Academy was written by Laure C Paterson and is directed by Andrea McKenzie. 6pm, Leith Dockers Club, 17 Academy Street. Tickets cost £6/£3. For more information please email lizhare@blueyonder.co.uk or call 0131 337 8570 or 07770 623 924.

For Crying Out Loud: special screenings for parents and carers and their babies under the age of one year, accompanied by a maximum of two adults. Babychanging, bottle-warming and buggy parking facilities are available. Today’s film is Cry of the City (12A) (see ‘Filmhouse Restored Classics’ listing above for details), 11am, Filmhouse, Lothian Road. Tickets for these screenings cost £4.50/£3.50 per adult (babies admitted free).

Edinburgh College of Art Animation Degree Show: the films at this year’s show from ECA’s award-winning animation department touch on subjects from chewing gum and walking sticks to memories, family bonds, songs, grandfathers and ghosts. There are also films made in a day and films made in 48 hours. 8.30pm, Filmhouse, Lothian Road. Tickets may be purchased in person, by calling the Box Office on 0131 228 2688 or online here: prices vary.

Language Cafe: 7-10pm tonight and every Monday, Victoria, 265 Leith Walk.

Grassmarket Community Project Free Cinema: Pride (15). Realising that they share common foes in Margaret Thatcher, the police and the Tory press, London-based gay activists decide to work to help Welsh miners during their lengthy strike in the summer of 1984. Based on a true story, Pride is an inspiring, entertaining and moving film. 7pm, Grassmarket Community Project, 86 Candlemaker Row. All welcome. Admission is free, but donations from those who are able to make them are much appreciated by the Project, which is a social enterprise taking an innovative approach to creating community and providing sanctuary and support to participants, many of whom are amongst the most vulnerable of our citizens.

TUESDAY 16TH JUNE 2015

Leith Festival 2015: Speed Crafting. For one night only…come and see what the Scottish Women’s Institute gets up to – five crafts, five tables, twenty minutes each and a whistle! Crafty experts and crafty virgins all equally welcome! 7-9.30pm (please arrive in time to start promptly at 7.30), MacDonald Sporrans, 170b Great Junction Street. All welcome – you don’t have to be a member to come along, and men are welcome at this event too – but you must be over 18. Materials, equipment and a welcome drink are all provided free (thanks to HLF funding) but booking is essential as there are just 60 places and last year this event was full. Contact LeithWRI@gmail.com for more information and to book – please note that joining the event on Facebook is not enough to secure your place, (although it’s still a good idea to do so so that you get any updates).

Lunchtime Concert: Charles Whitehead. Classical piano pieces. 12.15pm, St Giles’ Cathedral, High Street. Free.

The Idea of the University in the 21st Century: A Pop-Up Forum. This event will bring together a group of panelists in an informal format to develop new ideas between themselves and the audience, inspired by the work of Visiting Research Fellow Willem Halffman, who will participate in the debate along with Hazel Hall, Director of the Centre for Social Informatics (Edinburgh Napier), Alison Elliot, psychologist, Co-director of the Centre for Theology and Public Issues (University of Edinburgh) and first female Moderator of the Church of Scotland, and Igor Stiks, writer and Leverhulme Early Career fellow (Edinburgh College of Art). The panel will consider the challenges facing universities across the world, and whether Newman’s classical idea of the university as an intellectual community that exists for its own sake can still apply in the 21st century. An abstract from Willem Halffman’s article on The Academic Manifesto: From an Occupied to a Public University is available online here and it is hoped that the audience will be inspired to have a look at Willem’s interesting ideas. The event will be moderated by Jo Shaw, Director of the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities. 5.15-7.30pm, Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities, University of Edinburgh, 2 Hope Square (off Meadow Lane). Free but please register via eventbrite here.

Edinburgh Festival of Cycling continues today! Rides, films, talks, drama, books, photos, workshops and lots more. Today’s events include guided cycle rides, a workshop on keeping yourself fit to ride, a bike maintenance session and the Brompton Fold-Fest – how fast can you fold a Brompton bike? There are prizes! For more information please see the festival’s website here or its Facebook page here, or pick up a programme from many venues across the city and beyond, including libraries, leisure centres and many shops. Ends 21st June 2015.

E-Book Surgery: find out about borrowing eBooks, e-magazines and audiobooks. 10.30am-12.30pm (drop-in), Newington Library, Fountainhall Road. Also at same times on 23rd and 30th June 2015.

An Evening with Keith Partridge: Keith Partridge has recorded in some of the most beautiful and hostile environments in the world and is probably the world’s most experienced expedition cameraman. Tonight he discusses his new book The Adventure Game, the story of his life told through several expeditions, ranging from the deep caves of Papua New Guinea to the summit of Mount Everest. 6pm, Waterstones West End, 128 Princes Street. Free but ticketed: tickets are available from the store – call 0131 226 2666 for further details.

Aly Sidgwick: Lullaby Girl. The author launches her debut novel, accompanied by music from Scottish folk band Cherrygrove. A mysterious girl is found washed up on the banks of a remote loch and taken to a psychiatric home in the Highlands. Mute and covered in bruises, she has no memory of who she is or how she got there. The only clue to her identity is the Danish lullaby she sings… 6.30pm, Looking Glass Books, Simpson Loan, Quartermile. To reserve your free place please call 0131 625 4500 or book via eventbrite here.

Leith Folk Club: Black Feathers. ‘Sublime vocals and arrangements of music drawn from folk, roots and Americana. The Black Feathers are going to be enormous – and you can hear them first here’. With supports Eileen Penman and Susan McLure. 7.30pm, Victoria Park House Hotel, 221 Ferry Road. Tickets cost £7 and may be purchased online here or by texting the club’s reservation line on 07502 024 852.

Zine Workshop with Glasgow Women’s Library. Zines are small self-made publications and can be about anything – come along and explore fanzines from the library’s collection, learn how they are made and even make your own. 1-3pm, George Washington Browne Room, Central Library, George IV Bridge. Free but booking is required via eventbrite here. This event forms part of In Their Own Write – Women and Words, a festival of talks, exhibitions and workshops organised by Glasgow Women’s Library, Edinburgh City Libraries and the Bonnie Fechters women’s group.

St Andrew’s & St George’s West Summer Lecture Series: Building Stronger Communities. The Rev Peter Macdonald will talk on Building Christian Community in Scotland. In this series three noted speakers explore the issues from interfaith, academic, economic and practical perspectives: Peter Macdonald is the leader of the Iona Community, having been a member of the community for more than half of his life. Community has informed his faith, challenged his lifestyle and influenced his ministry. He was formerly the minister at St George’s West Church. 7.30-9.30pm, St Andrew’s & St George’s West Church, 13 George Street. All welcome: free admission.

