Juniper Green Farmers’ Market: stalls with an extensive range of products, including breads, cakes, cheeses, fish, meat, pies, preserves, coffee, Fair Trade goods, hot snacks and drinks. The market also offers local residents the chance to meet with their local councillors, community councillors, MP and MSP. 9am-1pm, Juniper Green Village Hall, 1A Juniper Park Road. Organised by Juniper Green Community Council.
Waterside Autumn Festival: Garvald Edinburgh’s Waterside Workshop opens its door to let you see its members’ fantastic work. Autumn Cafe with hot soup and home baking, Waterside Garden with plants, herbs, produce and crafts for sale, artwork exhibition, puppets, cards and jewellery, performances of The Dream World and The Fox’s Tale, and the launch of Garvald’s new book, Past, Present and People. 10.30am-1.30pm, Waterside Workshops, 492 Gorgie Road. Garvald Edinburgh is a Scottish Charity offering creative opportunities and support for people with learning disabilities. It is inspired by the ideas of the educator and philosopher Rudolf Steiner and has been operating in Edinburgh since 1969, providing creative working environments focusing mainly around craft, catering and artistic skills. Currently it provides opportunities and support for over 200 people, and in addition it supports around 40 people in their own homes and flats that are made available through links with housing associations. Garvald Edinburgh achieves consistently excellent gradings from the Care Inspectorate.
French Family Saturdays: an all-in-French Saturday session for children aged 4-10, with craft, stories, and food. September is the start of the French school year, and it’s also the time of harvest; come and make a crafty garland with apples and pears before tasting a delicious apple juice from Presqu’île de Rhuys in Brittany. 1-3pm, Institut francais d’Ecosse, 13 Randolph Crescent. Tickets cost £7 (£4 members) per child, accompanying parents free. Advance booking is highly recommended and may be made by emailing info@ifecosse.org.uk. The programme for the Family Saturdays season 2015/16 is available here. For details of membership of the Institute click here.
The Treasure Trove Autumn Fair. The Royal Edinburgh Repository and Self-Aid Society’s motto is ‘use your skills to pay the bills!’, its historic purpose being ‘the relief of those in need, by reason of age, ill-health, disability, financial hardship or other hardship’. The lovely Treasure Trove shop in Castle Street sells handiwork – knitwear, baby clothes and shawls, hand-made toys, home baking (including cakes, preserves and tablet) and seasonal goods – made by its members to help them gain an independent livelihood. Come and enjoy this fantastic pop-up fair to help raise money for the members of the organisation; there will be a variety of stalls which will showcase some amazing crafts. 10.30am-3.30pm, Sanctuary, St Andrew’s & St George’s West Church, 13 George Street. Free admission.
Doors Open Day: Edinburgh College’s Milton Road Community Garden. The Garden is part of the College; it provides the opportunity for students, staff, community members, and groups to learn to grow their own food, to reflect about what they are eating and why, to learn about sustainability and how changing our consuming habits can have impacts on local economies and community makeup, as well as on our environment. Participants explore their taste and (re)-discover vegetables and the benefits of diet for wellbeing; they also re-learn how important sharing food is. There will be some workshops related to gardening and preparing ground for the winter, perhaps building raised beds and compost heaps. Guided tours, information, children’s activities, displays, refreshments; free parking. 11am-4pm, 24 Milton Road East.
St Bride’s Family Cinema: see your favourite films for free! Juice and choc ices available in the interval for 50p. Today’s film is The Nut Job (U). Please note: all children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult. Subtitles are available on request. 10.30am-12.30pm, St Bride’s Centre, Orwell Terrace, Dalry. Next week’s film will be Toy Story 2 (U). All welcome.
Doors Open Day: RBGE Botanic Cottage. The Botanic Cottage is simultaneously the oldest and newest building in the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, and has recently been rebuilt after being moved stone by stone across the city from its old home on Leith Walk. Discover the fascinating story of this 250 year old building, designed by John Adam and James Craig, and containing one of the oldest classrooms of the Scottish Enlightenment, now set for an exciting future as a hub for community learning in the Garden. The Botanic Cottage is still a working site, and won’t open to the public until later this Autumn. For ages 16+ only. Please wear sturdy shoes. Entry will be every 30 minutes, and will be on a first come, first served basis. 1-4pm, Botanic Cottage, Royal Botanic Garden, Inverleith Row. Also at same times on Sunday 27th September.
