Seachdain na Gàidhlig (World Gaelic Week) has unveiled details of its most diverse, ambitious and largest programme to date, bringing together speakers, learners and enthusiasts from across Scotland and beyond.
The fourth edition of the nationwide language initiative will take place from 24th February – 2nd March 2025 celebrating the theme, Ceanglaichean gun Chrich (pronounced kyeh-leech-un gun chreech), which signifies Building Connections in English.
More than 60 groups across Scotland and beyond, have been awarded funding through the initiative’s Small Grants Fund, supported by Bòrd na Gàidhlig, to stage events and activities championing the Gaelic language next month.
A record number of people applied for funding to be part of the celebrations this year, with over 100 applications received. This was a 44% increase in submissions from 2024, as the appetite for and appreciation of the indigenous language continues to grow.
A wide range of events are set to take place, all united by the common bond that demonstrates the linguistic, cultural and human connections that language forges, with a range of programme highlights in Edinburgh.
People across Scotland and in diaspora communities around the world are being encouraged to get involved in this year’s Seachdain na Gàidhligand stage their own events.
Individuals, community groups and organisations with any level of Gaelic can host an activity in their community that promotes the language and builds connections.
Events can be added to the World Gaelic Week website at
People can also take part in the hugely popular Say a Gaelic Phrase Day as part of Seachdain na Gàidhligon Thursday 27th February 2025, which engages thousands online each year.
Seachdain na Gàidhlig 2024showcased over 170 events in 100 locations throughout Scotland and across the world, including Nova Scotia and New York. The initiative also delivered its first-ever programme of digital assemblies for schools, which engaged 12,600 pupils from 136 schools across 27 local authority areas and will be expanded for 2025.
Joy Dunlop, Director of Seachdain na Gàidhlig, said: “There’s a number of activities planned for Seachdain na Gàidhlig 2025 across Edinburgh which will have far-reaching positive impacts.
“This year’s funded programme demonstrates the power Gaelic has in building bonds, enriching lives and enhancing community cohesion. Seachdain na Gàidhlig continues to grow year on year and provides an important platform for Gaelic cultural exchange.
“We are very grateful to Bòrd na Gàidhlig for their support to make the initiative possible and would encourage anyone in and around Edinburgh with a love of or interest in Gaelic to stage their own event and get involved.”
Organised by Scottish traditional culture and music organisation Hands Up For Trad, with support from Bòrd na Gàidhlig, Seachdain na Gàidhlig was inspired by the success of other minority language initiatives such as Seachtain na Gaeilge in Ireland and Mìos nan Gàidheal in Nova Scotia.
The week-long celebration gives Scottish Gaelic speakers, learners and supporters the opportunity to celebrate the language at home and internationally and drives national recognition and awareness.
Seachdain na Gàidhlig 2025 will take place from 24th February – 2nd March 2025. For a full list of events running throughout the week and information on how to get involved, visit: www.seachdainnagaidhlig.scot.
Collaborating with creative minds, Scottish Ensemble have forged new paths over recent years blurring the boundaries between genres and artforms. In their latest cross-artform project Scottish Ensemble collaborate with Blind Summit to explore what puppetry can reveal about music.
Performing Arnold Schoenberg’s Verklärte Nacht (Transfigured Night) and Philip Glass’ Symphony No. 3 the musicians and puppeteers play together to blend sound and visuals in this experimental collaboration where puppetry and music lead each other in a fragile dance. Directed by Mark Down, this new work will defy the rules to reveal the unseen, unheard and unknown.
Performances take place on Thursday 13 February at Edinburgh’s Traverse Theatre (as part of Manipulate Festival), Friday 14 February at Dundee Rep and Saturday 15 February at Glasgow Royal Concert Hall’s New Auditorium.
Jonathan Morton, Artistic Director of Scottish Ensemble, said: “Collaborations which involve a different artform invite us to re-examine some of our habitual patterns of thought, behaviour and action.