Town of Runners Film Screening: Edinburgh University’s Global Development Academy and Running Across Borders in association with IAFF Athletics for a Better World invite you to an evening screening of this award-winning documentary, followed by a chance to meet legendary Ethiopian coach Sentayehu Eshetu. In a country long associated with poverty, famine and war, word-record-beating athletes are a source of pride; Bekoji’s athletes have won 16 Olympic medals in 20 years – Kenenisa Bekele, Tariku Belele, Tiki Gelana, Tirunesh Dibaba, Genzebe Dibaba and Derata Tulu all hail from this remote town 8,500 feet up in the Southern Highlands, and all started to run under Sentayehu Eshetu’s guidance.  Jerry Rothwell’s documentary follows the fortunes of young athletes raised in Bekoji who hope to emulate their local heroes and compete on the world’s stage. 6.30-8.30pm, 50 George Square, University of Edinburgh. Free but registration is required via eventbrite here, and there will be a collection at the event for Bekoji Athletics Project.

Happy Child, Happy Home: a talk by international Waldorf-Steiner author and teacher Lou Harvey-Zahra, who will introduce Conscious Parenting as a way of helping any home become more harmonious, and Creative Discipline; tools to transform behaviours in a positive manner and create more relaxed and connected parent and child relationships. 8-9.30pm, Edinburgh Steiner School, 60 Spylaw Road.

Pub Quiz: 7.30pm, Old Chain Pier, Trinity Crescent, Newhaven.

Kitten on the Keys: weekly open mic night. 8pm, Boda Bar, 229 Leith Walk.

WEDNESDAY 17TH JUNE 2015

Donald Gorrie Schools Debating Competition: for the third annual competition the motion is ‘This house believes that we can create and sustain communities across the nation of Scotland in the 21st century’. 6.30-9.30pm, St Andrew’s & St George’s West Church, 13 George Street. All welcome: free admission – come along and encourage the teams, all from local schools! Last year’s winners were Craigmount High Seniors and Royal High Juniors.

Edinburgh International Film Festival starts today! The opening film is Robert Carlyle’s directorial debut The Legend of Barney Thomson, starring Carlyle himself as a downtrodden Glaswegian barber whose life is turned upside down when he accidentally turns killer, and Emma Thompson as his hilariously fierce mother Cemolina, plus Ray Winstone, Martin Compston and Tom Courtenay. ‘A deliriously dark comedy to be cherished’. 9pm, Festival Theatre, Nicolson Street. Tickets cost £15/£10 and are available in person from the Filmhouse, Lothian Road, Cineworld, Fountain Park, Odeon, Lothian Road and the Festival Theatre itself, by calling 0131 623 8030 or online here.

Read, Relax, Recharge: Wendy Kirk, Glasgow Women’s Library librarian, invites you to bring along your lunch and relax while you listen to a story being read, then join in some lively discussion. An informal and welcoming session for women of all ages, from all walks of life. 12.30-2.30pm, Boardroom, Central Library, George IV Bridge. Free but booking is required via eventbrite here. This event forms part of In Their Own Write – Women and Words, a festival of talks, exhibitions and workshops organised by Glasgow Women’s Library, Edinburgh City Libraries and the Bonnie Fechters women’s group.

Chatterbooks: a fun reading group for children aged 8-12 years. If you like books, come along and meet new friends, chat about books and join in games and competitions. 3.45-4.45pm, Fountainbridge Library, 137 Dundee Street. Free. For more information please ask in the library, call 0131 529 5617 or email Mohammed.boussabou@edinburgh.gov.uk.

Edinburgh Festival of Cycling continues today! Rides, films, talks, drama, books, photos, workshops and lots more. Today’s events include the Spokes’ Bike Breakfast and talks by Shannon Gilpin, activist and National Geographic Adventurer of the Year, and Christine Thomson, the Papercut Artist (see separate listing).  For more information please see the festival’s website here or its Facebook page here, or pick up a programme from many venues across the city and beyond, including libraries, leisure centres and many shops. Ends 21st June 2015.

Visually Impaired Tour and Workshop – REFLECTIONS: a series of changing displays of Contemporary Art. A free descriptive tour and practical workshop for the visually impaired. 10am-3.30pm, Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art ONE, Belford Road (the workshop will end at Modern Art TWO). Booking is required and may be made by calling the Information Desk on 0131 624 6560.

Common Weal Edinburgh North & Leith Book Group: discussing Naomi Klein’s most recent book on capitalism and climate change This Changes Everything. 7.30pm, Pear Tree House, West Nicolson Street. All welcome.

Lunchtime Concert: Will Pickvance – Piano Speak.  12.15pm, St Giles’ Cathedral, High Street. Free.

Get Organised: Music with Edinburgh Connections. John Kitchen plays music by the blind organist Alfred Hollins, two preludes by Kenneth Leighton, Cecilia McDowall’s new piece Celebration and A Scottish Tuba Tune by Donald Sprink. 1.10-1.50pm, Usher Hall, Lothian Road. Tickets cost £4 on the door and may also be booked in advance here (transaction fee applies).

The Artist’s Route: Glasgow to Edinburgh via Buckingham Palace – and various stops in between. Born in Glasgow, Christine Thomson DA – the Papercut Artist – has had a passion for drawing all her life, from her first poetry illustration in Primary 5 to a pen and ink of her Raleigh bicycle as a GSA portfolio piece, to designing the Commonwealth Games papercut and an invitation to the Queen’s Baton Relay launch. The commemorative papercut for the Edinburgh Festival of Cycling is her latest piece. 2-3pm,  Central Library, George IV Bridge. Free but booking is required via eventbrite here. This event forms part of Edinburgh Festival of Cycling 2015.

Getting Started at the National Library: learn how to get a library card, find your way around the library and request materials from the collections – the workshop includes a tour of the reading rooms lasting approximately 90 minutes. 10.30am, National Library of Scotland, George IV Bridge. Free but booking is required and may be made online here or by calling 0131 623 3734. If you wish to apply for a library card on the day please bring proof of identity with you (details on NLS website here). For more information about this workshop please email enquiries@nls.uk.

Ewan Morrison: How I Accidentally Invented the Selfie 25 Years Ago. Award-winning author, screenwriter and director Ewan Morrison’s Screen Play: A self-portrait has been recently acquired for the Scottish National Portrait Gallery collection. In this talk Morrison will give a brief history of postmodern art, considering how his own artwork fits into it – and how it really doesn’t. 12.45-1.30pm, Hawthornden Lecture Theatre, Scottish National Gallery, The Mound. Free and unticketed.

Picturehouses E4 Slackers’ Club: a monthly free screening for students. This month’s film is Entourage: The Movie, ‘a high octane, Hollywood-set comedy’. 9pm, Cameo, Home Street. Tickets may be obtained by calling the Box Office on 0871 902 5723. To join the Slackers’ Club take your NUS or student photo ID card to the cinema; membership is free and existing Student Picturehouse Members have automatic membership of the club.

