Assembly Festival has announced the return of the Edinburgh Folk & Food Festival (EFFF) for a second year, with first tickets on sale this Friday 15th May.
Taking place in the city centre’s George Square Gardens from 24 Jul – 2 August, theEdinburgh Folk & Food Fest kicks off Assembly’s festival offerings with a mix of free and ticketed events for all the family.
Taking place in the Piccolo and Palais Du Variété in George Square Gardens, the festival will welcome local street food vendors, folk musicians from across the UK, workshops, masterclasses and more.
This year’s music lineup includes performances from critically acclaimed Scottish contemporary folk band Breabach, Mercury Prize nominated Seth Lakeman, trad fusion stars An Dannsa Dub and Indie trad fusion group Dlù.
The musical evolution of the beloved Edinburgh Food Festival, back for its second year at George Square Gardens, creates an accessible space for folk fans and food lovers alike, bringing Scotland’s rich folk heritage to the capital for ten days of the very best food to a soundtrack of folk and fusion.
With additional shows catered towards children, including Fringe favourites The Greatest Magic Show, Comedy Club 4 Kids and Explosive Science Show, EFFF is the ideal summer day out for all the family.
Assembly Festival Managing Director Dani Rae said:“We’re thrilled to be bringing back the Folk to the Edinburgh Folk & Food Festival for a second year after the huge successes of 2025.
“We’ve got an incredible lineup of the best folk music in Scotland and beyond, as well as some fantastic local food vendors to announce and we can’t wait for audiences to join us for a dance and a bite to eat.”
The first tickets for the Edinburgh Folk & Food Fest are on sale from 12pm Friday 15 May at edfoodfest.com.
National charity Independent Age and 12 other organisations1 have teamed up to send an open letter to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Pat McFadden, calling for an end to the mixed age couples rule.
The rule, introduced in 2019, could be preventing around 70,000 low-income couples from receiving entitlements specifically for older people until they bothreach State Pension age, leaving affected couples up to £7,000 worse off a year.
As well as the range of organisations calling for change, new polling from Independent Age shows that a large majority of the UK public back ending the rule, with 62% saying that couples where one person is over State Pension age should receive pension-age entitlements2.
Together the organisations are urging the UK Government to reverse the mixed-age couples rule, to allow couples to claim pensioner benefits, like Pension Credit, once the older partner reaches State Pension age.
Data from 2019 shows that 12% of couples who could be eligible for Pension Credit have an age gap of more than 10 years, meaning the older partner may have to wait an extremely long time to access pensioner entitlements, adding to their financial strain. While couples in this situation are eligible to receive Universal Credit, this is paid at a lower rate and is not designed to meet the needs of people over State Pension Age.
In the letter the organisations say the issue is urgent:
‘Nobody should be punished financially because of who they love. Yet as many as 70,000 older people are missing out on the financial safety net designed to protect pensioners, just because of their partner’s age.
‘This is urgent. With the incoming rise in State Pension age, more and more couples on a low income will face an even longer wait to receive the entitlements they need due to the mixed-age couples rule.’
Independent Age Chief Executive, Joanna Elson CBE said:“Every day we hear from older people struggling to make ends meet, and for thousands of mixed-age couples the system is making that struggle even harder.
“This rule is unfairly locking around 70,000 older people out of vital pension-age support simply because their partner is younger.
“The UK Government has created a flawed system where two people of the same age can be treated completely differently depending on who they love. The financial support they are missing out on could be the difference between heating and eating or paying the rent.
“Twelve organisations have joined us in calling on the UK Government to act now and scrap the mixed-age couples rule, to ensure all older people on a low income get the financial security and dignity they deserve once they reach pension age.”
In the letter the organisations also express concern over ‘the assumption that all younger partners are able to be financially responsible for their household’ and how this ‘does not reflect reality for many couples. In lots of cases, a younger partner will have health conditions or unpaid caring responsibilities that could mean they are unable to work.’
Lynn, 62, and her husband David from Eastbourne have a five-year age gap and have been unable to access the support they need as a result: She said:“David and I met on a blind date. We’ve been married for nearly 24 years.
“Although David is my full-time carer, we’ve had a hard time getting any financial support because he’s five years older than me. We used to receive Employment and Support Allowance, but once my husband reached State Pension age, it stopped.
“David and I trudged around four different places, including the council, to try and find out what we were entitled to and we were told we could claim Pension Credit. But after seven months of receiving Pension Credit, we got a letter saying there had been a mistake and we weren’t entitled to it because we are a mixed-age couple. We were told to apply for Universal Credit instead.
“All this happened when we were in the middle of moving house and our Pension Credit payment was due. I remember thinking: Now what are we going to do? and being so worried as we literally had no money for our move. We just couldn’t understand why we were told we were eligible to claim Pension Credit and then the payments were suddenly stopped.
“For the first time ever, we had to turn to a food bank to get by. If it wasn’t for our children, I don’t know what we’d have done. They helped us get through this very stressful time in our lives.”
Jan Shortt, General Secretary, National Pensioners Convention said:“To treat people differently on the basis of who they fall in love with is nonsense.
“Mixed age couples are suffering financially because they cannot access the support they need. Decisions made by the government penalise mixed age couples and this must be addressed to enable them to be financially secure in the future.”
The organisations who have signed the letter alongside Independent Age are:
Age Scotland
Ageing Without Children (AWOC)
Age UK
Civil Service Pensioners Alliance
National Federation of Occupational Pensioners
Northern Irish Commissioner
National Pensioners Convention (NPC)
Re-engage
Unison Retired Members
National Association of Retired Police Officers (NARPO)
Welsh Older People’s Commissioner
Wise Age
For more information on Independent Age’s mixed aged couples campaign, see:
THE Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society has announced the return of Fringe Days Out, the Fringe Society’s flagship community engagement programme.
