See below (or above!) for information about the fun Hare & Tortoise events happening in Muirhouse on 1 & 2 August as part of Licketyspit Theatre Company’s Commonwealth Games programme!
Hare&Tortoise-Flyer-NEA-(print)
Tag: Entertainment
Take your marks: free quiz at The Grange Sports Club
The Commonwealth Games kick off tomorrow, and what better way to celebrate this sporting extravaganza than with a local sports quiz?
If you think you know your archery from your athletics, backstroke from your badminton or your cricket from your croquet (I could go on!) this 30 July event at The Grange Sports Club is for you …
Let the good times roll! Jazz and Blues Festival kicks off tomorrow
Edinburgh’s annual Jazz and Blues Festival kicks off tomorrow and promises ten terrific days and nights of top class jazz.
There’s something for all tastes and big names performing at this year’s event include the ever-popular Jools Holland with his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra (Mel C guesting), Scotland’s Queen of the Blues Maggie Bell and Grammy-nominated trumpeter Christian Scott.
With over 140 concerts to choose from you really are spoilt for choice and Brian Fallon, who chairs the Jazz & Blues Festival, is particularly excited about this year’s programme. He said: ““This is a very exciting year for the Festival. We’re delighted to be bringing to Scotland some of the world’s finest jazz and blues talent and some of our biggest names to date. Our programme has been carefully selected to appeal to a wide range of musical tastes, and we look forward to welcoming friends, old and new. Come along and join in the fun!”
You’ve got your invitation – so what are you waiting for?
For further information about what’s on, click on the link below
or check out www.edinburghjazzfestival.com
Mmmmmm … great!
Move over, Messi – it’s body slam time!
What a summer of sport. Wimbledon, the World Cup, the Open Golf and Commonwealth Games still to come – and now along comes another spectacular sporting event even closer to home … wrestling!
The City Night Club is the venue for an afternoon of American Wrestling for all the family next Saturday (19 July) when the World Wide Wrestling League rolls into town!
WWWL promoter Michael Musgrave explained: ” We are a Scottish based promotion that has worked hard for over ten years to put on top quality events featuring the very best wrestlers from around the world. Our previous events in the city – at Southside Community Centre – have been met with positive reviews and we are looking to carry the family audience over to City Night Club to benefit from their lighting and production facilities, which we hope will improve our presentation and experience for our fans.”
He went on: “We want to make sure parents understand that whilst City is a night club, our event will be held in the afternoon and is 100% suitable for children. To help mark the occasion of moving to a new venue we are bringing in TNA Impact Wrestling star Doug Williams for this event – Doug can be seen on TNA Impact Wrestling every week on Challenge TV.”
Former TNA X Division champ Doug Williams faces the masked Scottish “luchador” El Technico in a match sure to entertain the city’s wrestling fans, and also on the card will be a Ladder Match featuring Edinburgh’s own Nathan Black taking on Glasgow’s Dickie Divers. W3L Heavyweight Champion Nathan Reynolds (Dundee) will also defend his title against former W3L Heavyweight Champion Mike Musso (Fife) on a top class card.
The event promises to be an afternoon of Bodyslamming action not to be missed!
World Wide Wrestling League
City Night Club, Edinburgh
Saturday 19 July 19th
Doors open: 14.30 , Bell: 15.00
Tickets: General Admission £12, Concession £10, Family of Four £35 – Available www.W3Lwrestling.com, Sportsters or Ripping Records.
visit www.W3Lwrestling.com for more information
Fancy being a zombie?
Do you want to be a zombie in the ‘most exciting show ever to hit the Edinburgh Festival?’
Have you got what it takes to be a zombie? The Generation of Z hurls you head first into a world ravaged by the undead. The survivors will fight for their future as they journey through a battle against extinction. Set within a maze-like security containment depot swarming with zombies, the audience are in the thick of it until the bitter end, be it rescue … or death. Inspired by the movies and video games of the zombie genre, The Generation of Z is a multimedia horror play on steroids that takes a chainsaw to the fourth wall
After two hugely successful seasons in New Zealand , Royale Productions are bringing their fully interactive immersive Zombie Horror experience to the Edinburgh Festival.
The Generation of Z is a site-specific, immersive, theatrical event set within the maelstrom of a zombie apocalypse. There are no seats, no stage, no niceties and definitely no “fourth wall”. As a zombie you’ll play an integral part, you are in the thick of it from the first gunshot to its violent and thrilling finale. You will be made up in Hollywood style zombie make up and trained on how to be a zombie by our friends at ScareScotland. You will be trained by some of the best professional scare actors in the country at the Undead Academy.
All zombies will be volunteers, and we can guarantee you a whole lot of fun as you scare the audience witless.