Stockbridge and Inverleith Community Council: 7pm, Stockbridge Church, Saxe Coburg Street. All welcome. For more information please see the Community Council’s website or contact stockbridgeandinverleithcc@gmail.com

Bi and Beyond Edinburgh: a fortnightly social gathering for people who identify as bisexual and non-monosexual. With organised social activities and refreshments provided, whatever your label or lack of label, we welcome you. 7-9pm, LGBT Health & Wellbeing, 9 Howe Street. For more information please contact biandbeyondedinburgh@gmail.com.

How the Scots Conquered Waterloo: join Owen Dudley Edwards as he discusses his latest book, in which he recollects the battle through the paintings, literature and letters of soldiers and Scottish artists who were there. 6pm, National Library of Scotland, George IV Bridge. Free but booking is required and may be made online here or by calling 0131 623 3734.

Leith Festival 2015: CultFusion #1. Poets Nancy Somerville, Jo McFarlane, Angus Reid and Rex Sweeny join forces with singer-songwriter Kriss Robb for a spirited evening of widely contrasting poetry and music. 8pm, Constitution Bar, Constitution Street. £3 on the door. For further information please contact julianjmcenroe@yahoo.co.uk.

THURSDAY 18TH JUNE 2015

Leith Festival 2015: Trainspotting Tour. Great as an introduction to the book and film – and equally great if you’re a hard-core fan, as guide Tim Bell gives lots of insights you’ve probably never thought of before – whilst not missing any of the laughs. For adults only. 7pm, Port O’Leith Bar, 58 Constitution Street (starts here and ends at the Foot of the Walk 183 Constitution Street). £4/£3 per person – no advance booking, just turn up: for information please email mail@leithwalks.co.uk. Also at same time on Friday 19th June and Saturday 20th June 2015.

Onwards! LGBT Age Capacity Building Project: for LGBT community members and professionals working in older people’s services. 2.30-5pm, LGBT Health & Wellbeing, 9 Howe Street. Booking is essential and may be made by calling 0131 652 3284 or emailing katherine@lgbthealth.org.uk.

Help Contribute to Recovery in South West Edinburgh – Volunteers Needed! Community Health & Advice Initiative – Edinburgh Alcohol and Drug Partnership invites people who are in recovery, and interested in being part of a team to develop and shape recovery in this area, to an informal get together (with lunch provided). 10.30am, Wester Hailes Healthy Living Centre, 30 Harvesters Way. For further information and to book your place, please call Susan Butters at CHAI on 0131 453 9406.

Spells, Spaceships and Seashells: readings by Oxpens Creative Writing Group. 2-3pm, Oxgangs Library, 343 Oxgangs Road North. New members of the group are welcomed – please contact Morag at Pentland Community Centre on 0131 445 2875 or morag.grant@ea.edin.sch.uk.

Easel Sketching in the Gallery – June: led by artist Damian Callan. A different subject every month, sometimes with a model. 2-4pm, Scottish National Portrait Gallery (please ask at the information desk for exact location), 1 Queen Street. Free; no booking required; all materials supplied. Also at same times on Friday 19th June 2015.

Edinburgh International Film Festival continues today! For details of all films and other events see the programme here or pick up a paper copy at EIFF venues and many other locations throughout the city. Tickets are available in person from the Filmhouse, Lothian Road, Cineworld, Fountain Park, Odeon, Lothian Road and the Festival Theatre, by calling 0131 623 8030 or online here. Today’s highlights include The Closer We Get, Karen Guthrie’s ‘tender yet bittersweet’ Scottish documentary about of an apparently ordinary family having to deal with broken dreams and hidden secrets, and Hector, the story of a homeless man (a perfectly pitched performance from Peter Mullan) whose past life starts to catch up with him.

An Evening of Classical Music with Charles Whitehead: the New Zealander concert pianist plays Prokofiev Piano Sonata Op 8 No 84, Ravel Gaspard de la Nuit and Scriabin Deux poemes Op 32. 7pm, St Andrew’s & St George’s West Church, 13 George Street. All welcome: free admission.

Inspired Flash Fiction: a guided visit to the City Art Gallery followed by an art-inspired flash fiction writing workshop at the Central Library. Please note that this event involves about 20 minutes of walking, some of it uphill. 2pm, City Art Gallery, 2 Market Street. Free but booking is required via eventbrite here. This event forms part of In Their Own Write – Women and Words, a festival of talks, exhibitions and workshops organised by Glasgow Women’s Library, Edinburgh City Libraries and the Bonnie Fechters women’s group.

The Luvvies Present Love Match: ‘playing gay in the straight world’. Richard Hall’s play looks at what happens when a mainstream actor takes on his first gay role and considers the pressures of pretending (or not). ‘A comedy of manners for the gay world, going from love-all to match-point in two sets’. Plus two shorts by David Dalzell, Moved to Touch and Train to New Zealand, plays that represent a larger work-in-progress exploring LGBT people’s need to feel connected, or realising disconnection. For ages 15+. 7.30pm, Red Lecture Theatre, Summerhall, 1 Summerhall. Tickets cost £9/£6 and may be purchased from the Box Office in person, by calling 0131 560 1581 or online here. Also at same time on Friday 19th and Saturday 20th June 2015. The Luvvies exist to promote dramatic theatre that expresses aspects of the lives and experiences of the LGBT community, and to increase confidence and self-esteem.  For more information email info@theluvvies.org.

Simon Armitage – The Great War: An Elegy. The award-winning poet, playwright, novelist, lyricist and broadcaster discusses the challenges of writing poetry for his BBC commission The Great War: An Elegy and shows film extracts. 6-7.30pm, Hawthornden Lecture Theatre, Scottish National Gallery, The Mound. Tickets cost £5/£4 and may be purchased in person from the gallery’s Information Desk or by calling 0131 624 6560 between 9.30am and 4.30pm.

(Image (c) Paul Wolfgang Webster)

Word Power Books Presents Barry Phillips and Grant Hill. Barry Phillips is a third generation Dundee supporter; his debut novel The Tartan Special One has gained thousands of fans worldwide with its surreal charm and violent hilarity – ‘Scottish football gets torn apart and stitched back together with due care and debauchery’. Grant Hill founded the now infamous Teckle Collective; his debut Clubbed to Death ‘weaves its way through the unforgiving nature of the music industry via the empty dancefloors of a club for the lost’. ‘A very funny, no-holds-barred, romp into the Dundonian badlands’ (Neil Forsyth). Both authors will read from their books. 6.30pm, Word Power Books, West Nicolson Street. Free: all welcome – donations also welcome!