Bookbug: songs and rhymes for children aged 0-4 and their parents and carers. 10.30am today and every Saturday, Balgreen Library, 173 Balgreen Road. Free.
University of Edinburgh Undergraduate Open Day: for everyone interested in applying for undergraduate studies. Find out about subjects, accommodation, the careers service, libraries, sport, student disability service and lots more. Meet staff and students; advice sessions for parents too! The Open Day operates across several university sites (including Edinburgh College of Art); a shuttle bus service will be available. 9.30am-5pm (College of Art 9.30am-3.30pm), University of Edinburgh. Booking is required; full information and a link to the booking site may be found on the university’s website here.
Doors Open Day: John Knox House. Dating back to 1470, John Knox House is one of Scotland’s greatest cultural treasures and is associated with the most dramatic events in Scotland’s turbulent history. Located in The Netherbow, the house was the home of James Mossman, goldsmith to Mary, Queen of Scots, and became known as the final residence of John Knox, the Protestant reformer. 10am onwards, John Knox House, Scottish Storytelling Centre, 43-45 High Street. Free but timed tickets are required (30 will be issued for each 30 minute slot) and may be booked in person, by calling the Box Office on 0131 556 9579 or online here.
LGBT ‘Living with….’ Creative Writing and Performance Workshops: a series of creative writing and performance workshops as part of LGBT Health’s latest arts and mental health project ‘Living with…’. The project aims creatively to capture and give a platform for people to express the impact that living with, or caring for, someone with a long term condition has on people’s mental wellbeing. Established Scottish authors, poets and playwrights will be leading a series of workshops to help to you build confidence in developing or perfecting creative writing and performance skills, 
with no pressure to take to the stage. To be followed by an evening performance on Saturday 17th October as part of the Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival. 2-4pm, Quaker Meeting House, 7 Victoria Terrace. Booking is essential: please email alison@lgbthealth.org.uk to be the first to know when booking and further details for this week’s workshop are announced – or keep an eye on the LGBT Health Facebook page.
Family Ceilidh: come with family and friends to dance well-known Scottish dances. All the dances will be called and there will be easier circles for the littler ones. A fun introduction to sociable dancing with live music for all ages. 2pm, Scottish Storytelling Centre, 43-45 High Street. Tickets cost £6/£4 and may be booked in person, by calling the Box Office on 0131 556 9579 or online here. Supported by the Traditional Dance Forum of Scotland.
People’s Climate Rally Edinburgh: an event to celebrate what people in Scotland are doing to make the necessary changes to our economy and society to protect our climate and create a more positive future. Speakers will include Alison Johnstone MSP (Green Party), Richard Dixon (Director, Friends of the Earth), Eleanor Dow (Medact), Paul Glynn (Mondo Loco/Glencorse Community Garden), Chris McGuinness (Chair, 2050 Climate Group), Jess Pepper and Robyn (Climate Reality Project), renewables expert Keith Barnham (Imperial College, London), Gill Davies (fossil fuel divestment), Alex Robertson (Pedal on Parliament), Lesley Hinds (Edinburgh City Council), Tommy Sheppard MSP (SNP) and representatives from Stop Climate Chaos Scotland and Interfaith Scotland, plus music from Protest in Harmony, Open Community Singing Group and Irresistible Urges, and stalls from different community groups, NGO’s, businesses and individuals working on relevant projects that you can get involved with. There will also be 20 minutes of ‘Turbo Talk’ slots where you can announce your own campaign or project – email pcm.edinburgh@gmail.com to book your time. 1pm (assemble from 12.30pm), The Mound Precinct, Princes Street.
Lunchtime Concert: Bøneskoret Choir, Bergen, Norway. 12.15pm, St Giles’ Cathedral, High Street. Free.