We ask that you attend the “Undead Academy” on the 20th July( venue tbc) and fill in the registration form that will be emailed to you.
No performance experience is required. This event will be running for three weeks from the 31 July -25 August with two performances a night. We don’t expect you to be able to take part in the full run, but to perform when you can. The more you perform the more fun you can have.
Interested? Tthen contact Stevie Douglas of ScareScotland at
fellinidays@hotmail.com
and a registration form will be sent to you with the time,date and venue of the Undead Academy.
Queen’s Baton Relay concert line-up revealed
Broughton student Anna McLuckie (above) will be one of the artists heading the line-up at the Ross Bandstand next Saturday (14 June) when crowds gather for ane evening celebration of the Queen’s Baton Relay.
Featuring a mix of music and dance entertainment, and special guest appearances from sporting stars in association with Glasgow 2014 and Team Scotland, the free concert will offer families the perfect opportunity to cheer on the baton at the climax of its relay route around the capital.
Anna, who lives in Stockbridge, came to prominence when performing on the BBC’s The Voice and her interpretation of Daft Punk’s ‘Get Lucky’ has generated almost 7.5 million views on You Tube. Anna, who has been playing the harp since she was nine, has been offered a place to study at the prestigious Northern College of Music in Manchester.
She is now looking forward to performing at Saturday’s event. Anna said: “I’m very excited to play my part in Edinburgh’s build up to the Commonwealth Games, I feel so lucky that it’s all happening on my doorstep! It’s going to be a great night.”
The concert will also feature award-winning contemporary folk bank Rura and will be presented by comedian, writer and ‘Still Game’ actor Sanjeev Kohli. Other acts include alternative Scottish hip-hop group Stanley Odd and the Love Music Community Choir.
The Glasgow 2014 Queen’s Baton is scheduled to arrive in Scotland on the morning of Saturday 14 June in Coldstream before being welcomed to Edinburgh at Heriot-Watt University. The baton will travel throughout Edinburgh, spending the day at various locations and attractions in the city including Meadowbank Stadium and the Royal Commonwealth Pool – which will host the Glasgow 2014 diving competition – before reaching the Ross Bandstand for the Edinburgh Evening Celebrations.
Councillor Steve Cardownie, Festivals and Events Champion at the City of Edinburgh Council, said: “Edinburgh’s Evening Celebrations will be the culmination to a day of festivities for the pending arrival of the baton and will bring together some of the brightest and best music acts from the capital.
“It will also offer the chance to cheer on some of Team Scotland’s sporting stars ahead of their Commonwealth Games competitions. What better way to celebrate the day of the Queen’s Baton Relay in Edinburgh than a concert in the heart of the city against the spectacular backdrop of Princes Street Gardens and the Castle.”
Sanjeev Kohli said: “The arrival of the baton feels like the official start of an absolutely mammoth year for Scotland. We’ve all been waiting for the party to start, and this event is the equivalent of the cling film finally being taken off the buffet. And I DO NOT want to miss that!”
Edinburgh’s Evening Celebrations will take place at the Ross Bandstand in West Princes Street Gardens on Saturday 14 June between 5.30pm and 7.30pm.
Tickets are free and still available to book.
Reservations can be made through the Usher Hall box office, either online at www.usherhall.co.uk or in person.
UK premiere to launch MS Awareness Week
Leith’s MS Therapy Centre is to mark MS Awareness Week 2014 (28 Apr-4 May) by hosting the UK premiere of “When I Walk”, an award-winning film by Jason DaSilva about his life with MS.
The event takes place on Monday (28 April) at the Filmhouse Cinema on Lothian Road at 11am. Tickets are priced at £12.50 and available at www.mstc-lothian.org.uk.
Thirty five year old New Yorker Jason (pictured above) was diagnosed with MS in 2006. He had been on holiday with his family when he suddenly fell down. Unable to get back up, he could no longer ignore the disease which doctors had diagnosed a few months earlier.
Jason tried exercise to help, but after his fall on the beach his mum reminded him he was still able to pursue the things he enjoyed most in life – art and filmmaking – and from that moment he set about set out on a worldwide journey in search of healing, self-discovery and love.
Jason said: “I just want people to relate to it to as a story that is interesting and compelling to watch. And I do hope that for people with disabilities or struggles with illness similar to mine, it will be cathartic for them to see their story on film.”
Nancy Campbell, Operations Manager at the MS Therapy Centre, said: “We are showing the film in the hope it will provide some insight into MS, its symptoms, and its impact. Scotland has the highest incidence of MS in the world and can’t be ignored. “
The MS Therapy Centre Lothian is a charity providing help and practical therapies such as physiotherapy, complementary therapies and oxygen therapy as well as emotional support and advice.www.mstc-lothian.org.uk
Forthcoming Fishing Folk events
Since earliest times, Newhaven in Edinburgh has been famous for its fishing, its shipbuilding and its unique cultural traditions, celebrated through song and photography. As part of Fishing Folk, Citizen Curator is working with contemporary folk musician Jed Milroy and artist Johnny Gailey to raise awareness of the importance of this heritage.