LGBT Learning Disabilities Social Circle: a monthly group for LGBT people who also identify as having a learning disability or difficulty. This session’s theme will be EDG (Edinburgh Development Group) and Self Directed Support. 2-4pm, Lifecare Centre, Cheyne Street, Stockbridge. For more information and to join the group, please contact George Burrows on 0131 652 3281 or email george@lgbthealth.org.uk.

Leith Festival 2015: Trinity House – Maritime Leith. Visit Trinity House and take a self-led tour of Leith’s maritime history, using the latest technologies to uncover the local stories behind the collections. Meet the conservators to learn about the work they carry out on the vast painting collections, and watch digital recordings of Leithers talking about their memories. Today there will be object handling sessions (11am-2pm) and tours of Trinity House led by Junior Guides Tours (11am-1.30pm), Trinity House, 99 Kirkgate. Free. For more information please contact adam.gorysz@scotland.gsi.gov.uk or call 0131 554 3289.

Italian Cinema: Una Piccola Impresa Merionale (15). A group of family outcasts ends up in a remote lighthouse – ‘after a period of chaos, this small world gradually discovers that unity makes strength’. Directed by Rocco Papeleo. In Italian with English subtitles. 6pm, Italian Cultural Institute in Edinburgh, 82 Nicolson Street. Free: please reserve your place by calling the Institute on 0131 668 2232 or online here.

Edinburgh Festival of Cycling continues today! Rides, films, talks, drama, books, photos, workshops and lots more. Today’s events include The Brotique Pop-Up Fixie Shop, the King of Kaimes Hill Climb & Barbecue and a talk by Fraser Cartmell, Multiple Ironman and Ironman 70.3 Champion. For more information please see the festival’s website here or its Facebook page here, or pick up a programme from many venues across the city and beyond, including libraries, leisure centres and many shops. Ends 21st June 2015.

Nothing Ever Happens Here: James Blackshaw and Yusuf Azak. ‘Blackshaw sings in a gentle but assured voice, while his words combine his personal experiences, neuroses and fantasy through many layers of abstraction, poeticism and dark humour’. James’ new album Summoning Suns draws inspiration from 60’s and 70’s singer-songwriters, baroque/orchestral pop and folk music. Yusuf Azak is an Aberdonian living in Glasgow: his album Peace in the Underworld is out on Gerry Loves Records. Over-18s only. 8pm, The Dissection Room, Summerhall, 1 Summerhall. Tickets cost £10/£8 and may be purchased from the Box Office in person, by calling 0131 560 1581 or online here.

Leith Festival 2015: Leith Community Concert Band: the annual Festival concert. 7.30pm, St Margaret’s Episcopal Church, Easter Road. Entry by donation. For more information please contact leithcommunityconcertband@gmail.com.

Old Royal High School Preservation Trust: a community drop-in session to view plans for the proposed transfer of St Mary’s Music School to the old Royal High School. 5-8pm (drop-in), Canongate Kirk, 153 Canongate. All welcome.

Arthur and Merlin in Scottish History. Following a discovery on the shelves of the National Library, Adam Ardrey wrote Finding Merlin and Finding Arthur. These evidence-based, time-lined, supernatural-free books show how Scotland is linked to these world legends – now, for the first time, the wonderful legends of Arthur and Merlin are firmly fixed in Scottish history and geography. 2pm, National Library of Scotland, George IV Bridge. Free but booking is required and may be made online here or by calling 0131 623 3734.

Hot Tin Roof Trio: Andy McKay-Challen, Gavin Jack and Kenny Miller bring their blues to the OCP. 9pm, Old Chain Pier, Trinity Crescent, Newhaven. Free.

Picturehouses Slow West Satellite Q & A/Preview Night: live via satellite from the Jameson Film Club, join director John Maclean, Oscar-winning producer Iain Canning and host Edith Bowman for a special preview screening, preceded by an acoustic set from Jim Dixon and Vincent Neff of Django Django. In Maclean’s first feature, shot in New Zealand, naive teenager Jay Cavendish searches for his estranged sweetheart – who has a price on her head. Rescued from a vicious bandit and henceforth accompanied by a roughneck drifter with his own agenda, Jay eventually learns what it is to be a man in an unyielding world. A complementary glass of Jameson’s will be served. 8.40pm, Cameo, Home Street. Tickets may be purchased by calling the Box Office on 0871 902 5723 or online here; prices vary.

FRIDAY 19TH JUNE 2015

Leith Festival 2015: Teddy Bears’ Picnic! A fun morning of crafts, songs, toys, a Bible story and a picnic; for all pre-school children – don’t forget your Teddy Bear! 10-11am, YMCA/Acorn Centre, 1 Junction Place. Free. For more information please call Katherine Sced on 07512 786 731 or email info@gracechurchleith.org.

Easel Sketching in the Gallery – June: led by artist Damian Callan. A different subject every month, sometimes with a model. 2-4pm, Scottish National Portrait Gallery (please ask at the information desk for exact location), 1 Queen Street. Free; no booking required; all materials supplied.

Aileen Paterson: the author of the Maisie the Cat books talks about the process of becoming a children’s writer/illustrator. 2-3pm, Boardroom, Central Library, George IV Bridge. Free but booking is required via eventbrite here. This event forms part of In Their Own Write – Women and Words, a festival of talks, exhibitions and workshops organised by Glasgow Women’s Library, Edinburgh City Libraries and the Bonnie Fechters women’s group. Aileen will follow this event with a story session for children in the Children’s Library from 3-4pm – please contact the library for more information.

Lunchtime Concert: First Presbyterian Church of Granville, Ohio – Chancel Choir and Festivo Bells.  12.15pm, St Giles’ Cathedral, High Street. Free.

Edinburgh Festival of Cycling continues today! Rides, films, talks, drama, books, photos, workshops and lots more. Today’s events include a special bike films night at Balerno Village Screen, a talk by Thompson Crowley, author of At Home in the Bushes (see separate listings), a day of cycling diversity with Crags All Ability Bikes  – a chance to try out range of machines and find the right bike for you – including adapted machines from Get Cycling CiC (York) and some recumbent trikes from Laid Back Bikes, and The Edinburgh Night Ride – a new mystery route through East Lothian. For more information please see the festival’s website here or its Facebook page here, or pick up a programme from many venues across the city and beyond, including libraries, leisure centres and many shops. Ends 21st June 2015.

LA Young Designs Fathers’ Day Gift Stall at Leith Walk Police Box: personalised gifts – funky T-shirts, wall art and eco bags. 10am-2pm, Leith Walk Police Box, Croall Place.

