Saturday in Edinburgh – What’s On Today

Sofi’s Dug Day: a fun way to socialise your pup while you enjoy a weekend drink. Meet other local dogs and owners! 12 noon-5pm today and the first Saturday of every month, Sofi’s, 65 Henderson Street.

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

Monkey Drama: an adventure of the imagination, using drama, props, music and role-play to help children explore their worlds creatively. They might be pirates, animals, superheroes, dinosaurs, astronauts… with Monkey Drama the possibilities are endless! Each child will also receive a certificate to show what they have learned, imagined and explored. For ages 2-5. 10.30am or 11.45 am (45 minute sessions), Storytelling Court, Scottish Storytelling Centre, 43-45 High Street. Tickets cost £6 and may be purchased from the Box Office in person, by calling 0131 556 9579 or online here.

The Balerno Music Festival continues today at various venues around the village, with a Young Musicians’ Concert, Fun Time Harmonies workshop, a Children’s Concert with Big Pete and the Richard Dennis Concert featuring The Tourie Band. For details and tickets please visit the festival’s website here.

Lunchtime Concert: Michael Walton (violin) and Jennifer Redmond (piano) play works by Beethoven and Tartini. 12.15pm, St Giles’ Cathedral, High Street. Free.

Money For Positive Change Conference: chaired by Rev Sally Foster Fulton, Convener of the Church and Society Council of the Church of Scotland, this conference, organised by the Church’s Society, Religion and Technology Project as part of Good Money Week, features an address from Tessa Tennant, green investment pioneer. The Project hopes to provide you with an opportunity to consider how your faith, values and finances interact, and how you, and your church, can make positive decisions about how your money is used in the future; delegates are encouraged to participate in the workshops sessions and the Q&A panel discussion.Workshops topics: Financial capability skills for young people (Iona Bain), The Good Money App  (John Preston), Ethical Money Churches (Sabrina Groschel), Divestment (Adrian Shaw) and Community Shares Scotland (Kelly McIntyre). A buffet lunch will be provided. 9.30am-1.30pm, St Andrew’s and St George’s West Church, 13 George Street. Free but please register via eventbrite here. Sponsored by Triodos Bank and ethicalfutures IFA. Good Money Week is an annual campaign in October to let people know that they have sustainable and ethical options in their financial decisions. 

Lunchtime Organ Recital: St Cuthbert’s Director of Music Jeremy Cull plays Mussorgsky Pictures at an Exhibition. 12.30-1.15pm, St Cuthbert’s Church, 5 Lothian Road. Free: retiring collection.

Scottish Waterways Trust Wildflower Survey: volunteer to become a ‘citizen scientist’ and help the Trust discover more about the plants growing on the canalside in Edinburgh. Join this free wildflower survey, develop your plant ID skills, make new friends and have fun. Surveys are led by Anna Canning of Floramedica. 10.30am-1pm, Water of Leith Visitor Centre, 24 Lanark Road. For more information please contact Anna on 07790 885969 or email anna.canning@blueyonder.co.uk.

Portobello Book Festival 2015: lots of bookish events today – sessions with Dolinda McLellan, Peter Ranscombe, RL McKinney, Grahame Howard, Stref (aka Stephen White) and Fin Cramb, Jo MacFarlane, Allan Beveridge, Max Scratchmann, Margaret Halliday,Catherine Simpson, Lucy Ribchester, Archie Foley, photographer Peter E Ross, restaurateur Carina Contini, Val McDermid, Catriona Child and James Spence, plus workshops in Book Folding and Writing & Yoga and a Book Quiz. Various venues around Portobello. All events are free but tickets are required and may be collected from Portobello Library, 14 Rosefield Avenue in advance. Some tickets may be available at venues 15 minutes before the start of some events. The festival continues tomorrow. To see the full programme, with details of all venues, click here.

Many Mountains To Climb: Christian Aid’s 70th Anniversary Conference. Christian Aid partners from Bolivia, South Africa and India will be attending and speaking about their work, exploring the charity’s fight against the injustices of poverty along with directors from CA’a international and humanitarian teams, with an emphasis on gender, climate change and land. Refreshments will be provided. 10am-4.30pm, City of Edinburgh Methodist Church, 25 Nicolson Square. The conference is free, but places are limited and registration is essential; please email Amy Menzies, Christian Aid Scotland events officer, at amenzies@christian-aid.org or call her on 0141 241 6138, with the following information: (1) your full name and address, or at least your town; (2) the church or Christian Aid Group you are associated with, if any; (3) the number of people in your party, if known.

