Plenty to choose from this week, from counting butterflies to tossing the caber and river dipping. But if the mere thought of the Great Outdoors gives you the shivers, don’t despair….films, books, music and art are still available in abundance. Please check any details with the venue before setting out to an event.
MONDAY 29TH JUNE 2015
Pentland Hills Regional Park Small Pearl Bordered Fritillary Survey. Help survey for this beautiful but locally rare butterfly; the small colony in the Edinburgh region of the park is one of the few remaining in the East of Scotland. Please bring sturdy footwear and waterproofs. 1.30-3.30pm, meet at Threipmuir Car Park. Booking is essential: contact Pentland Hills Regional Park HQ, Hermitage of Braid, 69a Braid Road by calling 0131 529 2401 or emailing pentlandhills@edinburgh.gov.uk Free.
For Crying Out Loud: special screenings for parents, carers and their babies under the age of 12 months. Baby changing, bottle-warming and buggy parking facilities are available. Today’s film is The Misfits (PG) starring Clark Gable and Marilyn Monroe. 11am, Filmhouse, Lothian Road. Tickets cost £4.50/£3.50 (with a maximum of two adults admitted per baby) and may be purchased in person or by calling the Box Office on 0131 228 2688.
Duo Picante: Eastern Promise. Lynne Bulmer (flute) and Alison Farshi (piano) will perform a concert of music from Eastern Europe. 12.15pm, St Giles’ Cathedral, High Street. Free.
Isabel Langskaill: a new exhibition of mixed media paintings. Morningside Library (upstairs – lift available), 184 Morningside Road. Please contact library for times. Ends 31st July 2015.
Recitals for Wrigglers: concerts for babies and toddlers. 10.30am, Balerno Parish Church, 2 Main Street, Balerno. Tickets cost £5 for one adult + one child plus £2.50 for each additional child, and may be reserved in advance by emailing recitalsforwrigglers@gmail.com. Also at Morningside Parish Church on Tuesday 30th June, Queensferry Parish Church on 1st July, Cramond Kirk Hall on 2nd July and Stockbridge Library on Friday 3rd July (all at 10.30am).
LGBT Spiritual Space: Maxwell Reay, NHS Mental Health Community Chaplain, offers a supportive space for people to discuss ideas of spirituality and identity. For people of all faiths or none. Tonight Maxwell will offer opportunities for individual conversations and information regarding spiritual needs. 6.30-7.30pm, (within weekly Drop-In, which runs 5.30-8pm), LGBT Health and Wellbeing, 9 Howe Street. For more information please contact Alison Wren on 0131 652 3283 or email alison@lgbthealth.org.uk.
Edinburgh Coalition Against Poverty: monthly organising meeting for the group, which was set up by people on low incomes and offers advice and solidarity re benefit and debt issues. 7-9.30pm, Autonomous Centre of Edinburgh, 17 West Montgomery Place.
Takashi Arai: Daily D-Type. The Source-Cord winning photographer’s first exhibition in the UK is shown here as part of the ACTINIC Festival. Arai uses the daguerreotype method, finding it a reliable device for storing memory; here he shows an intimate selection of images from his acclaimed Daily D-Type series. 11am-6pm daily , Stills, 23 Cockburn Street. Closes 9th August 2015. (Please note that this exhibition will only be open by appointment during the period 12th-31st July 2015). Supported by the Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation.
St Bride’s AGM: find out what has been happening at the community centre, have a say in what happens in future, and vote for the new Advisory Group. 7pm, St Bride’s Centre, Orwell Terrace, Dalry. All welcome!.
Cameo Culture Shock: bringing you the best in cult and genre films. Today: Pretty in Pink (15), Molly Ringwald stars in a ‘seminal 80’s brat-pack movie….with a heart-rending finale’. 9pm, Cameo, Home Street. Tickets may be purchased in person, by calling the Box Office on 0871 902 5723 or online here: prices vary.