Lothian Derby Dolls Clothes Swap: an opportunity to clear out your wardrobe, catch up with friends and make some new ones. The rules are:
1) Everyone must bring at least one item of quality clothing.
2) You will have half an hour to browse before the swish opens.
3) No item may be claimed before the swish opens.
4) As soon as the swish is declared open, everyone may take what they want.
5) Remember no scratching, spitting or fighting.
Any remaining clothing will be donated to charity. This is a fundraiser for Lothian Derby Dolls (roller derby skaters), so please buy some raffle tickets on the day. 1-4pm, Dalriada, 77 Promenade, Portobello.
The Story Kist: Inclusive Storytelling. Stories and brags and fibs and riddles! Come and enjoy some rambunctious multi-sensory adventures with storytellers Ailie Finlay and Marie Louise Cochrane. Journey from the streets of the Old Town to hidden glens in the Highlands and back again with games, songs, props and puppets! Lots of fun for everyone, but particularly for children with additional needs, their families, friends and carers. 11am, Storytelling Bothy, Scottish Storytelling Centre, 43-45 High Street. Tickets cost £5 per child, accompanying adult free, and may be booked in person, by calling the Box Office on 0131 556 9579 or online here. Please remember to book a free adult ticket for yourself in addition to purchasing your child’s ticket.
Doors Open Day: French Institute, French Consulate and Free French House. Visit the Institute’s Georgian house on Randolph Crescent and discover the magnificent views of the Dean Valley and the Firth of Forth, the garden at the back, and the beautiful dome; along the way, glean some information about the history of the building and its famous inhabitants, including the Stevenson sisters. The neighbouring office of the Consul General of France will also be open. On the other side of New Town, at 28 Regent Terrace, you will also be able to visit the former Free French House officially opened by General de Gaulle in 1942 and precursor of the Institut français and the French Consulate before their move to Randolph Crescent in 1946. The French Institute and Consulate at 13 and 12, Randolph Crescent will be open 10am-4pm today only; the Free French House at 28 Regent Terrace will be open 2-5pm today and on Sunday 27th September.
Polwarth Nearly New Sale: children’s clothes, toys, equipment and much more. In aid of Edinburgh Sick Kids Hospital and Polwarth Parish Church. 11am-1pm, Polwarth Parish Church, Polwarth Terrace.
Doors Open Day: Filmhouse. Enjoy a guided tour of the Screen One Projection Box – normally off limits to the public! 10am, 10.45am and 11.30am, Filmhouse, Lothian Road. Tours must be booked in advance via the Box Office on 0131 228 2688 (early booking advised)
Document Scotland: The Ties That Bind – Photographers’ Tour. Document Scotland exhibiting artists Colin McPherson, Jeremy Sutton-Hibbert, Sophie Gerrard and Stephen McLaren will lead a tour around this new exhibition, which features photographs of and about Scotland and its people at a pivotal moment in the country’s history. 2-3pm, Scottish National Portrait Gallery, 1 Queen Street. No booking required: free, unticketed, but as places are limited and demand may be high, please arrive early to avoid disappointment.
Fergus McCreadie: solo jazz piano from the fast-rising 18 year old Dollar-based pianist, playing original compositions and arranged jazz standards. 5.45-6.45pm, The Jazz Bar, Chambers Street. Free entry: please note this venue is cash only.