Christian Aid 70th Anniversary Ceilidh: a ceilidh to celebrate the completion of the charity’s 70 Munro Challenge and the 70th anniversary of Christian Aid. Kindly hosted by the Centre for Theology and Public Issues, with music generously provided by the Fabulous Shire Boys. 7.30pm, Rainy Hall, New College, University of Edinburgh. Suggested donation on the door £7. Spaces are limited, so please register with wyoung@christian-aid.org to make sure your name is on the list.

The Vintage Kilo Sale: over 5 tonnes of quality mixed vintage fashion and accessories. Dresses, denim, menswear, jackets, jeans, jumpers, blouses, shirts, shorts, tees and more. Stock will be replenished throughout the day. £15 per kilo. Earlybird entry 11am-12 noon – £3, general entry 12 noon-4pm – £1.50, Out of the Blue Drill Hall, 36 Dalmeny Street.

Fun Palaces are coming to Wester Hailes! An annual, free, nationwide celebration of arts and culture, driven by localism, innovation and engagement. Celebrating the life and work of Joan Littlewood, and in particular the vision she shared with Cedric Price for the creation of a ‘Fun Palace’ – a space where arts and sciences meet – Fun Palaces sees makers across the country create their own pop-up version of a Fun Palace. Free activities for children, young people and families in Wester Hailes, with scientists from Edinburgh Napier University and WHALE artists. 12 noon-4pm, WHALE Arts, 30 Westburn Grove. Also at same times on Sunday 4th October. No booking required, just come along!

A View of Fife and Beyond By Two Generations: an exhibition of work by Deborah Phillips and the late Douglas Phillips, with a solo exhibition of ceramics by Helen Foster. Preview (with wine and strawberries) 11am-1pm today, then 11am-5pm Tuesday to Saturday, The Leith Gallery, 65 The Shore. Ends 31st October 2015.

Apple Festival: is the early ripening of apples this year a taste of things to come and should we be planning to use new varieties? Come to the Botanics to celebrate apples with displays of fruit, opportunities to taste unusual varieties and a chance to get your apples identified. 12 noon-4pm, Real Life Science Studio, John Hope Gateway, Royal Botanic Garden of Edinburgh, Inverleith Row. Also at same times on Sunday 4th October 2015.

Edinburgh Napier University Undergraduate Open Day: an opportunity for you and your family and friends to visit, chat with academic staff and students and get all the information you need about any aspect of studying at Edinburgh Napier, with presentations and activities on student life, UCAS, accommodation, SAAS, studying abroad, the transition process for those coming to Napier from college, and much more – plus a session for parents. The Open Day will take place 9.30am-3pm across all three campuses; Sighthill (Sighthill Court), Merchiston (Colinton Road) and Craiglockhart (Glenlockhart Road) – please check Napier’s website here to find out which site offers your subject(s). Registration is required; click here.

From Steam to Diesel: photographs of railway workers in and around Edinburgh in the 1950s and 60s. Local historian Archie Foley and photographer Peter E Ross talk about their new publication, a unique photographic record made during the 1950s and 1960s by an engine driver recording the changes on the railway as diesel replaced steam. 2pm, Portobello High School Library, 10 Duddingston Road. Free but tickets are required and may be collected from Portobello Library, 14 Rosefield Avenue in advance. Some tickets may be available at the venue 15 minutes before the start of the event. Part of Portobello Book Festival 2015.

Changing Our Unequal World: Edinburgh World Justice Festival Conference. Exhibition, book sale, stalls, workshops, keynote speaker, panel discussion with Sarah Boyack MSP, Cllr Lewis Ritchie (chair), Professor Tim Hayward, Alberto Paloni (University of Glasgow), Anuj Kapilashrami (University of Edinburgh) and Pinar Aksu, breakout sessions on The refugee crisis, causes and responses (Refugee Survival Trust), Climate justice, to Paris and beyond (Friends of the Earth), Trade rules and TTIP (Global Justice Now), Land rights and investment treaties (Lorenzo Cotula, IIED), Better economics – better planet (Jubilee Scotland), Minerals and oil justice (War On Want) and Gender and rights in Central America (Mo Hume University of Glasgow) and more. 11am-5pm, St Thomas of Aquin’s School, Chalmers Street. Free but donations are invited and registration should be made via eventbrite here.

