I Am Not My Hair is a joyful dance-theatre work created for Black and Mixed-Race girls aged 8-12 years old.
Drawing on lived experiences, and through vibrant movement, music and storytelling, the piece celebrates Black hair and creates a space where identity and individuality are honoured.
Friday 13 November
Performance at 6.30pm
Doors open at 6pm (NEA Community Café will be open before the performance starts)
SIX LONG LEGS: What you don’t know, you can’t love
A new visual theatre show for families exploring the importance of insects on our world is set to open in North Edinburgh this month.
Using secondhand objects such as kitchen utensils and feather dusters, three performers transform into colourful insects, using puppetry and physical theatre to celebrate biodiversity and abundance.
With the help of the voice of a child who knows everything about insects, original music by Pete Buffery and Michael Hyland and a buzzing soundtrack, Emily Dyble, Ella Mackay and Bori Mezo shapeshift into strange new bodies and behaviours with joy and effort. The work hopes to create empathy with the smallest creatures we share our planet with.
A number of organisations have helped to shape the work, which will be brought to stage at Whale Arts and North Edinburgh Arts through a number of performances for schools, groups and families. The Entomology (Insect) team at National Museums Scotland has fed into the script, and the work has also been developed from conversations with conservationists and scientists with insect charity Buglife and Forestry Research.
Six Long Legs is the company’s second show, following the well-received Hopeful Monsters. The project is supported by Creative Scotland, and through the Captivate programme at Manipulate Arts.
Six Long Legs will preview at North Edinburgh Arts on Friday 20 November at 4.30pm and Saturday 21 November at 11.30am.
Imaginary Insects Workshops (for ages 5+) will run Friday 20 November at 3.30pm, Friday 20 November at 4.45pm, Saturday 21 November at 1pm.
For half a decade, Palestinian Basel Adra films his community of Masafer Yatta being destroyed by Israel’s occupation, as he builds an unlikely alliance with an Israeli journalist who wants to document his struggle.
No Other Land is an unflinching account of a community’s mass expulsion and acts as a creative resistance to Apartheid and a search for a path towards equality and justice.
This screening is part of Local Cinema Network, a network of community cinemas across Edinburgh, supporting film screenings co-curated with and for local communities across the city.
The Space Between Us is an exhibition of poems and images by sisters Rachel Barr and Bridget Grant.
Together, they explore the impact of a glioblastoma brain tumour diagnosis.
It is a tender, honest and deeply moving body of work, and North Edinburgh Arts is proud to support it.
The exhibition offers visitors the opportunity to spend time with the sisters’ work and gain a personal perspective on the experience of a glioblastoma diagnosis.
– Food & refreshments provided by our NEA Community Café
– Take a self-guided tour around the NEA building
– Take part in fun demonstrations and taster sessions
– Find out more about what’s on at NEA
– Meet local organisations and people living in your neighbourhood
– Bring your family and friends along
North Edinburgh Arts is owned by the people of North Edinburgh and is here for the long term; over 800 local people have already joined our membership scheme and are community owners of this incredible building.
Find out more about the events and activities happening at North Edinburgh Arts – have a shot at carpet bowls or riding an electric bike; or try out your crafty skills with the Knit and Natter group.
There’ll also be the chance to meet many of our tenant organisations Curious Seed, Tinderbox Collective, Flourish Jewellery, Cutting Edge Theatre, Project Esperanza, U-Evolve and more.
We want to share more about what Community Ownership means and the difference it makes. We hope you’ll join us!
Over 800 Ordinary Members, local residents aged 16 and over, have joined up so far alongside 70 youth members, and 70 Associates.
Our members are all community owners of the North Edinburgh Arts building. We are now having our first Members’ Social, and want to invite you to join us on Thursday 1 October, 6pm – 8pm!
Find out more and have your say on what’s next for the building over the next three years, enjoy a tasty bite to eat, and meet others in your community.
We’re excited about the upcoming cinema event on Thursday 8 October celebrating community football, with a particular focus on women’s football.
We’ll be screening The First Women, a beautiful documentary following the Brazilian national women’s team, a film full of inspiring characters, friendship, and community spirit.