Edinburgh College of Art Undergraduate Open Day: come and see the college, find out about its programmes, meet academics and students and see some of the students’ work from the recent Degree Show. You will also be able to attend other talks – on topics such as accommodation (there will also be a chance to see some), student finance and study abroad, as part of the wider University of Edinburgh Open Day. 9.30am-5pm, Edinburgh College of Art, Lauriston Place. Booking is essential; to reserve your place via eventbrite click here, and to find out more about the day’s options, click here.

At Home in the Bushes: a twenty-minute talk from the author Thompson Crowley, who will discuss the joys of cycling, the rush of the road, the wonder and awe of the scenery, and how cycling and wild camping can save the world. 2-2.30pm, Central Library, George IV Bridge. Free but booking is required via eventbrite here. This event forms part of Edinburgh Cycling Festival 2015.

University of Edinburgh Open Day: find out about student life in Edinburgh from the students and staff themselves, explore the campus, learn more about the range of courses available, and ask questions about accommodation, admissions and job prospects. There will be a programme of talks throughout the day, and the opportunity to chat to departmental staff. 9.30am-5pm, University of Edinburgh. Booking is essential; to reserve your place via eventbrite click here, and to find out more about the timetable for the day click here. There will be a pre-Open Day online chat session for you to ask questions about the day’s programme and activities, and any queries about travelling to the university, on Tuesday 16th June from 3-7pm; to join in go to the University of Edinburgh Admissions Facebook page here. Further Open Days will be held on 7th and 26th September 2015.

Edinburgh Acting School Presents Shakespeare’s Best Bits: Such Stuff As Dreams Are Made On. A group of actors audition for the ultimate Shakespearean play, which is a mixture of Shakespeare’s best bits. Watch as they tackle some of the most famous moments under the scrutiny of a director who has had enough of seeing Shakespeare done badly. A treat for all – with or without any knowledge of Shakespeare! Suitable for ages 12+. 7.30pm, Netherbow Theatre, Scottish Storytelling Centre, 43 High Street. Tickets cost £10/£8 and may be purchased in person, by calling the Box Office on 0131 556 9579 or online here (transaction fee applies to phone and online bookings). Also at same time on Saturday 13th June 2015.

Images of Waterloo: from Battle to Bicentenary, 18th June 1815 – 18th June 2015. Freelance art historian Dr Patricia Andrew examines the colourful artistic creations inspired by the Battle of Waterloo, from the date of the battle itself right up to the present day. The centenary commemorations of 1915 are also included; they were held during the First World War, when political alliances had changed completely. 12.45-1.30pm, Hawthornden Lecture Theatre, Scottish National Gallery, The Mound. Free and unticketed.

Radical Politics and Citizenship in Europe: from the Balkans to Scotland. A book launch and round table discussion with speakers Penny Travlou (Edinburgh College of Art), Srecko Horvat (Croatian philosopher and writer) and Igor Stiks (Edinburgh College of Art). The background for the discussion will be three books, Welcome to the Desert of Post-Socialism, a volume on socialist heritage and post-socialist reality, edited by Igor Stiks and Srecko Horvat, Nations and Citizens in Yugoslavia and the Post-Yugoslav States, an examination of geneology of citizenship in the Balkans by Igor Stiks and What Does Europe Want? by Srecko Horvat and Slavoj Zizek. 6pm, Word Power Books, West Nicolson Street. Free: all welcome – donations also welcome!

Balerno Village Screen: Rising From the Ashes. An award-winning and critically acclaimed feature-length documentary about two worlds colliding, when cycling legend Jock Boyer moves to Rwanda to help a group of struggling genocide survivors pursue their dream of forming a national team. The screening will be preceded by Danny MacAskill’s short The Ridge. This event forms part of the Edinburgh Cycling Festival 2015; a complimentary cold beer will be served by the bike caddy team from Heverlee Witter. 7.30pm (doors open 7pm), St Joseph’s Hall, 2 Main Street, Balerno. Free; all welcome – but please reserve your place via eventbrite here to enable the organisers to manage numbers (and please also remember to cancel your booking if you can no longer attend). Balerno Village Screen is a community cinema funded by donations.

Spoken and Sung – a night of music and poetry with Liz Lochhead, Christine de Luca, Ron Butlin and the Rudsambee Company of Singers, in aid of the Scottish Poetry Library . Refreshments on sale during the interval. 7.45pm, St Mark’s Unitarian Church, Castle Terrace. Tickets cost £10/£8 and may be purchased via eventbrite here.

The Portobello Comedy Night: Bruce Morton, Daisy Earl, Christopher MacArthur-Boyd, MC Stephen David, and a ‘very special’ guest. 8.30pm, Dalriada, 77 Promenade, Portobello. Tickets cost £10 (transaction fee applies) and are available from Brown Paper Tickets here.

Soulacoaster Live. A night of live music with Edinburgh’s 12-piece soul band; a set packed with hits made famous by legends such as The Blues Brothers, Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder and The Commitments. For over 18s only. 7pm (doors open – on stage 8pm), The Voodoo Rooms, West Register Street. £7 on the door.

Edinburgh International Film Festival continues today! For details of all films and other events see the programme here or pick up a paper copy at EIFF venues and many other locations throughout the city. Tickets are available in person from the Filmhouse, Lothian Road, Cineworld, Fountain Park, Odeon, Lothian Road and the Festival Theatre, by calling 0131 623 8030 or online here. Today’s highlights include The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974), a special retrospective screening of Joseph Sargent’s cult classic in which an armed gang hijacks a subway train, forcing a downbeat transit cop (Walter Matthau) into a battle of wits with the wily gang leader (Robert Shaw), and Big Gold Dream: Scottish Post-Punk and Infiltrating the Mainstream, the story of record label Fast Product, started in the late 70’s in Bob Last and Hilary Morrison’s Edinburgh flat, that led to a music scene that reverberated throughout the UK and beyond.

A Traditional Swedish Midsummer: the newest member of the Boda family offers you frog dancing, food, live music and Akvavit to celebrate the summer solstice – and yes, it’s dog-friendly! 6pm, Akva, 129 Fountainbridge (at the canal basin).

Rally & Broad: literary cabaret duo Jenny Lindsay and Rachel McCrum bring you the best in spoken word, live literature, new music and ‘other spiced treats’ in their last Edinburgh show of the season, with Ross Sutherland, Hannah Silver, Dan Willson (Withered Hand), Ryan Van Winkle and Caro Bridges. 7pm, The Bongo Club, 66 Cowgate. £5 on the door (sta).

Sofi’s Midsummer Fruit Weekend: cider tasting, music, games, head garlands and exclusive fruity cocktails. 6pm today and onwards through the weekend, Sofi’s Bar, Henderson Street.

Nitekirk: a creative, drop-in experience of church. Reflection, gentle music, places of activity (Scripture, prayers, poems, pictures, art supplies). Come and go as you please, join in quiet conversation and songs or just sit in silence and enjoy the space. The theme tonight is Joy. 8-11pm, St Columba’s-by-the-Castle, 14 Johnston Terrace. ‘A place of welcome, a space for stillness, a pause on your journey, an open door’. For more information please email nitekeirkedinburgh@yahoo.co.uk.