“There is risk involved. And, more alluringly, the potential encounter with something special. At the start of this collaboration, I knew very little about puppetry, but I am drawn to the fact that puppeteers, like musicians, pick up inanimate objects and, somehow, breathe life into them. You can see this, and you can hear it in The Law of Gravity.”
Mark Down, Artistic Director of Blind Summit, said: “During the research and development sessions for this project it has been an absolute inspiration to be surrounded by live music all day, I wish I could have an ensemble at all our rehearsals.
“The puppeteers and musicians generated seemingly endless ideas, the challenge was how to edit and organise them to share with an audience. The Law of Gravity is of course what makes everything fall down, I hope we stay standing”
In another first for Scottish Ensemble the performances in Dundee and Glasgow will be audio described. Visually impaired audiences will be able to enjoy the production through a live verbal commentary describing the visual elements of the production, whilst being respectful to the music performed.
Tickets range from £11 – £22 and in Dundee and Glasgow are free for under 16s.
Tickets are available from https://scottishensemble.co.uk/programme/2024-25/the law-of-gravity/
The Scottish Portrait Awards are back and bigger than ever, as the Scottish Arts Trust and National Galleries of Scotland announce a landmark move that will see the 2026 awards hosted at the Portrait gallery in Edinburgh for the first time
This exciting new home for the 2026 awards will bring deserved attention to the many talented contemporary portrait artists in Scotland today. Applications to participate in the 2026 Scottish Portrait Awards will open on 1 September 2025 and close 15 January 2026. Submissions are open to anyone over the age of 16 on 1 November 2026 and born or living or studying in Scotland, regardless of experience.
The Scottish Portrait Awards are excited to welcome television presenter and journalist Kirsty Wark as Guest Judge. With an impressive broadcast career, Kirsty presented BBC Two’s Newsnight for 30 years before going on to anchor BBC Radio 4’s arts and culture programme, Front Row. Kirsty joins a stellar line-up of highly respected artists and photographers who will select the works for the exhibition.
Joining Kirsty will be Guest Photography Judge Albert Watson OBE, one of the world’s most successful fashion photographers. Known for his iconic portraits including those of Alfred Hitchcock and Steve Jobs, Watson’s portrait of Sir Sean Connery is part of Scotland’s national collection.
Also joining the panel is Calum Stevenson, who was shortlisted for the Scottish Portrait Awards in 2020. Calum went on to be the youngest artist and first Scot to win Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year in 2021.
Organised by the Scottish Arts Trust, the Scottish Portrait Awards are a celebration of Scottish talent and creativity. Around 120 works will be selected for the fine art and photography exhibitions which will be held in National Galleries Scotland: Portrait from Autumn 2026 – Spring 2027.
All entries will be in the running for cash prizes totalling £16,000 which will be presented by the Scottish Arts Trust along with the opportunity to win one of two commissions for works that will join Scotland’s national collection.
The Scottish Arts Trust also runs a bursary scheme that will provide free entry to a number of artists who require any assistance. Details on the bursary scheme and how to enter the awards and can be found at scottishartstrust.org/portrait
The Scottish Portrait Awards exhibition will also include 50 works selected from the free-to-enter Scotland Now! Phone Portrait Award. Anyone aged 16 years or over and living in Scotland can enter with recent phone portraits taken in Scotland of someone who lives in Scotland. The Scotland Now! Award, which also carries a cash prize, launched in 2024 and attracted over 1,500 entries in its first year.
The Scottish Portrait Awards has been running since 2017 and is organised by the Scottish Arts Trust, a small charity largely managed by volunteers. Since its inception, the awards have discovered and recognised almost 500 incredible artists whose work features in the Scottish Portrait Awards online archive.
Many of the artists have continued to advance their careers with exhibitions and commissions. Previous award winners include many celebrated artists including Helen Wilson, Robin Gillanders and Graeme Wilcox.
National Galleries of Scotland have a longstanding relationship with the Scottish Portrait Awards with former judges from the galleries including Imogen Gibbon, Deputy Director and Chief Curator, Portraiture and Ben Harman Senior Curator, Photography. Michael Youds was working as a gallery attendant at the National Galleries of Scotland when he won the Scottish Portrait Award in Fine Art in 2019. Youds now has two works in Scotland’s national collection.