Cityscapes: celebrate The Big Draw at the Museum of Edinburgh. Bragela Hornal invites you to try out some unusual drawing techniques and create a visionary cityscape.  10am-12 noon or 1-3pm, Museum of Edinburgh, Huntly House, 142 Canongate. Tickets cost £4 and must be booked in advance via the Usher Hall Box Office, Lothian Road, in person, by calling 0131 228 1155 or online here.

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 Toy Story 2 (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 The Smurfs (U). All welcome.

Portrait Gallery Thematic Tours: Perspectives of Scotland and Slavery. Historian Alastair Learmont draws on portraiture, sculpture and photographs in the Gallery’s collection to consider Scotland’s associations with slavery in the Caribbean. These tours are part of Black History Month 2015. 2-2.45pm or 3-3.45pm, Scottish National Portrait Gallery, 1 Queen Street. No booking required: free, unticketed.

Sanctuary: a night of live music, spoken word and unity to raise funds for CalAid Edinburgh. Bands, DJs and poets will be appearing at Studio 24 in support of those stuck in Calais who are in need of medical aid and essential items; Studio 24 has very kindly offered its venue and staff time for free, and will also be donating profits from the bar to the cause. Over 14s welcome till 11pm, then over 18s only for the rest of the night. 7.30pm-3am, Studio 24, Calton Road. Tickets cost £7/£5 (booking fee applies) and may be purchased via eventbrite here.

Edinburgh Spanish Film Festival: films for all tastes (‘from the foodies to the fanatics!’), primary and secondary school screenings, gastronomic evening and opening and closing events. Today’s films, all showing at Filmhouse, Lothian Road, are;

(1) at 12.45pm: Sinsombrero (U) (see Thursday’s listing);

(2) at 2.45pm: Loreak/Flowers (PG) (in Basque with English subtitles). The tale of three women and three ordinary lives changed by nothing more than some flowers – flowers that make each one feel emotions they’d thought were long gone.. Plus short: Samina. Followed by a Q&A with director of Loreak José Mari Goenaga;

(3) at 5.45pm, Ocho apellidos vascos/Spanish Affair (12A) (in Spanish and Basque with English subtitles). Rafa, Andalusian to the bone, has never had to put a foot out of his beloved Seville to get the things he loves most in life: sherry, hair gel and women. That is until the day when his life gets turned upside down after his charm and romantic advances are rejected by a Basque girl called Amaia;

(4) 80 Egunean/80 Days (U) (in Basque with English subtitles). Where is the thin line that separates friendship from desire? Axun is in a hospital taking care of her daughter’s ex-husband, seriously injured in a car accident. To her surprise, the woman who takes care of the other patient in the same room turns out to be Maite, her best friend when they were teenagers and who is now openly lesbian. They have not seen each other for more than 50 years but that close relationship seems to be still alive. Tonight’s screening will be followed by a Q&A with director José Mari Goenaga. Also showing at 6pm on Monday 5th October, when the screening will be followed by a Q & A session with Professor Nuria Capdevila (University of Exeter). 

Tickets may be purchased from the Filmhouse box office in person, by calling 0131 228 2688 or online; prices vary.

Men With Coconuts: the Scottish musical comedy troupe presents ninety minutes of improvised games and scenes, culminating in an entirely improvised Broadway-style musical. Based in Edinburgh, Men With Coconuts are actors, singers and physical comedians accompanied by a virtuoso pianist. ‘Unplanned, unscripted and unbelievable!’ 8pm, Netherbow Theatre, Scottish Storytelling Centre, 43-45 High Street. Tickets cost £10/£8 and may be purchased from the Box Office in person, by calling 0131 556 9579 or online here.