Bardic Journey to Skye: here’s your first chance to get away this weekend – though you’ll have to be organised; it’s not a day trip! Seanachaidh of Glendale, George Macpherson, harpist Heather Yule and Donald Smith of The Scottish Storytelling Centre will lead this story trail, following Gaelic poetry and culture and the lives of the great Gaelic poets through the Highlands by the Trossachs, Inveroran, Glencoe and Keppoch all the way to Glendale and North West Skye. Arriving on Friday evening, the group will join a programme of talks, walks and a ceilidh, returning to Edinburgh on Sunday evening via Skye’s special places. Departs Edinburgh 10am today. The total price for the whole weekend is £195, which includes all travel, accommodation and two evening meals. More information can be found on the Storytelling Centre’s website here, and booking may also be made online or by calling the centre Box Office on 0131 556 9579.

Solas Festival: your second opportunity for a ‘trip out’ is a little bit nearer to home, but no less alternative. Solas is not your average festival: as well as headline acts like The Vaselines, The Raghu Dixit Project, Honeyblood and the let’s-hope-not-appropriately-named Harry Bird and the Rubber Wellies, there’s political and cultural debate with top people like Liz Lochhead, Tom Devine, Denise Mina, Janice Galloway and Gerry Hassan, art from Georgia Yates, Art Against Sectarianism and Joanna Monks, step dancing from Nic Gareiss, films, workshops and a children’s programme that includes circus skills, storytelling and a chance to build dens with Instinctively Wild. Solas aims to create a generous, hospitable place where the arts can be performed and enjoyed by all, whilst making space for challenging debate with activists, writers and thinkers from across the political, cultural and religious spectrum. For more information (including accommodation options) and to book tickets, see the festival’s website here. Solas takes place at The Bield at Blackruthven, Tibbermore, Perthshire; the festival continues until Sunday 21st June 2015.

SATURDAY 20TH JUNE 2015

PRIDE Edinburgh! The 2015 Pride march starts from the Scottish Parliament at 12 noon – prior to this there will be a special Pride Breakfast at Serenity Cafe, just a few minutes walk away; music, delicious food, feel-good community vibes, face-painting, and live entertainment from Courtney Lynn, Charly Houston, Katherine McMahon, Jo McFarlane, Jules & Pawel and Karen Flynn. This is also the chance to meet up with friends before the march and to make sure that everyone feels welcome and included. 9.30am-12 noon, Serenity Cafe, The Tun, 8 Jackson’s Entry. £5 (£2.50 unwaged): please book in advance to help the organisers plan the catering – click here or go to the LGBT Health & Wellbeing website. For more information please contact Jules Stapleton Barnes on 0131 523 1104 or email jules@lgbthealth.org.uk.

West Lothian Cats Protection League Rehoming Family Day: come and meet the cats and kittens! Stalls, tombola, Cat Cafe. If you’re not able to rehome one of the many cats in CPL’s care, you might want to find out more about short-term fostering (they are currently desperate for fosterers), or volunteering in another capacity such as fundraising or home checking – or you could just go along to see the cats, have fun and support the branch in its excellent work. 1-3pm, Newyearfield Farm Community Centre,  Hawk Brae, Livingston, EH54 6AB. All welcome!

Edinburgh Power of Food Festival: a celebration of fabulous community garden initiatives across Edinburgh. Community gardens come in many shapes and sizes, but all have the common goal of bringing people together to grow food. Gardens from Wester Hailes to Portobello, Drylaw to Leith and the City Centre to Craigmillar will all be open, with lots of activities including theatre performances, a cycle ride, children’s workshops, Q & A sessions, cooking demonstrations, garden tours, music, the chance to visit an Iron Age roundhouse and a yurt, insect safari, planting workshops, bouncy castle, facepainting, storytelling, foraging and a printmaking session – for full details and a downloadable map see the festival’s website here. Events continue on Sunday 21st June.

French Family Saturdays: Voyage, voyage! Introduce your children to a popular piece of French culture at these all-in-French Saturday sessions. If you could choose only one thing, what would you put into your suitcase before going on holiday? Today the children will each choose their item to put into the bag – then the story can begin. ‘A great introduction to narration in French’. For children aged 3-10 years. 12 noon-2pm, Institut francais d’Ecosse, 13 Randolph Crescent. £5 (members £3) per child: advance booking is recommended – please email info@ifecosse.org.uk.

Tiger Tales: stories and crafts for children aged 4-8 years. 3-4pm, Fountainbridge Library, 137 Dundee Street. Free.

Morningside Farmers’ Market: fresh, local, seasonal goods direct from the producers, plus preserves, crafts, and refreshments on sale throughout the market and at The Merlin. 9.30am-3.30pm, The Merlin (rear car park), 168 Morningside Road.

Edinburgh Festival of Cycling continues today! Rides, films, talks, drama, books, photos, workshops and lots more. Today’s big event is Pentlands Pursuit – MTB Treasure Hunt; Scottish Mountain Bike Orienteering brings you an event for solo riders, pairs and families – ‘a challenge of strategy, fitness, navigation and luck’. For more information please see the festival’s website here or its Facebook page here, or pick up a programme from many venues across the city and beyond, including libraries, leisure centres and many shops. Ends 21st June 2015.

St Bride’s Family Cinema: see your favourite films for free! Juice and choc ices are available for 50p each during the interval. Today’s film is Peter Pan (U) (1953). 10.30am-12.30pm (includes interval), St Bride’s Centre, Orwell Terrace, Dalry. Please note that all children under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult.

Lunchtime Concert: Faith Builders Chorale. From the Faith Builders Training Institute, Pennsylvania. 12.15pm, St Giles’ Cathedral, High Street. Free.

Leith Festival 2015: Trinity House – Maritime Leith. Visit Trinity House and take a self-led tour of Leith’s maritime history, using the latest technologies to uncover the local stories behind the collections. Meet the conservators to learn about the work they carry out on the vast painting collections, and watch digital recordings of Leithers talking about their memories. 10am-4pm, Trinity House, 99 Kirkgate. Free. On Thursday 18th June there will be object handling sessions (11am-2pm) and tours of Trinity House led by Junior Guides Tours (11am-1.30pm). For more information please contact adam.gorysz@scotland.gsi.gov.uk or call 0131 554 3289.