Take One Action! Film Festival: ‘connecting people, world-class cinema and creative action for a better world’. Twelve days of screenings and discussions, in Edinburgh and Glasgow, on issues as diverse as environmental activism, LGBT rights in African countries, cycling, the value (or not) of university degrees, the Arab Spring, literacy, the global financial system, food chains and much more. Today’s film is Landfill Harmonic (12A) (in Spanish with English subtitles); ‘a testament to the transformative power of music and the resilience of the human spirit’. The inspiring true story of The Recycled Orchestra of Cateura, a youth music group from the slums of Paraguay. Their choice of instrument – recycled garbage – blazes with hope in the face of inequality and environmental injustice. More than 60% of Paraguayans live in poverty, and in the slums of Cateura, young people have fewer chances than most. Enter Favio Chavez, a musician and teacher who sees boundless opportunity where others see garbage. Working hand-in-hand with local garbage pickers, children and parents, the orchestra is soon catapulted into the global spotlight – but when a natural disaster strikes their country, Favio must find a way to keep the orchestra intact and maintain a source of hope for their town. Plus shorts: The Reinvention of Normal and Remade in Edinburgh. Presented in association with Oxfam. 5.45pm, Filmhouse, Lothian Road. Tickets may be purchased from the Filmhouse box office in person, by calling 0131 228 2688 or online; prices vary. The screenings will be preceded by a fun (and wholly voluntary) 10-minute South American song workshop in the auditorium, led by community singing teacher Penny Stone; they will be followed by conversations and opportunities for creative, effective personal action.
Doors Open Day: Tours of the National Library. A chance to see behind the scenes at Scotland’s largest reference library, which is also a major research centre in Europe. Displays will include archive photos of the construction of the building and key architectural features, along with drawings and plans. Tours last around an hour. 2pm (all other tour times already fully booked), National Library of Scotland, George IV Bridge. Booking is essential as places are limited and may be made by calling 0131 623 3734 or online here. Free.
Balerno Music Festival: the eighth Balerno Music Festival has a packed programme of concerts, films, cabaret, workshops, children’s events, folk music sessions, the Festival Busk and a jazz party. Tonight’s events are (1) Pentland Singers – Music for a New Century. A concert of some of the very best of twenty-first century choral music: music that has already gained a much-loved place among amateur and professional choirs alike, including excerpts from Karl Jenkins The Armed Man, alongside music by Howard Goodall, Paul Mealor, Cecilia McDowell and others. 7.30pm, Balerno Parish Church, 2 Main Street, Balerno. Tickets cost £9/£5; (2) Cabaret and Dance to Revival (ABBA tribute act). Relive the fantastic sound of the Swedish stars with this authentic ABBA show, which has been thrilling audiences up and down the country with its spectacular tribute; 
an ideal opportunity to relive your younger days and sing along! 8.30pm (doors open 7.30pm), Balerno Bowling Club, 5 Ladycroft, Balerno. Tickets cost £10. All tickets may be purchased from Balerno Parish Church Office (9am-12 noon, Monday to Friday), Balerno Farmers’ Market, by post or online; for full booking information click here. The festival continues on Friday 2nd October and ends on 11th October 2015.
Organ Recital: Duncan Ferguson, Organist and Master of the Music at St Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral, crosses the road to give a recital featuring organ music from Germany, France and Britain, including works by Buxtehude, Bach, Nicolas de Grigny, Dupré, William Faulkes, Handel and Guilmant. 7.30-8.30pm, Palmerston Place Church, 10 Palmerston Place. Admission free.
National Gallery Highlights Tours – September: an introduction to and tour of the National Gallery’s permanent collection, focusing on key paintings. 2-2.45pm or 3-3.45pm, Scottish National Gallery, The Mound . Free and unticketed.
Out of the Blue Flea Market: over 45 stalls full to bursting with clothes, jewellery, small furniture, music, books, bric-a-brac and so much more. Delicious coffee, cake and light lunches available at the Drill Hall Arts Cafe. 10am-3pm, Out of the Blue Drill Hall, 36 Dalmeny Street.
Soulsville: a monthly night of rapturous soul music brought to you by DJs Francis Dosoo, Fryer & Mr Mason. Rugged rhythms & deep blue grooves long into the midnight hours at one of the club’s consistently busiest nights, featuring glowing visuals downstairs plus rotating guests upstairs. 11pm-3am, The Bongo Club, 66 Cowgate. £5. The Bongo Club is owned by local arts charity Out of the Blue; ‘putting the sounds of the underground and imaginative aspirations before the mighty dollar and encouraging the community to get involved and use the space to do their own thing’.