Ragged University: Development with Dignity and The Limits of Growth by Shahid Khan. Shahid is the founder and CEO of Indus Earth Trust, which helps to alleviate poverty in Pakistan; he believes that there needs to be a change in the paradigm of aid given by the developed to the developing world. Trade should be opened up, skills should be taught, and basic facilities such as clean water, sanitation and alternative energy sources provided. Only then, he proposes, can entire communities be changed. 7.30pm, Leith Beer Company, The Shore. All welcome, free; no booking required, just come along. Food will be served and there will be music to end the evening. The Ragged Project is about people who love what they do sharing what they have invested their time in. ‘Knowledge is power, but only when it is shared’.
Open Eye Gallery: New Exhibitions. (1) Lynn Windsor: Elytra; (2) Robert Maguire OBE FRSA: Intersections and Balances – a showcase of abstract sculpture created by the distinguished architect, showing a body of work based on the geometry of intersecting, three-dimensional orthogonal systems; (3) Panel Paintings: works on wooden panels, inspired by the concept of 13th and 14th Italian miniatures, by a broad range of invited gallery artists, including Adrian Wiszniewski, Henry Kondracki and Susie Leiper. 10am-6pm Monday to Friday, 10am-4pm Saturdays, Open Eye Gallery, 34 Abercromby Place. All three exhibitions end 25th July 2015.
Leith Links Community Council Meeting: 7pm, Persevere Room, Leith Community Education Centre, New Kirkgate. All local residents welcome.
TUESDAY 30TH JUNE 2015
Christian Aid Fundraiser: Nepal – A Disaster in Paradise. Two talks about Nepal: the first about the country before the recent earthquake, the second about the rescue mission, the post-quake conditions and the heroism of the population. 7.30pm (doors open 7pm), Fairmilehead Parish Church, Frogston Road West. Tickets cost £6 on the door, or in advance from the church.
Mariusz Szczygiel and Antonia Lloyd-Jones in Conversation. Acclaimed Polish non-fiction writer Mariusz Szczygiel is the author of Gottland: Mostly True Stories from Half of Czechoslovakia, a cultural history of the country told through the stories of the artists, writers and performers whose lives were completely, and often strangely, altered by the times they lived in, in a state that no longer exists. Szczygiel’s translator Antonia Lloyd-Jones is the pre-eminent translator of Polish reportage and has twice received the Found in Translation award. 6.30pm, Word Power Books, West Nicolson Street. All welcome; free – donations also welcome!
Bookbug Rhymetime: rhymes and songs for the under 3s and their parents and carers. 10.30-11am, Morningside Library, Morningside Road. No booking required – just come along!
Recitals for Wrigglers: concerts for babies and toddlers. 10.30am, Morningside Parish Church, Braid Road/Cluny Gardens. Tickets cost £5 for one adult + one child plus £2.50 for each additional child, and may be reserved in advance by emailing recitalsforwrigglers@gmail.com. Also at Queensferry Parish Church on 1st July, Cramond Kirk Hall on 2nd July and Stockbridge Library on Friday 3rd July (all at 10.30am).
eBook Surgery: find out about eBooks, emagazines and audiobooks. 10.30am-12.30pm (drop-in), Newington Library, Fountainhall Road.
Street Soccer Scotland: Football Works Edinburgh. A six-week course to help increase fitness, confidence, motivation, health and social skills, helping participants to get ready for work or further education. Students will complete an SQA in Communications and Working with Others, and will take part in practical football sessions and get an introduction to football coaching, with the opportunity to gain coaching qualifications. Participants will also receive full employability and personal development support, which will continue on completion. This is a free course for anyone, male or female, over the age of 16 (no maximum age limit). Participation does not affect benefits; kit, lunch and travel expenses will be provided. 10am-3.30pm Tuesdays and Thursdays from today until 6th August, Edinburgh College Sighthill Campus, (Sport & Exercise Department), Bankhead Avenue. If you would like more information or to register, please call Kirsten on 07931 725 886. ‘Our mission is to provide opportunity and build hope’ (David Duke, Founder and CEO, Street Soccer Scotland).