As well as celebrating contemporary Scottish artists, the awards also provide an opportunity to shine a light on some of the stories of the sitters in the portrait. Last year saw Jennifer Charlton become the first female winner of the MPB Scottish Portrait Award in Colour Photography with her winning photograph from a series titled A Hidden Community.
The sitters in her images were all volunteers – a mixture of friends and strangers who each courageously shared their stories on mental health, demonstrating how we live in a hidden community where mental health doesn’t discriminate. Since winning the award, Jennifer has become a media spokesperson for Women’s Aid.
Kirsty Wark, Scottish Portrait Awards Guest Judge said: “The Portrait gallery in Edinburgh is home to contemporary portraits and famous faces from Scotland’s past. It’s really exciting to have the opportunity to shine a spotlight on some Scotland’s amazing up and coming talented artists.
“I am thrilled to be part of the judging panel and to be supporting the great work of the Scottish Arts Trust.”
Sara Cameron McBean,who is a Scottish Arts Trust trustee and had the original idea for the Scottish Portrait Awards, said: “Ten years ago, a group of us were sitting around a table planning the creation of this new platform that would celebrate and promote portraiture in Scotland.
“We had no money and no staff. Our dream was always that the Scottish Portrait Awards would eventually come to the Portrait Gallery.”
Imogen Gibbon, Deputy Director and Chief Curator of Portraiture at National Galleries of Scotland said: “Portraiture can transform the ordinary into the extraordinary. The success of the Scottish Portrait Awards lies in the multitude of stories behind and conveyed through each and every portrait.
“This will be one of the most ambitious exhibitions of contemporary Scottish portraiture of its time. We are making the announcement early because we want as many artists as possible to be aware of the opportunity to see their work hanging in the Portrait Gallery.”
Calum Stevenson, Scottish Portrait Awards Fine Art Judge, said: “The impact of the Scottish Portrait Awards are enormous, I was thrilled to have my self-portrait accepted for the exhibition in 2020 and I know that experience helped build my confidence when I entered and won the Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year in 2021.”
Gordon Mitchell RSW RSA RGI, Director, Scottish Portrait Awards and Fine Art Chair, said: “The Scottish Portrait Awards offer Scottish artists the best opportunities for exposure, engagement and recognition of work, and for some, career-changing impact.
“There couldn’t be a more fitting partner than National Galleries Scotland: Portrait to ensure more visitors have the opportunity to come face-to-face with the leading portraiture of the day.”
Simon Murphy, Chair of Photography, said: “The Scottish Portrait Awards is a fantastic opportunity for everyone to get involved regardless of experience.
“The resulting exhibition will give a unique insight into contemporary portraiture in all its diversity”
Dame Sue Bruce will chair the review of Creative Scotland, Culture Secretary Angus Robertson has announced.
The review will examine Creative Scotland’s remit, functions and how it can best support the culture sector’s ambitions for renewal. It will be the first review of Creative Scotland since its establishment in 2010, as part of a wider commitment to review how the culture sector is supported.
Culture Secretary Angus Robertson welcomed the “wealth of experience” Dame Sue Bruce will bring to the review, with previous roles in Scotland’s arts and local government sectors.
Mr Robertson said: “I’m delighted that Dame Sue Bruce has agreed to chair the Creative Scotland review. She brings a wealth of experience from previous roles in the arts and local government sectors, making her well-placed to conduct a thorough and independent review into how Creative Scotland supports the arts in Scotland.
“The 2025-26 Scottish Budget includes a record £34 million uplift for culture. I am determined to maximise the impact of every penny of that. The review will consider the diversity of potential sources of funding, such as philanthropy, for culture – to underpin a more sustainable and resilient cultural sector in the years to come.
“The intention of this review is to ensure views the length and breadth of Scotland are heard swiftly and the vitally important contribution that artists and cultural organisations do for our nation and our identity is recognised, valued and well-supported.