Doors Open Day: RBGE Herbarium and Library. This terrazzo and glass building overlooks the NE corner of the Botanic Garden; opened in 1964 and extended in 2005-6, it houses one of Europe’s largest botanical libraries and a collection of around 3 million preserved plant and fungi specimens, supporting the Garden’s global research, conservation and education programmes. For ages 12+. 1-4pm, Herbarium and Library Building, Royal Botanic Garden, Inverleith Row. Also at same times on Sunday 27th September.
Scots Music Group Ceilidh with Matthew Maclennan Ceilidh Band: the band was formed in 2005 and has played everywhere from Burns Suppers in Germany to accordion and fiddle clubs in Stornoway. Please note that only alcohol purchased at the venue may be consumed at the ceilidh; water will be freely available. 7.30 (doors open – dancing from 8)- 11.30pm, St Brides Centre, Orwell Terrace. Tickets cost £9/£7 in advance (£10 on the door, sta) and may be purchased from St Bride’s Centre Box Office in person or by calling 0131 346 1405 or Scots Music Group on 0131 555 7668 or online here.
Absolut Piano with Olly Ferrell: 7.30pm, Sofi’s, 65 Henderson Street.
City Link 2015: the City Link Festival is an international event celebrating culture and urban life between cities through symposiums, artist exchange, workshops, study trips, city walks, performances and social bonding, inspiration and co-creation, City Link started in 2012 as a co-creation project between cultural communities in Copenhagen and Hamburg. 
Until 2014, the network primarily consisted of people from these two cities, but the City Link Festival in Hamburg in September 2014 kick-started City Link as a global network connecting people, projects and communities throughout the world. This year the festival’s theme is democratic renewal; it will bring together people from Edinburgh and Copenhagen with ideas that could link cities, discuss local initiatives, inspire each other and investigate possibilities of co-creating cities across Europe. Today’s events – more follow on Sunday 27th September – are:
Pecha Kucha: 20 Seconds x 20 Slides. A mini Pecha Kucha event with a series of short and inspiring 20 slide x 20 second presentations by artists, to architects, urban planners, curators and activists, all of whom work in or close to grassroots and community/bottom up initiatives creating change in cities. An opportunity for people to share their work and ideas both in a public platform and with each other and to make some new connections. 5-7pm, Architecture & Design Scotland, 7 Bakehouse Close, 146 Canongate. Sponsored by Studio DuB. Tickets are required and may be obtained here;
Neu! Reekie! Edinburgh and Copehagen: When Comets Collide. A night of music, poetry and animation from Danish and Edinburgh artists, curated by Edinburgh’s culture-making collective Neu! Reekie! 7-11pm, Pilrig St Paul’s Church, Pilrig Street. Tickets cost £10/£8 and may be purchased via Brown Paper Tickets here. To be followed by an After Party with LeithLate DJs Dai and Martin at Victoria Bar, 265 Leith Walk.
3 Straight Heads: soulful covers from the Edinburgh-based four-piece. 9pm, The Skylark, 241-243 Portobello High Street.
Shetland Wool Week: your second opportunity for a trip away this weekend is not your standard festival – Shetland Wool Week is a world renowned celebration of Britain’s most northerly native sheep, the Shetland textile industry and the rural farming community on the islands. Numerous classes and workshops in all aspects of knitting, pattern writing, spinning, colour working, button making, dyeing and weaving, open studios, exhibitions, boat trips to Noss National Seabird Reserve, farm visits, mill and factory tours and lots more. For full details of all events, prices (each event is priced separately) plus travel and accommodation advice see the Shetland Wool Week website here. Ends 4th October 2015.
The Blueswater: fronted by dynamic vocalist Felipe Schrieberg, The Blueswater is the 12-piece band behind award-winning Fringe show ‘Blues!’. Their unique songs, big beefy horn section, old-school R&B, blues, soul, and good ol’ Rock‘n’Roll will fill the dancefloor. Come on down, dance, and get your mojo working! Plus DJ Ahmed. 12 midnight (entry from 11.30pm)-3am, The Jazz Bar, Chambers Street. £5/£4 on the door: please note this venue is cash only.