IT Support for the Visually Impaired. 10.30am-12 noon, Morningside Library, Morningside Road. No booking required – just drop in. For more information please contact the library on 0131 529 5654.
Edinburgh Printmakers: Photography in Print. A new Edinburgh Printmakers Members’ exhibition forming part of the ACTINIC Festival. Members will take over the lower gallery space, displaying the diversity of photographic imagery and technology in contemporary film making. 10am-6pm Tuesday to Saturday, Edinburgh Printmakers, Union Street. Free: closes 25th July 2015.
Portobello Potteries and their Wares: Recent Archaeological and Documentary Research. George R Haggarty FSA, FSA Scot, Research Associate at the National Museum of Scotland, will discuss recent discoveries. 10.30am, Museum of Edinburgh, 142 Canongate. Tickets cost £5/£3.50 per person and must be purchased in advance from the Usher Hall Box Office, in person, by calling 0131 228 1155 or online here (transaction fee applies to phone and online bookings).
Leith Folk Club: Martin Lennon. The Edinburgh singer/songwriter brings songs new and old to what promises to be ‘a great rootsy gig’. 
Supported by Martin White. 7.30pm, Victoria Park House Hotel, 221 Ferry Road. Tickets cost £7 on the door (sta), in advance by texting 07502 024 852 or online here.
Robin Chapel Choir: Fare Thee Weel A While. Music by S Wesley, Weelkes, Byrd, Durufle, Tavener and Holst, and arrangements of folk songs by Timothy Salter. 7.30-9pm, Canongate Kirk, 153 Canongate.
WEDNESDAY 1ST JULY 2015
Fantastic Facts and Fun Activities with The Dogs’ Trust: Rachel Bliss, Edinburgh Education and Community Officer, will talk about about how to look after your dog, and there will be some fun, pretend, hands-on practice! A Summer Reading Challenge event for children aged 5-11 years – children under 8 must be accompanied by an adult. 2-3pm, Central Children’s Library, George IV Bridge. Please book a free ticket for your child via eventbrite here, but please do not book an extra ticket for yourself if you are accompanying him or her. For more information on this year’s Challenge, click here. The Summer Reading Challenge is presented by The Reading Agency charity.
Recitals for Wrigglers: concerts for babies and toddlers. 10.30am, Queensferry Parish Church, The Loan, South Queensferry. Entry by suggested donation of £5 for one adult + one child plus £2.50 for each additional child. For more information please email recitalsforwrigglers@gmail.com. Also at Cramond Kirk Hall on 2nd July and Stockbridge Library on Friday 3rd July (all at 10.30am).
To Kill A Mockingbird Book Group: special reading groups to celebrate one of the world’s best-loved books just two weeks before the publication of the much-anticipated sequel, Go Set A Watchman. 5pm at Waterstones Cameron Toll, 6 Lady Road, 6pm at Waterstones Ocean Terminal, Ocean Drive and Waterstones West End, 128 Princes Street, and 6.30pm at Waterstones Fort Kinnaird, 26 Kinnaird Park and Waterstones George Street, 83 George Street.
Summer Fun in the Courtyard: Creating a Garden. Free family activities for children of all ages every Wednesday in the summer holidays (all participants will also be given a voucher for the Undercroft Cafe). Today staff from the Botanics will be on hand to help you make a garden. 11.30am-1pm, Courtyard, St Andrew’s & St George’s West Church, 13 George Street. All welcome: for more information please call 0131 225 3847. Next week’s activity will be Songs for Families: a fun singing workshop with Frances Cooper.
Lunchtime Concert: Will Pickvance – Piano Speak. 12.15pm, St Giles’ Cathedral, High Street. Free.
LGBT Bi & Beyond Edinburgh: a fortnightly social gathering for people who identify as bisexual or non-monosexual. With organised social activities and refreshments provided, whatever your label or lack of label we welcome you. 7-9pm, LGBT Health and Wellbeing, 9 Howe Street. For more information please contact biandbeyondedinburgh@gmail.com.