Postcards from The Line: an annual exhibition of small unframed pieces of work from a wide variety of artists from all over Scotland and beyond, with over 30 artists contributing 200+ pieces in all media, from photography to pencil drawing, linocut, collage and much more. Artists participating include Ruth Nicol, Ruth Brownlee, Angela Lawrence, Scott Taylor, Nikki Monaghan and Rhona Fairgrieve. 10am-5pm Tuesday to Friday, 9am-5pm Saturdays, 1-4pm Sundays, The Line Gallery, 238 High Street, Linlithgow. Ends 27th October 2015.

The Skylark Presents The Woods: the music of Scottish singer-songwriter Johnny McFadzean. ‘A haunting voice that lays the soul bare, words that strip back the everyday to expose its raw beauty, these songs hook your ear around corners you didn’t see coming’. 9pm, The Skylark, 241-243 Portobello High Street.

Teresa Gordon: A Sense of Belonging. Teresa’s paintings explore her sense of place in both the east and west of Scotland, and the environments of Edinburgh and Portpatrick between which she divides her time. Preview today 2.30pm, then 11am-5pm daily, Coburg House Studios, 15 Coburg Street. Ends 9th October 2015.

The Meadows Chamber Orchestra: Vaughan Williams Symphony No 5 in D Major, Findlay Spence Perpetuum Mobile (Premiere of the winning work in this year’s MCO Composers’ Competition) and Sibelius Symphony No 5 in E flat major Op82. Conductor: Steven King MBE, SCO violinist and Director of Music, Heriot-Watt University. 7.45pm, Inverleith St Serf’s Church, 280 Ferry Road. Tickets cost £11/£9 (concessions)/£5 (students)/£1 (children) and may be purchased from The Queen’s Hall Box Office, Clerk Street, in person, by calling 0131 668 2019 or online here, or from orchestra members, or on the door (sta).

Of One and Many: a solo exhibition by artist and filmmaker Lin Li, originally from Hong Kong but now based in Glasgow. 10.30am-6pm (10am-3pm on 8th October), Gayfield Creative Spaces, 11 Gayfield Square. Ends 8th October 2015. For screenings of Lin Li’s film, Above Us, the Sky, see below.

Above Us, the Sky: a film by Lin Li about Brian Quail, a retired teacher in Glasgow who has campaigned for nuclear disarmament for decades. A portrait of Brian around his identity as a peace activist, through extracts of his conversations with Lin considering the meaning of his actions and what constitutes peace, footage of his direct action and of his home. Whilst focusing on an individual and his peace activism, the film touches on topics which have wider significance, such as the issue of nuclear disarmament, an individual citizen’s responsibility and ability in influencing state policies, and the question of what it means to be human. 2.30 or 6pm, Gayfield Creative Spaces, 11 Gayfield Square. Free reservations may be made via eventbrite here (please note there is a separate eventbrite page for each screening).

Linda Park: the texture of light. Linda Park’s work focuses on audacious interpretations of landscape, showcasing her ability to suggest the mysteries that lie beneath the bare stone and turf of the scenes she paints. This latest collection of Linda’s work is also about the almost limitless spectrum of light and colour in which those landscapes are not so much bathed as drenched. 10am-5pm Monday to Friday, 12 noon-5pm Saturdays, Doubtfire Gallery, 3 South East Circus Place.

The Open Door Presents The Amazing Adventures of Fred and Rita Daniels: this month Fred and Rita will give two illustrated talks about their adventures in Tibet, Lebanon and Syria. Tonight: Tibet – The Abode of the God Kings; a spiritual and cultural journey through life in Tibet, against the backdrop of the Tibetan Plateau and the Himalayas, crossing the Brahmaputra River and seeing monasteries and the Dalai Lama’s palace before dropping down onto the Friendship Highway via a series of steep switchbacks to the subtropical landscape of the Nepali border. 7.30pm, Centenary Hall, Greenbank Church, Braidburn Terrace. The second talk will be about Lebanon and Syria and will take place on Saturday October 24th. Admission: £10 per person for one talk or £15 for both – price includes refreshments and early booking is advised. Tickets are available from The Open Door, 420 Morningside Road (tel: 0131 447 9757).

LGBT: Edinburgh Trans Women. A support group aimed at transsexual women at any stage of transition, women who are transgender and live as women full-time or part-time or for those who are questioning their gender identity. We look forward to meeting you and prefer you to email us the first time you want to visit; this helps with security and helps us get ready to welcome you. 7.30-9.30pm, LGBT Health & Wellbeing, 9 Howe Street. For more information please contact info@edinburghtranswomen.org.