“The Scottish Government has also today launched a new survey seeking views on how culture and the arts are currently supported in Scotland and areas for change. The responses will help inform the scope of the review so I would encourage all those with an interest to respond to our survey.”
Dame Sue Bruce said: “Culture and the arts reflect our values, aspirations and history as a country and the people who work in the sector make an invaluable contribution to our society and our economy.
“I look forward to working with the sector and Creative Scotland to ensure that it’s remit and functions continue to be relevant for the culture sector today, recognising that there has been much change in the sector since 2010 when Creative Scotland was first established.”
There is just one day to go before the brand new Soundhouse Winter Festival kicks off in Edinburgh, thanks to support from The National Lottery through Creative Scotland.
The programme is packed with big names and up and coming bands from across Scotland including award winning feminist rock goddess Megan Back, who hasrecently returned from gigs in California, performing tracks from her new album out next year; and impulsive punk/rock n’ roll multi-instrumentalist Callum Easter performing with his full band the Roulettes and special guest indie/folk soloist Iona Zajac.
They will be headliningalongside some of Scotland’s finest jazz and trad musicians including Fergus McCreadie, Su-a-Lee, Duncan Chisholm, Hamish Napier, and Donald Shaw; a screening of silent film The Rugged Island: A Shetland Lyric accompanied by music composed by multi-instrumentalist Inge Thomson and fiddle player Catriona Macdonald; and live performance poetry with Edinburgh’s previous Makar Hannah Lavery accompanied by music from Kate Young.
Callum Easter & The Roulettes who play the Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh on Monday, 2 December with special guest Iona Zajac
The festival’s programme also includes early evening concerts at the Traverse with Nicole Smit performing some cool jazzy numbers with her Quintet (Vid Gobac on drums, Cameron Bradley on piano, Dave Toule guitar, and Kassandra E’Silva on saxophone); Gaelic singer-songwriter Rachel Walker performing with one of the country’s foremost folksingers and accompanists Aaron Jones; Edinburgh-based poetic psychedelic supergroup Acolyte (Ruairidh Morrison on bass, Gloria Black on synth and backing vocals, Daniel Hill on percussion and led by award-winning poet and spoken word artist Iona Lee); and acclaimed singer songwriter Victoria Hume, joined by long-term collaborator Chris Letcher.
Plus, there will be a showcase of emerging new jazz musicians including the Rosalind Orr Trio, TAO and C.A.L.I.E; a masterclass with jazz pianist Fergus McCreadie; and two workshops -Gaelic lullabies with Rachel Walker, and jazz saxophone with one of Scotland’s leading jazz instrumentalists Helena Kay.
Jane Ann Purdy and Douglas Robertson, producers of the Soundhouse Winter Festival said: “We are thrilled to be presenting a five-day festival of live ‘music from Scotland’ at this time of year.
“There are so many world class musicians working here right now that we were literally spoilt for choice. We hope the Soundhouse Winter Festival will not only be a chance for music lovers to hear some of their favourite live bands, but also a chance to hear some of the best up and coming artists of the moment.”
Assembly Roxy’s year-round programme continues this November with a line-up of theatre, music, and live events celebrating creativity, Scottish traditions old and new, and looking to a better future for all.
With highlights including immersive theatre piece Maiden Mother Whore from Theiya Arts Dance Collective, Jeremy Corbyn at Lighthouse Books’ Radical Book Fair, and the Scottish Dementia Arts Festival 2024, there’s plenty coming up at Assembly’s year-round venue.
Theiya Arts Dance Collective joining Assembly Roxy on the 01 Nov with a thought-provoking performance experience, in Maiden Mother Whore.
A 90-minute show, Maiden Mother Whore invites audiences to interact with five installations throughout the Roxy, exploring complex relationships between women, social structures, health and social policies, and institutions.
Assembly Roxy regulars Edinburgh Ceilidh Club with Teannaich bring the finest in Scottish Ceilidh dancing back to Assembly Roxy Central on Fri 08 Nov. All the dances are taught and called by the band – so bring along regulars and newbies alike to celebrate the Scottish tradition.