Eva Mitera: an exhibition of new works by the Polish artist. 12 noon-6.30pm Tuesday-Saturday, 12 noon-3pm Sundays, Patriothall Gallery, 1D Patriothall, off Hamilton Place, Stockbridge. Ends 15th July 2015.
Record Breakers Retro Game: 3-4pm, Muirhouse Library, Pennywell Court. A Summer Reading Challenge event: for more information on this year’s Challenge, click here. The Summer Reading Challenge is presented by The Reading Agency charity.
Blackwell’s Edinburgh Presents Charles Stross: The Annihilation Score. The Hugo award winner launches the next novel in his highly successful Laundry Files series. 6.30-8pm, Blackwell’s, South Bridge. Free tickets are available from the shop’s front desk, by calling 0131 622 8218, by emailing events.edinburgh@blackwell.co.uk or via eventbrite here. Read The Edinburgh Reporter on Charles’ launch of The Rhesus Chart (The Annihilation Score’s predecessor) here.
Edinburgh Old Town Development Trust AGM: Community Building in the Old Town. The speakers will be Ruth Campbell (Comas) – 20 More Dumbiedykes: a project to increase household income by £20 a year, and build community optimism, Craig Dutton (CEC Economic Development) – New Waverley Community Fund: a recently launched fund for community projects from the developers of the area formerly known as Caltongate, and Vicki Ridley (Canongate Youth) – The Spirit of Dumbiedykes: a three year project to increase resident participation in community-led projects to build a stronger community. 6pm, Serenity Cafe, 6 Jackson’s Entry, The Tun, 111 Holyrood Road. Everyone welcome!
The Jazz Bar’s Tenth Birthday Party! A full-on triple-gig* party programme, with drinks offers, cake, and a free celebratory cocktail on entry (up to 10pm). All door monies will go towards the purchase of new sound equipment. *7-9pm Acoustic Showcase; 9.30-11.15pm Jazz Bar All-Star Party Band; 11.30pm-3am Funk Showcase. The Jazz Bar, Chambers Street. Prices vary according to time of arrival. Please note this venue is cash only.
THURSDAY 2ND JULY 2015
Water of Leith Conservation Trust: River Dipping. Get into the river for this favourite activity! 2pm, Water of Leith Conservation Trust, 24 Lanark Road. £4 per child (accompanying adult free): booking is essential and may be made by calling 0131 455 7367 or emailing admin@waterofleith.co.uk.
Recitals for Wrigglers: concerts for babies and toddlers. 10.30am, Cramond Kirk Hall, Cramond Glebe Road. Tickets cost £5 for one adult + one child plus £2.50 for each additional child, and may be reserved in advance by emailing recitalsforwrigglers@gmail.com. Also at 10.30am at Stockbridge Library on Friday 3rd July.
City Art Centre: Printmaking. Come and experiment with printmaking techniques, taking inspiration from the beautiful paintings in the gallery; learn how to explore structure and form with Bragela Hornal. 2.30-4pm, City Art Centre, 2 Market Street. £4 per person: bookings must be made in advance via the Usher Hall Box Office, Lothian Road, in person, by calling 0131 228 1155 or online here. Please note that this is a family event; all children must be accompanied by at least one paying adult.
Scotland’s Democracy Trail: authors Stuart McHardy and Donald Smith discuss the story of Edinburgh’s Democracy Trail. This vocal tour of landmarks and monuments leads you from Edinburgh Castle to the Scottish Parliament, through more than 500 years of political development. 6pm, National Library of Scotland, George IV Bridge. Free but please book by calling 0131 623 3734 or online here.
Make Your Own 3D Map: make a colourful 3D map of Edinburgh, including the sights, sounds and smells that remind you most of the capital city. With Lauren Wayland. 2.30-4pm, Museum of Edinburgh, 142 Canongate. Tickets cost £4 per person and must be purchased in advance from the Usher Hall Box Office, in person, by calling 0131 228 1155 or online here (transaction fee applies to phone and online bookings).