Krazy Kat Theatre Company Presents Mattress! Mattress! The Story of the Princess and the Pea. Set in an ‘awfy drafty’ castle in the remote Highlands, this classic tale is retold by two bemused actors, some tartan ‘troos’ and an extravaganza of exquisite puppet figures. This fast and funny family show features sign language, ‘dancing aboot’ and big laughs. Suitable for deaf and hearing children aged 3-8 years. 11am or 2pm, Netherbow Theatre, Scottish Storytelling Centre, 43 High Street. Tickets cost £8/£6 and may be purchased in person, by calling the Box Office on 0131 556 9579 or online here (transaction fee applies to phone and online bookings).

Balerno Village Screen: Percy Jackson and the Olympians – The Lightning Thief (PG). A teenager discovers he is the descendant of a Greek god and sets out on an adventure to settle an ongoing battle. 2.30pm (doors open 2pm), St Joseph’s Hall, 2 Main Street, Balerno. Free; all welcome – but please reserve your place via eventbrite here to enable the organisers to manage numbers (and please also remember to cancel your booking if you can no longer attend). Balerno Village Screen is a community cinema funded by donations.

Dad’s Day: join storytellers and musicians for a positive celebration of fatherhood on the day before Fathers’ Day. A great opportunity for dads to enjoy time with their children, tell stories and listen to tales that promote the importance and joys of active fatherhood. 11am-2pm, Storytelling Court, Scottish Storytelling Centre, 43 High Street. Free and unticketed.

Edinburgh International Film Festival continues today! For details of all films and other events see the programme here or pick up a paper copy at EIFF venues and many other locations throughout the city. Tickets are available in person from the Filmhouse, Lothian Road, Cineworld, Fountain Park, Odeon, Lothian Road and the Festival Theatre, by calling 0131 623 8030 or online here. Today’s highlights include Amy, Asif Kapadia’s ‘absorbing, moving, insightful and powerful’ documentary charting the amazing highs and terrible lows in the life of Amy Winehouse, and Paper Planes; 12-year old Dylan is aiming for a place in the world junior paper plane championship. He may not have the latest phone, and he may have some problems at home, but when a teacher shows him how to make the perfect paper plane, his imagination and enthusiasm know no limits. On his journey from his home in rural Australia to the bright lights of Tokyo, he makes new friends and learns how he can make his family heal. Paper Planes is shown as part of the Filmfest Junior strand and is suitable for everyone aged 6 or over.

Ahoy Me Hearties! Use a secret pirate map to navigate the grounds of Lauriston and find ‘treasure’ to help transform yourself in to a pirate! Make your own crazy cutlass and pirate hat – and even your own parrot! With Mike Durnan. 11am-3pm, Lauriston Castle, 2a Cramond Road South. Tickets cost £4 and must be purchased in advance from the Usher Hall Box Office, Lothian Road, in person, by calling 0131 228 1155 or online here. Please note: these are family workshops intended for parents and children to enjoy together. Children must be accompanied by a minimum of one paying adult and not be booked into workshops alone.

Bruntsfield Children’s Bookjam: a day of free children’s events to celebrate Independent Booksellers’ Week at various venues around The Edinburgh Bookshop. Authors, storytelling, singlaong, crafting and a Mad Hatters’ Tea Party! 10.30am onwards – please contact The Edinburgh Bookshop, 219 Bruntsfield Place (0131 447 1917) for more information, or see the shop’s Facebook page here.

Photosynthesis: Shedding New Light On Plants. The first exhibition in Scotland by artists from the Dutch art collective Tropism, featuring photographs of plants taken with unusual, often scientific, visualisation techniques – a surprising and spectacularly different view of plants. Botanical installations located around the Garden will fuse art, poetry and science and combine audio, video and classic museum displays. The Tropists are a group of artists who work with phenomena occurring at the edge of perception; events which are hardly noticed but which lead to a reaction similar to the manner in which a plant responds to light. 10am-6pm, John Hope Gateway, Royal Botanic Garden, Inverleith Row. Ends 27th September 2015. Free.

Unluck: Matthew de Kersaint Giraudeau launches a podcast about chance, probability and luck. Through interviews, music and discussion he explores the contemporary meanings of luck and chance – as faith, myth, folklore, language and neuropsychological activity. 4pm, Rhubaba, 25 Arthur Street. After the launch the podcast will be available to download from the Rhubaba website.

Golden Hare Books and Bloomsbury Present Rebecca Dinerstein: The Sunlit Night. Golden Hare Books launches this year’s Independent Booksellers’ Week with the Scottish launch of ‘one of the most exciting debut novels of 2015’, the story of two people who have come to the Lofoten Islands, 95 miles north of the Arctic Circle, to learn to be alone, but who form a bond that fortifies them against the turmoil of their distant homes. Rebecca will read from her work and discuss it with Peggy Hughes. 7pm, Golden Hare Books, 68 St Stephen Street, Stockbridge. Tickets cost £3 (redeemable against the price of a signed copy of the book on the night) and may be purchased via the shop’s website here.

Balerno Village Screen: The Theory of Everything (12A). The award-winning biopic of Stephen Hawking, starring Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones. 7pm, St Joseph’s Hall, 2 Main Street, Balerno. Free; all welcome – but please reserve your place via eventbrite here to enable the organisers to manage numbers (and please also remember to cancel your booking if you can no longer attend). Balerno Village Screen is a community cinema funded by donations.

Scots Music Group Ceilidh with The Occasionals. 7.30pm (dancing from 8pm) – 12 midnight, St Bride’s Centre, Orwell Terrace, Dalry. Tickets cost £8/£6 in advance, £10/£8 on the door (sta) and are available from the Scots Music Group on 0131 555 7668, the St Bride’s Box Office on 0131 346 1405 or online here. Please note that as there is a licensed bar, only alcohol from that bar may be consumed on the premises: water will be freely available.

The Domestics: eclectic alt. country music from the East Lothian band, with special guests Edinburgh a cappella folk trio The Silver Darlings. 9pm-12 midnight, Dalriada, 77 Promenade, Portobello.

Edinburgh Society of Musicians: Salvatore Tomasino (clarinet) and Elaine Gould (piano) play Poulenc, Debussy and Brahms. 7.30pm (prompt), Edinburgh Society of Musicians, 3 Belford Road. Free admission; non-members welcome. The Edinburgh Society of Musicians was formed in 1887 to promote practical music-making in Edinburgh.

Mairi Orr: the Scottish singer-songwriter performs her debut album Jenny Does Burn ahead of its release on 29th June. ‘Untapped stories and contemporary themes, interweaving fact with fiction, often drawing on her West Highland connections…a refreshing and accessible perspective on this culturally celebrated area….(she) demonstrates the vibrant connection between Scottish and American folk traditions’. Over 18s only. 7.30pm, The Voodoo Rooms, West Register Street. Tickets cost £8 in advance (transaction fee applies) and may be purchased online here, otherwise £10 on the door (sta).