The First Women uncovers the untold stories of the pioneering women who formed Brazil’s first national women’s soccer team. Although women were legally barred from playing soccer until 1979, these trailblazers broke barriers and represented Brazil internationally throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Yet, despite their achievements, they received little public recognition or reward.
Thursday 8 October
Doors open & food sharing from 5.30pm (soup & bread served)
We’d love to hear from you if you’d like to take part in a panel discussion, or if you have photos, memories, or memorabilia to share about women and girls’ football in North Edinburgh.Email alice.betts@northedinbrugharts.co.uk
This screening is part of The Spanish Film Club series, organised by IberoDocs in collaboration with Edinburgh Council and was made possible with the support of Pragda, SPAIN arts & culture, and the Secretary of State for Culture of Spain.
North Edinburgh event brings the refugee and migration sector together to explore how narrative can influence policy, public attitudes and belonging
Over 80 organisations, practitioners and community leaders from across Edinburgh and central Scotland came together at North Edinburgh Arts on Wednesday 16 September for EVOC’s 2026 ‘New Scots Gathering: Stories That Shape Change’ event.
The fully booked event explored how storytelling and narrative can influence systems and decision-making, challenge harmful narratives about migration, strengthen public understanding and support New Scots to shape the policies and services that affect their lives.
The morning plenary considered how stories can be used as a tool to influence policy and decision maker on the issues that matter to the lives of New Scots.
This was followed by four workshops giving practical case studies from across Scotland and the opportunity for participants to learn and share together.
The afternoon was led by creative voices, exploring how the sector can tell stories that are impactful and that shape public attitudes.
The Gathering was opened by Simita Kumar MSP, Minister for Equalities and International Development; Councillor Jane Meagher, Leader of the City of Edinburgh Council; and John Hawryluk, EVOC’s Service Lead.
Minister for Equalities and International Development Simita Kumar MSP said “Public services, third sector organisations and community groups play a really important role in Scotland’s warm welcome and ongoing work to support refugees and people seeking asylum.
“I am grateful for all their efforts and contributions – here in Edinburgh and further afield. This has been a hugely valuable event, underlining the importance of collaboration to the success of the New Scots approach in continuing to support refugees, people seeking asylum and communities across Scotland now and in the future.”
Councillor Jane Meagher, Leader of the City of Edinburgh Council said “I’m proud that Edinburgh remains a diverse and welcoming city. We are, after all, a city of migrants.
“Many of us are migrants or have migrants in our families. Many have lived here for generations and some of the city’s best loved institutions are thanks to those who have chosen to build their lives here.
“We all benefit from this, and our city and its culture are all the better for it – something we’re aiming to promote through our ‘Edinburgh is Our Home’ campaign.
“Unfortunately, however, with a rise in racist language, political rhetoric and hate crimes, we know that some in our communities are understandably feeling uneasy or unsafe.
“That’s why it’s more important than ever for us to come together and challenge this harmful messaging and I’m very grateful to EVOC for organising this gathering of New Scots. It was so moving and insightful to hear their stories and perspectives first hand and I’m determined to do everything I can to make sure Edinburgh remains a place where people from across the world want to call home.”
John Hawryluk, EVOC’s Service Lead commented “The stories told about migration can shape public attitudes, services and policy.
“This third edition of the Gathering created space for organisations working alongside and with New Scots to connect policy discussion with creative practice, share what they are learning and consider how we can communicate with greater purpose and care.
“Bringing people together from across Edinburgh, the Lothians and other parts of Scotland showed the value of collaboration. We want to build on these conversations and support approaches that strengthen participation, challenge harmful narratives and help create communities where everyone can belong.”
Recorded sessions from the Gathering will be shared through EVOC’s digital channels after the event. Anyone interested in the next stages of this work can sign up to EVOC’s newsletter for updates.
Thursday 29 October
Doors open and food sharing from 5.30pm (soup and bread served)
Screening starts at 6pm
Tickets: £2 (NEA Members) / £4 (General Admission)
Book via the link: 
North Edinburgh Arts
Exhibition Opening Dates: 16th to 29th October
We’d love to hear from you if you’d like to take part in a panel discussion, or if you have photos, memories, or memorabilia to share about women and girls’ football in North Edinburgh. Email 