Scottish Dementia Arts Festival 2024 boasts a jam-packed line-up of events including live performance, creative workshops, film screenings, open-mics and more. The four-day festival runs from 11 – 14 Nov and celebrates the creativity of people living with dementia, and highlights include relaxed Scottish panto McScrooge by Alan Mountford and Citadel Arts Group and creative consultants living with dementia, Dementia the Musical Soundtrack Gig with Sophie Bancroft and Friends, and Meeting Centres Scotland film launch, as well as a host of ceilidhs, open mics, discos and more!
Lighthouse Books return with their annual Radical Book Fair from Thurs 21 – Sun 24 Nov with a line-up of workshops, cabarets, panels and talks exploring community organising, creativity and international solidarity. This year’s theme ‘From Where We Standcelebrates histories of resistance, protest and change-making.
Highlights include We Are It: Community Power in Our Time with a panel including Jeremy Corbyn, Kate Pickett and Oliver Escobar, and Young Radical Worlds exploring radical writing for young people with Faridah Abike-Iyimide and Margaret McDonald.
Closing out the month, Amy Leach and Alasdair Paul bring their duo gig Amy and Alasdair to the Snug Bar, passing on traditional Scots songs and ballads. With history in Edinburgh and beyond,
Amy and Alaisdair share their simple and striking approach in a stripped back show sharing glimpses into the darkest and lightest moments of life. Amy and Alasdair is showing for one night only on 29 Nov.
Tickets and information on all the events above are available now from www.assemblyroxy.com
The Scottish Student Awards Agency (SSAA) is proposing to stop providing bursaries for students based in Scotland to study at the prestigious College of Europe.
The College provides post-graduate education and training for high achieving students. Many go on to be senior civil servants at the European Commission or be elected to the European Parliament.
Others become specialists in areas like trade, environmental law and foreign and defence policy with governments across Europe and with international organisations globally.
College of Europe graduates can be found in bodies like the Oragnisation for Economic Development and Cooperation, NATO, UN and World Bank, and holding senior posts in leading private sector businesses.
Chair of the European Movement in Scotland (EMiS), David Clarke, says: “We urge the Scottish government to think again about ending the bursaries for Scotland domiciled students to attend the College of Europe.
“This is a world class training ground for the brightest and the best. Cutting our ties with the College will be another great blow to our talented young people and have a lasting negative impact on Scotland’s relationship with the EU for decades to come. That’s bad for trade, bad for business, bad our universities and for our international relations. And bad for our ties of democracy, culture and friendship.”
The Scottish Government supported three places a year for recent graduates of Scottish universities. The cost is around £120,000 a year. The position is different in England where up to 28 British civil servants can get UK government funds to meet the cost of attending the College of Europe.
EMiS says continuing to support students from Scottish universities will deliver positive benefits for Scotland for decades to come.
As part of its 10th anniversary celebrations, the Traditional Dance Forum of Scotland (TDFS) is launching a brand new series of Ceilidh Plus events that will fuse Scottish and world dance traditions.
Curated and hosted by TDFS’s dance musician-in-residence Chris Lyons (multi-instumentalist), Ceilidh Plus will kick off on Saturday 2 November, with dances and tunes from Scotland, China and the USA, led and accompanied by hand-picked Scotland-based dance artists and musicians from diverse backgrounds, including Morag Brown (fiddle), Marina Sharp (Ceilidh dance), Jack Weir (guitar), Angel Godwin (American Country Line dance), Yuxi Jiang (Chinese Square dance), Yanmei Bowie (Chinese Square dance), Eddie McGuire (Chinese bamboo flute), Chenhao Wang (two-stringed Chinese fiddle) and Tai Shing Lin (Chinese dulcimer percussion).
This will be followed by a second night on Saturday 7 December of ceilidh dances and tunes from Scotland, mixed with world trad dance from Greece and Italy. It will be called and accompanied by Rona Wilkie, Marina Sharp, Jack Weir, Vassia Bouchagiar-Walker, Stefanos Tzotzolakis, Lara Russo and band members of the Badwills.