Golden Hare Books Presents Our Real Red Selves: Harry Giles, Marion McCready and JL Williams, ‘three of Scotland’s finest young poets’, launch their latest joint collection. 7pm, Golden Hare Books, 68 St Stephen Street. Free tickets may be obtained via eventbrite here.
Launching Infinity! A night of science fiction performances to launch Shoreline of Infinity, a new Scottish-based sci-fi magazine. Music from Painted Ocean, poetry from Claire Askew and Ryan Van Winkle, story reading from the magazine performed by Debbie Cannon, plus SF-inspired cocktails, artwork, books, fun, frivolity and photon cannons. 7.30pm, Paradise Palms, 41 Lothian Street. Free entry: no booking required, costumes welcomed.
From Deptford to Antarctica: the co-founder of Greenpeace launches his life story, beginning in South-East London and containing his unabridged Antarctica diaries, ‘ a fascinating insight into the Greenpeace world as it was’. 7-8pm, Central Library, George IV Bridge. Free tickets may be booked via eventbrite here.
The Curiosity Shop: an event to celebrate and promote the members of Creative Edinburgh. An opportunity for members of all creative disciplines – film, design, photography, digital, marketing and more – to present new work and test out ideas, products and projects in a relaxed and supportive environment. 6pm, Coburg House Studios, Coburg Street.
Barbara Brown Taylor: Learning to Walk in the Dark. The Episcopal priest, professor, author and theologian – one of the USA’s best known preachers – will talk about her new book, which explores ‘the treasures of darkness’ to discover how God is more present to our vulnerable, open, night-time selves than to our preoccupied selves in daylight. The talk will be followed by a book signing and refreshments. 7-9pm, St John’s Episcopal Church, Princes Street. Free: no booking required.
FRIDAY 3RD JULY 2015
Craigmillar Community Arts Family Fun Afternoon and All-Weather Picnic: a fun afternoon of food, traditional games and art workshops – an early celebration of the 4th of July! 12 noon-4pm, The Jewel Miners’ Club, 56 Duddingston Park South. All welcome; a free event funded by CCA’s Art & Health Project.
Wonder Worlds! Drop in and take part in a range of activities inspired by the amazing world of MC Escher. Explore how the artist used repeating patterns, and decorate a special creation to take home using your own unique stamp design; create peculiar portraits and make the impossible possible by designing your own fantastical world-in-a-box to add to the NGS’s weird and wonderful wall of worlds. For families with children aged 4-12 years. 2-4pm (drop-in), Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art TWO, Belford Road. Entry to the MC Escher exhibition will normally cost £9/£7, but families participating in this free workshop will get free admission.
Lunchtime Concert: pianist MinJung Baek plays Brahms, Liszt and Ravel. 12.15pm, St Giles’ Cathedral, High Street. Free.
Recitals for Wrigglers: concerts for babies and toddlers. 10.30am, Stockbridge Library, 11 Hamilton Place. Tickets cost £5 for one adult + one child, plus £2.50 for each additional child, and may be reserved in advance by emailing recitalsforwrigglers@gmail.com.
Woven Tales of Land, Sea and Shore: artist Claire Coyle celebrates the launch of her new exhibition, with live storytelling from Aileen Carr, Judy Paterson and Beverley Bryant. Claire has been weaving tapestries for over thirty years; her interests come from the history of the land, archaeology and mark making, inspired by connection to place, the past, decay and weathering over the passage of time. She has also been inspired by Fife’s Kingdom Tales storytelling group. 6pm, Storytelling Court, Scottish Storytelling Centre, 43-45 High Street. All welcome: free and unticketed. Exhibition ends 25th July 2015.
Trina Bohan: Timelines. A new exhibition of large-scale paintings by the Edinburgh-based artist; dramatic skyscapes set against the lochs and seas of Scotland. 10am-5pm Monday to Saturday, 1-5pm Sundays, Arusha Gallery, 13a Dundas Street. Ends 31st July 2015.
