Kite-making and Hula Hooping with Edinburgh’s own Hula Honeys (hoops provided). 10.30am-1.30pm (hula hooping 11am-1pm), Harrison Park (next to Play Area, accessed by Ogilvie Terrace), Harrison Road and Harrison Gardens). Please bring a strong plastic bag. All welcome: under 16s must be accompanied by an adult. For further information please contact Esperanza Martin on 0131 445 4025 or email esperanza@elgt.org.uk. Facilitated by Edinburgh & Lothians Greenspace Trust, Scottish Natural Heritage, Friends of Harrison Park and the City of Edinburgh Council.
Filmhouse Junior: films for a younger audience. Today: Moon Man (U) The man on the moon is bored; he hitches a lift to Earth on the tails of a passing comet…but all is not well, the Moon Man’s absence from his post means that all the world’s children are unable to sleep… 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.
Hearing Impaired Tour: Jean-Etienne Liotard. A free tour of the exhibition, with portable loops, led by Tessa Asquith-Lamb. 11am-12 noon, Scottish National Gallery, The Mound. To book a place please call the Information Desk on 0131 624 6560. The Jean-Etienne Liotard exhibition opened at the National Gallery on 4th July 2015 and will close on 13th September 2015.
Scotland’s Gardens: tiny town garden (50′ x 25′) crammed with a wonderful variety of plants and interesting features, including a Mediterranean-style patio and water feature. 2-5pm, 15 Morningside Park. Admission £3, of which 40% will go to The Citizen’s Income Trust and the net remainder to Scotland’s Gardens beneficiaries. Also at same times on 2nd August 2015.
The Extreme Stunt Show: Air Battle Sensational monster truck action featuring Extreme FMX, BMX, mountain bikes, quads and a whole lot more. 3pm, Ocean Terminal, Ocean Drive, Leith. Tickets cost £12/£6 (£14/£7 on the door) and may be purchased in advance here. ‘Extreme is a state of mind’.
Scotland’s Gardens: Hunter’s Tryst. Well-stocked, mature, medium-sized town garden: herbaceous/shrub beds, lawn, vegetables and fruit, water feature, seating areas and trees. 2-5pm, Hunter’s Tryst, 95 Oxgangs Road EH10 7BA. Admission £3, of which 40% goes to Lothian Cat Rescue and the net remainder to Scotland’s Gardens beneficiaries.
Rumba de Bodas: swing, Latin and upbeat ska from this young Italian group. Infectious rhythms, sultry vocals, hot horns and sweet accordion. 10pm, Tron Kirk, High Street/South Bridge. Part of Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival.
Bee Scene in Edinburgh: join the volunteer bumblebee surveys along the Union Canal and learn more about these fascinating furry creatures and the vital role they play in the environment. Bumblebee sightings will contribute to the Bumblebee Conservation Trust’s national BeeWalk database and to the Scottish Canals environment heritage team, providing up-to-date information on these crucial contributors to the general health of the canal environment. 1-3.30pm, Water of Leith Conservation Trust, 24 Lanark Road. For more information please contact the organiser, Alan Forrester, on 07768 951740.
Picturehouse Vintage Sundays: classic films back on the big screen. Today’s film is Touch of Evil (12A). Shown as part of A Touch of Orson, a season of Orson Welles’ classic films to commemorate the 100th anniversary of his birth, Touch of Evil is a stark, perverse story of murder, kidnapping and police corruption in a Mexican border town. 1pm, Cameo, Home Street. Tickets may be purchased in person, by calling the Box Office on 0871 902 5723 or online here: prices vary.
St Giles’ At Six: Tim Cais (cello) and Chris Harding (piano) will play Mendelssohn Cello Sonata No 2, Mendelssohn Variations Concertantes and JS Bach Gamba Sonata No 1. 6pm, St Giles’ Cathedral, High Street. Free: retiring collection.
Golden Hare Books Presents An Evening with Malachy Tallak. The writer, editor and singer-songwriter launches his new book, Sixty Degrees North, in which he explores the places that share this latitude, beginning and ending in Shetland, where he has spent most of his life. Malachy looks at themes of wildness, community, isolation, engagement, exile and memory – and also at the loss of his own father, and his troubled relationship with Shetland. ‘A wise, questioning and highly sophisticated talent’ (John Burnside), ‘..a brave book in its honesty and exposure..a beautiful book in terms of the subtlety of its thinking and the quality of its descriptive prose’ (Robert Macfarlane). 7pm, St Stephen’s Centre, St Stephen Street. Free tickets may be booked via eventbrite here.
And finally… if you would like to attend the Virgin Money Fireworks Concert at the end of the festivals this summer, tickets are now on sale for this celebration of dance music and spectacular visual extravaganza. International fireworks artists Pyrovision will choreograph this breathtaking display to accompany the Scottish Chamber Orchestra’s performance in Princes Street Gardens on the night of 31st August. Tickets range from £12.50 to £27.50 and may be purchased online here. ‘A truly explosive evening!’.