Edinburgh Society of Musicians: Gusztáv Fenyő (piano) plays Beethoven ‘Hammerklavier’ Sonata. 7.30pm, Edinburgh Society of Musicians, 3 Belford Road. Free. The Edinburgh Society of Musicians has been promoting practical music-making in Edinburgh since 1887; chamber music recitals are given every Saturday evening from early October until the end of June. The Society attracts a variety of performers, from students in search of experience to accomplished amateurs and professionals, well known Scottish or international musicians; if you would like to perform for the Society, please contact John Bryden at jobryd2@aol.com and include your telephone number.

Samaritans Ceilidh with Ceilidh Caleerie: a fundraising ceilidh for Edinburgh & The Lothians Samaritans. 7.30 (dancing from 8)-11.30pm, St Bride’s Centre, Orwell Place. Tickets cost £10 and are available from Caroline Gillespie  on 07752 869 088 or email mrsgillespie7@gmail.com.

Hanne Darboven: Requiem + The Moon Has Risen. To mark the closing of the Hanne Darboven exhibition at Talbot Rice Gallery, Thomas Dahl (Director of Music and Principal Organist at St. Peter’s, Hamburg) will perform a live accompaniment to singular video The Moon Has Risen (1983), and a rare recital of Darboven’s Requiem. The Moon Has Risen is a rare and expansive reflection on the artist’s relationship to image-making, and is shown alongside live musical punctuations drawn from Handel’s Fireworks Music, diegetic sound from the amusement fair, and Darboven’s own sound compositions. 7pm, St Mary’s Cathedral, Palmerston Place. Free but booking is required and may be made via eventbrite here. This event is a collaboration between Talbot Rice Gallery, Goethe-Institut Glasgow, and LUX Scotland.

What’s The Noise: live local talent. Rock & roll from The Jacarandas and The Oooh La Las, shoegaze and post-punk from Kitch, plus singer/songwriter/guitarist Lewis Kennedy. For ages 14+. 7-10pm, Cabaret Voltaire, Blair Street. Tickets cost £6 and are available from all performers or from Tickets Scotland (transaction fee applies) here.

Naked Aye Art: Shapes That Shift Desire. A multi-arts exhibition with visual arts at its centre – a group show with works by Scotland-based artists, engaging and playing with the creative and subversive energies of desire connected to the human figure. Shapes That Shift Desire includes paintings and performance, installations, drawings, sculpture, photography and more. Opening event tonight, featuring live performances and installation, 7pm, Third Floor, St Margaret’s House, 151 London Road, followed by after-party in The Safari Lounge, Cadzow Place; please contact venue for exhibition opening hours thereafter. There will be further events related to the exhibition on 9th, 10th, 14th and 16th October and the exhibition ends on 18th October 2015.

Debashish Sanyal and Vijay Kangutkar: a rare opportunity to hear the highest quality North Indian classical music in Edinburgh. 7.30pm, Reid Concert Hall, University of Edinburgh, Bristo Square. Tickets cost £10 (students £5); please contact alejandrocooper1@hotmail.com.

Vegas! The 18th Birthday Party: an evening of cocktails and cool, showgirls and swing, roulette and romance. Scotland’s sensational swing combo The Loveboat Five invite you aboard the ultimate luxury musical cruise, plus the Princess of British Burlesque Kitty Bang Bang, Scotland’s sultry chanteuse Savannah Duvall, DJs Frankie Sumatra, Bugsy Seagull, Sam Jose, Nuno Endo, and Nikki Nevada and the Vegas Showgirls. For over 18s only. 8.30pm, The Voodoo Rooms, West Register Street. Tickets cost £6.95 (booking fee applies) and are available here.

Resurrection (Stone Roses Tribute): over a dozen years since their last gigs, this widely acclaimed Stone Roses tribute act is back on the road. With support from Edinburgh bands Snide Rhythms and Frantic Chant. 7pm, The Bongo Club, 66 Cowgate. Tickets cost £7 in advance from The Bongo Club, Ripping Records and Tickets Scotland, £9 on the door (sta). 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’.