Wednesday in Edinburgh – What’s On Today

Edinburgh’s Playday: lots of free activities for children and families! 12.30-4.30pm, Grassmarket. Children must be accompanied by an adult.

Record Breakers Record Smashers: will you be able to set a library record? Lots of fun and sporty activities. 2-3pm, Drumbrae Library Hub, 81 Drum Brae Drive. Free.

Summer Fun In The Courtyard: free family activities every week in July. Today Angela Grant brings a favourite Bible story to life, exploring Noah’s Ark through Godly Play. 11.30am, Courtyard, St Andrew’s & St George’s West Church, 13 George Street. Free: participants will also receive a voucher for use in the Undercroft Cafe.

Meet the Author: Jenny Harper. Jenny will read from her new book, People We Love, the fourth in the popular Heartland series of romantic novels set in the fictional Scottish town of Hailesbank. 2.30-3.30pm, Morningside Library, Morningside Road. Free but please book via eventbrite here or call the library on 0131 529 5654.

A Tale of Two Canals: explore the history of the Union and the Forth & Clyde Canals and the building of the Falkirk Wheel with the Scottish Waterways Trust – free walking tours packed with quirky facts and fascinating stories! Under 16s must be accompanied by an adult; please wear sturdy boots or shoes and waterproof clothing. 1-3pm, The Falkirk Wheel, Lime Road, Tamfourhill. Book your free place via eventbrite here. Also at same time on 5th August 2015.

The International Chorale: popular and sacred tunes. The International Chorale is based in Dunedin, Florida. Director/organist/pianist: JoAnn Metropoulos. 10am, Sanctuary, St Andrew’s & St George’s West Church, 13 George Street.

Dr Book’s Surgery. Stuck for something to read? Looking for new and exciting authors to explore? Dr Book will dispense reading advice and suggestions to cure all of your reading ailments. For ages 7+. 2.30pm, Corstorphine Library, Kirk Loan.

New Pattern and Possibility: Eastern Influence in 18th Century Western European Dress. Georgina Ripley, Curator of Fashion and Textiles at the National Museum of Scotland, explores some of the garments represented in Jean-Etienne Liotard’s portraits and considers the seductive charms of the East and its impact on European style. Liotard’s work documents the increasing cultural interchange between the Near East and Western Europe and the consequent influence on informal fashionable clothing. 12.45-1.30pm, Hawthornden Lecture Theatre, Scottish National Gallery, The Mound. Free and unticketed.

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

Go Set A Watchman: if you are bursting to share what you think of Harper Lee’s newly published work, Waterstones are hosting various get-togethers tonight –  discuss the book and enjoy nibbles, treats and games! 6pm, Waterstones Cameron Toll, Cameron Toll Centre, 6 Lady Road, 6.30pm, Waterstones Fort Kinnaird, 26 Kinnaird Park, 6.30pm, Waterstones George Street, 83 George Street (please note that booking is required for this event – call the store on 0131 229 3436 or call in) and 6pm, Waterstones West End, 128 Princes Street.

The Campbell Normand Trio: the swinging pianist promises a hugely enjoyable set, with backing from bassist Ed Kelly and drummer Bill Kyle. 9pm (entry from 8pm), The Jazz Bar, Chambers Street. £5/£4 on the door: please note this venue is cash only.

WHALE Arts Summer Festival: fun activities for children and families. Today: Mini Band – form a band, write lyrics and perform live! For ages 5+. Please bring a packed lunch. 10am-3pm, WHALE Arts, 30 Westburn Grove. Free but please book by calling 0131 458 3267 or emailing info@whalearts.co.uk – or ask in the Centre.

Mary Queen of Scots Afternoon: on this day 450 years ago, Lord Darnley and Mary Queen of Scots were married in the Chapel-Royal of Holyroodhouse. Come along to this family-friendly event to discover how they danced, what food they ate and what clothes they wore. Original Mary Queen of Scots documents will be on display. 2-4pm (drop-in), National Library of Scotland, George IV Bridge. Free

Blackwell’s Edinburgh Presents Douglas Watt: Pilgrim of Slaughter. The Edinburgh author launches his much awaited new novel, which continues the adventures of Gaelic speaking lawyer John MacKenzie, and his sidekick Davie Scougall. On the eve of the Glorious Revolution of 1688, John and Davie discover a series of gory murders; drawn into a world of papist plots, Presbyterian secret societies and religious and political upheaval, the pair follow a trail of clues left by a self-proclaimed ‘Messenger of God’. 6.30pm, Blackwell’s, South Bridge. Tickets are free and may be obtained from the shop’s front desk, by calling 0131 622 8218 or emailing events.edinburgh@blackwell.co.uk.

Celebrity Organ Recital: Daniel Cook (Westminster Abbey) plays Bruhns Praeludium in E Minor, Whitlock Sonata in C Minor (ii) Canzona (iii) Scherzetto, Alain Suite pour orgue, Anton Heiller Tanz-Tocata and Schumann Six Fugues on the name B-A-C-H. 8pm, St Giles Cathedral, High Street. Tickets cost £8/£5 (students), accompanied children free, and may be purchased from the Cathedral shop (0131 226 0673) or on the door (sta).

Beatrice Gibson: taking American author William Gaddis’ epic modernist masterpiece JR (1975) as its departure point, Crippled Symmetries is a new film by Beatrice Gibson. An eerily prescient, biting social satire that turns the American Dream on its head, JR tells the story of a precocious 11 year old capitalist who inadvertently creates the single greatest financial empire the decade has seen, spun largely from the invisible confines of the school payphone. Using the novel as a score for its production, and orientated around an experimental workshop for children, the film also draws on the work of radical educators and composers Brian Dennis and John Paynter, who infamously took the work of Cornelius Cardew, John Cage and Karlheinz Stockhausen into primary and secondary schools and were at the forefront of radical post-war utopian shifts towards child-centered pedagogy. Preview tonight 5-7pm, then 10am-5pm Tuesday to Sunday (10am-6pm Monday to Sunday in August only), City Dome, Collective Gallery, 38 Calton Hill, Ends 4th October 2015. Part of Edinburgh Art Festival.

David Sinclair Four with Lorna Reid: London rock & roll group David Sinclair Four join forces with jazz singer Lorna Reid for a special show to launch their new single Coming Out of the Rain, ‘a bittersweet harmony duet located at the emotional crossroads between love and loss and the cultural intersection between rock and country – a London barroom ballad transported to a windswept stretch of the Scottish Borders’. The song is the standout track on the David Sinclair Four’s acclaimed new album 4, which was launched earlier this year. For over 18s only. 7.30pm, The Speakeasy, The Voodoo Rooms, West Register Street. Tickets cost £6 and may be purchased online here (transaction fee applies).

Girls’ Night In: gossip, mags, quizzes, snacks and wi-fi. For ages 12-14 (P7+), 5-7pm, Granton Library, Wardieburn Terrace. Free: all welcome!