In Focus: Somer Hill near Tonbridge by JMW Turner. Art historian Ailsa Turner will explore Turner’s belief that the landscape painter should ‘select, combine and concentrate that which is beautiful in nature and admirable in art‘, in relation to this tranquil evening scene. The painting confirms how successfully Turner’s response to nature embraced the quiet and reflective as well as the bold and dramatic. 12.45-1.15pm, Level One, Scottish National Gallery, The Mound. Free and unticketed.
Family Workshop: Create a Masterpiece. Join artist Erik Petrie to explore exciting art techniques and learn how to become a perfect painter and drawer, taking inspiration from the gallery’s varied collection of Scottish art. 2.30-4pm, City Art Centre, 2 Market Street. £4 per person: bookings must be made in advance via the Usher Hall Box Office, Lothian Road, in person, by calling 0131 228 1155 or online here. Please note that this is a family event; all children must be accompanied by at least one paying adult.
Blueprint: a joint exhibition by Andy Jackson and Luke Skiffington. A collective installation by the two Goldsmiths’ alumni: ‘Together, their work offers an intimate dialogue on the possibilities for painting, its divergent attitudes through its many subtleties of form, scale, colour and surface’. Opens 6-8pm tonight, then 2-7pm Wednesday to Friday, 11am-2pm Saturdays, Interview Room 11, 38 Castle Terrace. Interview Room 11 is an artist-run gallery and project space run by a voluntary committee; it is part of ForestCentre+, an arts complex situated in Argyle House. The exhibition closes on 18th July 2015.
The Scottish Gallery: New Exhibitions. (1) Vicky Shaw: Painted Abstracts – the ceramicist’s first solo show at the Gallery; (2) Deborrah Daher: Introducing – a first showcase of hand-made work in precious metals from the American jeweller; (3) Emma Calvert: Introducing – a showcase of bold jewellery combining textiles and precious metals; (4) Anne Redpath – Fifty: A Celebratory Exhibition. A major exhibition of works spanning the entire career of the beloved artist and first female Royal Scottish Academician, who died fifty years ago; (5) David Cass: Tonight Rain, Tomorrow Mud – works inspired by the devastating floods in Florence (1966), Paris (1910) and Bilbao (1983). 10am-6pm Monday to Friday, 10am-4pm Saturdays, The Scottish Gallery, 16 Dundas Street. All five exhibitions close on 1st August 2015.
Royal Scots Regiments Throughout the Great War: The Rev Garry Ketchen, Scottish Baptist Minister and Great War historian, will provide a general overview of when and where the regiments were formed, the divisions and brigades they were attached to, the theatres of war they served in and the conflicts of war they were involved in. 10.30am, Museum of Edinburgh, 142 Canongate. Tickets cost £5/£3.50 per person and must be purchased in advance from the Usher Hall Box Office, in person, by calling 0131 228 1155 or online here (transaction fee applies to phone and online bookings).
St Giles’ Cathedral Choir: O Clap Your Hands – choral music from five centuries. Organist: Peter Backhouse; Master of Music: Michael Harris. 8pm, St Giles’ Cathedral, High Street. Admission by programme: £10/£5 (students)/accompanied children free. In aid of the Choir’s 2015 tour to Bavaria.
Crossing Countries Fundraising Ceilidh. This social enterprise enables disabled students to enjoy the same overseas volunteering experiences and benefits as others – from fundraising, planning and training to the adventure itself; its trip this year will be to Durban, South Africa. The Columcille Ceilidh Band is also a social enterprise, whose members include musicians with and without learning difficulties. 7.30-11.30pm, Colomcille Centre, 2 Newbattle Terrace, Morningside. Tickets cost £10 (price includes haggis, neeps and tatties) and may be purchased by emailing cctravellers.edinburgh@outlook.com. ‘Challenging boundaries, changing lives‘.
Ded Rabbit: animated, energetic stage action from Edinburgh’s Gaine brothers [Donal (bass), Fergus (guitar), Eoin (drums) and Eugene (sax/vocals)]. ‘Maddeningly funky, indie-pop sound’; influences include the Beatles and Queens of the Stone Age. Plus Funk DJ. 12 midnight-3am, The Jazz Bar, Chambers Street. £5/£4 on the door: please note this venue is cash only.