SUNDAY 21ST JUNE 2015

Dads Rock Fathers’ Day Family Takeover! Bring the whole family for an afternoon of time travel, with lots of free activities from the past, present – and future! Music, dance, science, storytelling, sketching, crafts, costumed characters and more. Dads Rock, The Edinburgh Sketcher, Macastory, the Scottish Book Trust and Whale Arts are just some of the organisations who will be at the museum to entertain you – for full programme see the NMS website. Please note that some of the activities have limited places, for which you should sign up in the Grand Gallery on the day. 10am-5pm, National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street. Free.

The Great Scottish Walk and Run Festival: run, walk or toddle and raise money for charity (or just do it for fun!) in your choice of six different events, from 20k walks to 1 mile strolls and a special toddle for children under the age of 6. Entertainment; refreshments for sale. First event starts 9.30am, Holyrood Park, Queen’s Drive. For more information and to register see website here.

Hearing Impaired Tour – Artist Rooms: Roy Lichtenstein. A free tour of the exhibition with portable loops, led by Tessa Asquith-Lamb. 11am-12 noon, Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art ONE, Belford Road. Booking is required and may be made by calling the Information Desk on 0131 624 6560.

Leith Festival 2015: Hibs Historical Tours. Open gallery displays and tours of the West Stand including dressing rooms, press room, Boardroom, Directors’ Room and pitchside.Visitors will also be able to access the South Stand where the Hibernian Community Foundation has its base, East Stand concourse, Memorial Wall and the club shop in the Famous Five Stand. 12-4pm, Hibernian Football Club, Albion Place. Free. Please note that all children under 12 years must be accompanied by an adult.

Edinburgh International Film Festival continues today! For details of all films and other events see the programme here or pick up a paper copy at EIFF venues and many other locations throughout the city. Tickets are available in person from the Filmhouse, Lothian Road, Cineworld, Fountain Park, Odeon, Lothian Road and the Festival Theatre, by calling 0131 623 8030 or online here. Today’s highlights include In Person: Ewan McGregor – a rare on stage interview with the Creiff boy (and global superstar), Inside Out, the latest animation from Pixar, and The Night Stalker (1972), John Llewellyn Moxey’s cult classic – a stylish, atmospheric horror in which a down-at-heel journalist doggedly tracks a vampire through the neon-lit streets of late-night Los Angeles. 

Fathers’ Day at Bo’ness and Kinneil Railway: steam trains, vintage carriages, classic cars and a special afternoon tea aboard the train. A special timetable and standard fares will apply. Please note that the afternoon tea must be pre-booked. Bo’ness & Kinneil Railway, Bo’ness Station, Union Street, EH51 9AQ.

Edinburgh Festival of Cycling concludes today! The final events are Women, Read & Ride on Tour – a literary tour of Edinburgh by bike with readings, conversation and cake, Learn, then Ride – a workshop for female novice or non-cyclists to build confidence and skill levels (bikes provided if required) and two Audax Rides – the Honest Toun Dander (100km) and the Honest Toun Dawdle (50km). For more information please see the festival’s website here or its Facebook page here, or pick up a programme from many venues across the city and beyond, including libraries, leisure centres and many shops.

Bags of Art – June: 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: no booking required. Supported by the Friends of NGS.

Behind the Frame…. Members of the acclaimed Lyceum Youth Theatre invite audiences to join them in a site-specific performance that will explore spaces within the Portrait Gallery, where they will share creative responses to the works on show. The performances will consist of self-guided ‘happenings’ around the building. 2-4pm, Scottish National Portrait Gallery, 1 Queen Street. Free: no booking required.

Botanics Midsummer Cake Fest: the traditional late opening for the summer solstice. 50 teams of amateur and professional bakers will each have produced a cake version of Edinburgh landmarks. Today they will be put together to create a cake map of the city – which will then be eaten (at approx 5pm)! Come along to view the cake map as it takes shape, and help create additional items – buses, trams, cars, boats and more – for the map at free drop-in workshops. Live entertainment throughout the day and into the evening, plus lots of tasty treats from some of Scotland’s leading food and drink producers. 10am-10.30pm, Royal Botanic Garden, Inverleith Row (see Cakefest’s own website here for full programme). Free, no booking required. Supported by EventScotland as part of Scotland’s Year of Food & Drink.

Picturehouses Vintage Sundays: classic films back on the big screen. Today’s film is The Long Good Friday (18): a prosperous gangster is about to close a lucrative deal when bombs start showing up in very inconvenient places. Starring Bob Hoskins and Helen Mirren, who won an Academy Award for her role as gangster’s moll Victoria. 1pm, Cameo, Home Street. Tickets may be booked in person, by calling the Box Office on 0871 902 5723 or online here.

Scotland’s Open Gardens: 61 Fountainhall Road. A large walled town garden in which trees and shrubs form an architectural backdrop to a wide variety of flowering plants. Three ponds, with and without fish, have attracted a lively population of frogs. Refreshments available. 2-5pm, 61 Fountainhall Road, EH9 2LH. £4 per person, of which 40% goes to Froglife and the net remainder to SG beneficiaries.

Leith Festival 2015: Kailyard in Concert. Celebrate the longest night of the year with a great selection of music from the past 60 years – from Abba to Ash and many more! 7.30pm, Queen Charlotte Rooms, 56a Queen Charlotte Street, Leith. Tickets cost £5 and are available from South Leith Church Halls, Henderson Street or by emailing Marion Stout at developing@dial.pipex.com.

Scotland’s Open Gardens: Merchiston Cottage. Small walled, urban, wildlife friendly and organic bee-keeper’s garden. This eco-friendly tapestry of wildlife habitats encourages birds, insects and frogs as pest control. Talk on beekeeping by Brian Poole, plant stall by Binny Plants, refreshments available. 2-5pm, 16 Colinton Road, EH10 5EL. £4 per person, of which 40% goes to Alyn Children’s Hospital and the net remainder to SG beneficiaries.

Leith Festival Tattoo 2015. The closing event of this year’s festival is an evening full of dance and music, with Siamsoir Irish dancers, Mary Phelan Dance Academy, The Polish Scottish Heritage Group, Ernie Reynolds singing Italian arias, plus the traditional Pipes and Drums. Organiser: Bob Lawson, compere: Tim Bell. 7pm, Tower Street. Free.

Father’s Day Special: Jazz with George Howden and friends. 4-7pm, Old Chain Pier, Trinity Crescent, Newhaven.

Sofi’s Nocturnes: a special open mic session to mark the end of Sofi’s Midsummer Fruit Festival, featuring an appearance by recently formed 20-piece Edinburgh choral group Castle Chorus. 8pm, Sofi’s Bar, Henderson Street.

St Giles’ At Six: St Mary’s Music School String Quintet plays Schubert String Quintet in C D956. 6pm, St Giles’ Cathedral, High Street. Free, retiring collection.