This new Ceilidh Plus seriesis one of the highlights of TDFS’s Ten out of Ten series of events to mark its 10th anniversary and celebrate the diversity and breadth of traditional dance activities by its members.
Dance musician-in-residence Chris Lyons who contributes to TDFS’s work year round, said: “I believe that the tradition bearers of Scottish Ceilidh would be delighted to share the stage and the dance floor with the dance traditions of the other cultures which have become an integral part of contemporary Scotland – from Irish Ceili to Bulgarian Folk, from Italian Pizzicca Pizzicca to Greek Rembetiko, or from American Country Line to Chinese Square Dance as in our firstCeilidh Plus.
“Although there are regular and popular Ceilidh nights across the country’s village halls and cultural centres, there are hardly any events which would provide space for the folk fusion of Scottish Ceilidh with other world trad dances. Ceilidh Plus is about to change this and hopefully establish a new tradition.”
Iliyana Nedkova Creative Producer of TDFS said:““Ceilidh Plus is a great opportunity for the multi-ethnic communities in and around Edinburgh to come together for a dance and music experience rooted in respect for both Scottish and world traditional cultures.
“We hope both dancers and non-dancers will join us for an evening of great music and entertainment and help us mark our 10th anniversary in style.”
Ceilidh Plus is funded through Creative Scotland’s TASGADH (Traditional Arts Small Grants). All proceeds are reinvested into TDFS’s year-round programme which aims to diversify traditional dance practised across Scotland.
For tickets and more information on Ceilidh Plus and other traditional dance events happening this winter visit https://www.tdfs.org/ten-out-of-ten/
Multi-Cultural Family Base(MCFB) is delighted to invite you to a dance performance on October 10th between 7 and 9 pm.
This event is the official launch of our programming for the Edinburgh 900 commemorations, entitled “Roots for Routes”. The concept behind this name is that through celebrating and honouring heritage and culture, we find ways to grow towards the future.
Some of our young people from the MCFBards are collaborating with the PASS performance group to create a full length piece based on their poetry.
Please see the attached invitation. If you are able to attend, please follow this link to our Eventbrite: https://tinyurl.com/Roots4Routes
We hope you are able to join us for this evening of art and celebration!
Following discussions with the Scottish Government throughout the Multi-Year process, we have now received confirmation that Creative Scotland’s budget to enable Multi-Year decisions will not be clarified until the overall Scottish Government draft budget announcement, scheduled for 04 December 2024.
As a result, the outcome from the Multi-Year Funding programme is being postponed until the end of January 2025. This is a revision to the published guidance.
281 applications to the programme, with an annual ask of £87.5m, are currently being assessed as part of Stage 2 of the published process. Final decisions on the level of support we will be able to provide to successful organisations will be made once we have budget clarity.
The National Lottery reserves that we hold, currently £11m, remain allocated to support Transition Funding from April 2025 for organisations currently in receipt of ongoing funding from Creative Scotland but are unsuccessful in their application for Multi-Year Funding.
Robert Wilson, Chair of Creative Scotland, said: “While we would have preferred to announce the outcome from this application process in October as planned and have been working collaboratively with Scottish Government to endeavour to do so, we also understand the extreme budget pressures that exist.
“These pressures mean we are required to postpone the outcome until such time as we have budget clarity. This will enable us to make final decisions in a context of budget confidence and to support as many organisations on a multi-year basis as we possibly can.”
Angus Robertson, Cabinet Secretary for Culture, said: “The cultural sector is an integral part of our identity as a country. This is why we’re working hard to help the sector to fulfil its potential in Scotland by assuring at least £100 million more annually in funding by 2028-29.
“We await the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s budget announcement on 30 October which has a hugely significant bearing on the Scottish budget. Following that we will be able to set detailed budgets for the coming financial year including for the culture sector.
“I will continue to work in collaboration with Creative Scotland and the sector over the coming months to ensure stability until Creative Scotland have sufficient clarity to be able to announce the recipients of their multi-year funding awards.”