The Kelburn Garden Party 2015. Here’s your first chance to get away this week; music, art, poetry, spoken word, glen walks, adventure playground, children’s games and zones, laser quest, workshops, crafts, light installations, cabaret, comedy and circus shows, plus an optional Magical Mystery Cruise – ‘the ultimate after party’. ‘Fun, experimental, old school, new school, hip-shaking, beard-stroking, local, international…something for all discerning tastes’ – all in the grounds of Kelburn Castle, the site of the famous Graffiti Project. Gates open 4pm, Kelburn Castle, Kelburn Country Centre, Fairlie, Largs KA29 0BE. E-tickets may be booked via eventbrite here; prices vary. For more information, including travel and camping options, see the Garden Party’s website here. The Garden Party ends at 3am on Monday 6th July and camp sites close at 1pm that day.
SATURDAY 4TH JULY 2015
It’s in the Bag: rhymes, drama, creative games and puppets from this award-winning company, with lots of well-loved Scottish songs throughout! There will be four shows today: Down on the Farm, a fun session for little ones aged 0-2 years, as they join Sam and Rosie and head off for Granny and Granddad’s farm in the Outer Hebrides, at 10am and 2.15pm, and Knights and Princesses, a rollercoaster of an adventure for children aged 3-6 years around the Magic Kingdom, where Snake Boy has kidnapped Princess Rosie, and only Bug Boy and his sidekick Bert can save her, at 11.15am and 1pm, Scottish Storytelling Centre, 43-45 High Street. Tickets cost £6 per child, accompanying adult free, and may be booked in person, by calling the Box Office on 0131 556 9579 or online here (transaction fee applies to phone and online bookings). Please remember to request a free adult ticket when you purchase your child’s ticket.
Corstorphine Hill, Edinburgh: 2010-2015. Ivan Bernal Palli works with litho prints made from photographic negatives: here he will show a collection of images of trees found on Corstorphine Hill, which he visited regularly over a five year period, exploring how the seasons, weather and different light conditions alter a familiar landscape and turn it into a new reality. 11am-5pm, Coburg House Studios, 15 Coburg Street. Ends 11th July 2015.
Muster #2: an open, free and informal event for artists and creative people to meet and explore ideas. if you have an idea for something creative you’d like to try out, or want to find people you like working with, bring a script, a piece of music or anything you’d like to develop – come and work on your project in a spacious place for free! 10.30am-4.30pm, Eric Liddell Centre, 15 Morningside Road. Email Helene at cloeteh@ericliddell.org with your ideas, or send a message via the event’s Facebook page here.
Portrait Gallery Thematic Tours: Painted Warriors – Four Centuries of Military Heroes. Susanna Kerr, former Senior Curator, Portrait Gallery, will lead a tour round the gallery, exploring the history of Scotland’s soldiers. 2-2.45pm or 3-3.45pm, Scottish National Portrait Gallery, 1 Queen Street. Free and unticketed.
Lunchtime Concert: New Horizons Band, London, Ontario. 12.15pm, St Giles’ Cathedral, High Street. Free.
Zoo Arts Extra – Animation Workshops: four days of stop motion animation techniques – make your own film! Come with family or friends – or by yourself; book for all or just part of the project, which continues on Monday 6th, Wednesday 8th and Friday 10th July. For children aged 9 years or over and adults. 10am-4pm, North EdinburghArts, Pennywell Court, Muirhouse. £1/50p per session for Good Neighbour Card Holders and £5/£3 for everyone else, snacks/lunch provided. For more information and to book please call 0131 315 2151 or pick up a flyer at NEA.
The Big LGBT Music Jam: a creative and supportive space for making music. Play, sing your own song, or just be an appreciative listener; all music tastes welcome, no need to book, just turn up. Bring your own instruments, some percussion available. 1-4pm, LGBT Health and Wellbeing, 9 Howe Street. For more information please contact biglgbtmusicjamedinburgh@gmail.com.