Fringe Days Out supports Edinburgh-based community groups by providing free Fringe tickets to deliver an entire festival experience paid for by the Fringe Society. Through Fringe Days Out, more than 20,000 community group participants have visited the festival since 2017, with many having never experienced the Fringe before.
This year, Fringe Days Out launched at the Heart of Newhaven, a community hub in north Edinburgh that hosts a range of community groups. The Lord Provost of the City of Edinburgh, Robert Aldridge, joined Fringe Day Out community groups such as Vintage Vibes and Gig Buddies to celebrate the launch of this year’s programme.
Encouraging community groups to continue to embrace the Fringe in their own way and on their own terms, the event also featured a performance by Edinburgh Festival Fringe performer Greg Sinclair from the show Tongue Twister, part of this year’s Made in Scotland showcase.
The Fringe Days Out partner organisations work with a range of groups in Edinburgh and the surrounding area, including young people, single parents, isolated older adults, disabled and autistic people, ethnic minority communities, refugees and asylum seekers, LGBTQ+ people and many more.
This collaboration has fostered long-term, meaningful relationships and helps the Fringe Society better understand how it can open doors and allow communities to celebrate the arts, culture and creativity on their own terms.
Alongside the launch of Fringe Days Out, the Fringe Society has published an independent report studying the impact of Fringe Days Out, produced by Ruthless Research and funded by the Scottish Government.
The report highlights the positive effects Fringe Days Out has had on local Edinburgh communities such as:
around one in six respondents (17%) were first-time Fringe-goers
95% of the community members felt welcome at the Fringe following their visit
52% of the community partners reported that Fringe Days Out had led them to work with the Fringe Society in other ways
The Fringe Society looks forward to further developing the relationships forged by Fringe Days Out, ensuring this project supports community groups across Edinburgh and the festival remains a force for good in the city.
Tony Lankester, Chief Executive of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, said: ‘Fringe Days Out is a real privilege for the Fringe Society to deliver and a joy to relaunch for 2026.
“Fringe Days Out is a wonderful example of how the Fringe Society collaborates with Edinburgh’s communities to break down long-term barriers and celebrate this amazing festival.
“It is vitally important that the Fringe Society continues to ensure that our Fringe Day Out community partners feel empowered to enjoy the Fringe in their own way and on their own terms.’
The Lord Provost of the City of Edinburgh, Robert Aldridge, said: ‘Fringe Days Out by the Fringe Society is really important as it helps local people to take part in this world-class festival taking place on their door-step.
“I’m proud to support Fringe Days Out 2026 and all it does to show the fringe is for everyone across the city and not only in its peak month of August.’
Sam Maggs, from Fringe Days Out community partner Gig Buddies, said: ‘Fringe Days Out gives Gig Buddies members a sense of ownership in their community.
“A lot of the time, access barriers and needing support can mean people feel disconnected from the place they live in. Fringe Days Out means that Gig Buddies members are part of the Fringe that’s on their doorstep.’
Find out more about Fringe Days Out and view the impact assessment at:
His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh was joined by incoming MSPs, the Presiding Officer, and representatives from Scotland’s faith and belief communities at the Kirking for the Seventh Session of the Scottish Parliament in St Giles’ Cathedral last night (Wednesday 13 May).
The service in Edinburgh traditionally takes place on the evening before the first sitting of a new parliamentary term.
The Kirking is a ceremonial tradition that reflects on the responsibilities of leadership in public service, while recognising Scotland’s wide range of religious and non-religious beliefs.
It also provides an opportunity for organisations from across Scotland, including participants from civic society, the diplomatic corps, academia, business, industry and charities, to meet with the newly elected MSPs.
The ecumenical service was led by The Reverend Dr Scott Rennie, The Minister of St Giles’ Cathedral, with the Sermon being delivered by the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, The Right Reverend Rosie Frew.
This, together with readings by the Presiding Officer and the Chair of the Scottish Youth Parliament, is intended to encourage thoughtful reflection on serving others.
The congregation heard performances from the Choir of St Giles’ and the National Youth Choir of Scotland as well as from Royal Conservatoire of Scotland traditional Scottish music duo Stella Rose McIntyre (clàrsach) and Naomi Priestnall (fiddle). Interfaith blessings also featured.
The seventh session of the Scottish Parliament will formally begin today when MSPs will be sworn in by the Presiding Officer in the Holyrood Chamber.
An election will then be held to choose a new Presiding Officer and Deputy Presiding Officers.
We’re seeking your views on the proposed digitalisation of information that helps trace missing people living with dementia.
As part of the Herbert Protocol, families/carers can obtain, print and complete a pro-forma document from the Police Scotland website that is handed to investigating officers whenever someone with dementia goes missing.
The form records a range of useful information which will allow police to respond swiftly during the crucial first hour – rather than spend it gathering information.
At present, families and carers are responsible for owning, updating and providing this document to police.
Read more about the Herbert Protocol and get the link to our consultation survey here:
The Scottish Ambulance Service welcomed two groups of trainees from the Ambulance Service of the University Hospital of Northern Norway to Edinburgh City Station recently.
The groups were given a tour by Team Leader Donna Edwards and attended presentations from Kevin Scott from the National Risk and Resilience Department (NRRD) and Andrew Nisbet, who spoke about the Advanced Practice in Urgent and Primary Care team.
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