Beyond the Horizon: a new exhibition, including work by Alan Richmond, Lynn Hanley and Martin Laurance. 10am-5om Thursday to Saturday, 12 noon-5pm Sundays,(closed Monday-Wednesday), The Velvet Easel, 298 Portobello High Street. Ends 27th September 2015.
Inchcolm New Music Ensemble. A concert of Scottish Celtic plainchant and new vibrant music from Scottish-based composers; plainchant from the Inchcolm Antiphoner, written over one thousand years ago by the monks of Inchcolm, will intersperse recent compositions. Inchcolm New Music Ensemble is the new music group of Heriot-Watt University, directed by Steve King. 7.30pm, St Giles’ Cathedral, High Street. Admission £6 on the door.
Vegas! The award-winning retro club night, featuring cocktails and cool, showgirls and swing, roulette and romance – with DJs Frankie Sumatra, Bugsy Seagull, Sam Jose and Nuno Endo, 
plus Nikki Nevada & The Vegas Showgirls and The Fabulous Scott Brothers. For over 18s only. 8.30pm, The Voodoo Rooms, West Register Street. Tickets cost £7 on the door (sta) or £6 (transaction fee applies) in advance from various outlets or online here.
Luss Highland Games & Gathering of the Clan Colquhoun. Your second chance to get out of Edinburgh this weekend is something that’s been held annually (with a short break in wartime) since 1875. The Luss Games offer all the traditional events: heavyweight, races of all kinds – including cycle races and a ‘kilted dash’ – tug-o-war, tossing the caber, throwing the hammer, Highland dancing and of course, plenty of bagpipes, all in a romantic setting on the banks of the River Luss. There will also be children’s activities, trade stalls and lots of refreshments on sale. 10.45am onwards, Luss Village, Loch Lomond, Argyll & Bute. Tickets cost £6/£3, family ticket £14, car parking £2. Full travel directions can be found on the event’s website here. If you would like to enter any of the open events, click here for information.
SUNDAY 5TH JULY 2015
Art Makers – July: join the Art Makers Club and make your own masterpieces, with artists Tessa Asquith Lamb and Louise Fraser. For ages 4-12 years. 2-4pm, Scottish National Gallery, The Mound. Free and unticketed. Supported by the Friends of NGS.
Filmhouse Junior: films for a younger audience. Today’s film is Pinocchio (U) (1940), the story of the marionette who must learn to be human, and his ‘conscience’, Jiminy Cricket. 11am, Filmhouse, Lothian Road. Tickets cost £4 per person, big or small, and may be purchased in person, by calling the Box Office on 0131 228 2688 or online here.
Cameo Vintage Sundays: classic films back on the big screen. Today’s film is The Third Man (PG), Carol Reed’s atmospheric film noir set in shadowy, post-war Vienna. 1pm, Cameo, Home Street. Tickets may be purchased in person, by calling the Box Office on 0871 902 5723 or online here.
A Big Song and Dance in Aid of Walk the Walk: a fundraising concert for the Walk the Walk breast cancer charity. Entertainment from eight performers; singing and hilarious comedy. The event is organised by Edinburgh singer Sarah Laing; read about the morning The Edinburgh Reporter spent with Sarah here. For over 18s only. 2.30pm, The Voodoo Rooms, West Register Street. Tickets cost £10 (transaction fee applies) and are available online here.
DD5 – Debbie Davis Jazz/Funk Band: the ‘sultry, soulful’ vocalist and her four-piece band [Colin Findlay (guitar), Steve Grossart (keys), Gary Houston (electric bass) and Pat McCann (drums)] deliver a mix of soul/jazz and funk/disco, which will appeal to lovers of the jazz/soul feel of guitarist George Benson. 9pm (entry from 8pm), The Jazz Bar, Chambers Street. £5/£4 on the door: please note this venue is cash only.
St Giles’ At Six: The Janacek Choir, Jablonec nad Nisou, Czech Republic, will perform choral music by composers including Jiri Pavlica, Dvorak and Smetana, together with Czech folk songs. 6pm, St Giles’ Cathedral, High Street. Free: retiring collection.