Events still to come in April:
Do You Sing? Would you like to Sing?
The main focus of our events this month is our new Newhaven Fishing Folk Choir.
With support from an experienced singer we are running weekly drop in rehearsals, Tuesdays from 7 – 9pm. Participants old and young have already joined us to find out more about the songs of Newhaven and to experience community singing at its best.
Every Tuesday April/May, 7 – 9pm at Victoria Primary School in Newhaven
Please note. During the school holidays rehearsals on 8 and 15 April are at the Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop.
This event is open to – all
Tickets – free
Working Lunch – an occasional get together – with musician Jed Milroy
Friday 25 April, 12 – 1pm at the Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop in Newhaven
Jed will talk about his life as journeying musician, playing in bands and producing participatory music. As part of Fishing Folk, Jed has been working with Victoria Primary School to create a new ‘Song for Newhaven’ and forming our new Fishing Folk Choir.
This event is open to all
Soup of the day will be Lentil Broth
A contribution of £1.50 covers the cost of lunch
Please RSVP to ensure supply!
For further information contact:
Citizen Curator
Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop
21 Hawthornvale, Edinburgh, EH6 4JT
07812167130
info@citizencurator.com
www.citizencurator.com
‘Citizen Curator is a contemporary arts organisation working with the history and identity of Leith and North Edinburgh. This project is supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund and the City of Edinburgh Council
Edinburgh’s egg-citing for kids this Easter!
‘Mum, I’m bored!’ Don’t despair – help is at hand!
With the school holidays well underway, parents are planning how to keep their youngsters ones entertained for the next fortnight.
The City of Edinburgh Council, which offers a wide variety of entertaining and educational activities for children and young people, has created a ‘best of’ list to help families stay occupied on a budget.
Councillor Richard Lewis, Culture & Sport Convener, said: “The Easter break is a chance for families to try something different and experience Edinburgh’s great selection of museums and school break activities. The challenge of balancing budgets and keeping the kids entertained is no easy task for any parent, and I encourage those of all ages and interests to take in the wealth of attractions in the city centre, many of which are free.”
The City Art Centre has been transformed into a science playground as the Edinburgh International Science Festival launches with a full programme of events, exhibitions and experiments until 19 April. Children can visit the Market Street centre for six floors of science lessons including classes on potion making and monster hunts . Day passes are £7 for adults, £9 for children over 7 and £6.50 for children aged six and under.
The Museum of Childhood on the Royal Mile hosts a treasure trove of toys the whole family will love. Children can learn what it was like to grow up in other eras and gaze at a range of toys and games, while adults can enjoy a trip down memory lane. The latest exhibition to open at the Museum is a celebration of the classic children’s gift, the Annual. Entry is free.
Also on the Royal Mile is the Museum of Edinburgh. Housed in the beautifully restored 16th Century buildings on the Canongate, it is the city’s principle museum of local history where children can dress up in replica costumes from Georgian and Victorian times and follow an activity trail around the Museum to learn about Edinburgh’s Old and New Towns.
Adults and older children can enjoy the museum’s newest attraction, Historic Edinburgh From Above, an aerial photography exhibition exploring the dramatic changes to the Edinburgh skyline over the 20th Century. Entry is free with spotlight guided tours taking place at 1:00pm and 3:00pm on Thursdays and Saturdays.
The beautiful grounds of Lauriston Castle, laid out by William Henry Playfair in the 1840s, are worth a wander – especially on Saturday 19 April from 10:00am when the Castle staff host their annual Easter egg hunt. Entry is £7 per person. Afterwards, why not stay for afternoon tea and a game of croquet? Further details and other workshops are available from the website. Guided tours of the Castle take place every day at 2:00pm except Friday.
For when the weather makes a turn, the City’s 28 community libraries will be open for borrowing – and much more besides. Visit the libraries’ website for further details or contact your local library for details of special holiday events.
For active kids, Edinburgh Leisure has a range of dedicated holiday activities for ages 3-13 years running throughout the fortnight, from free tennis tasters at Leith Links to trampolining at Meadowbank. Until the 21 April, Edinburgh Leisure is also offering free swimming to all primary school children at Dalry, Gracemount and Ainslie Park Leisure Centres. This year marks the first time the free sessions will be open to any public swim session at participating pools. Visit the website for further details.
After taking in the city, where better to enjoy the breathtaking views of Edinburgh than by climbing to the top of the tallest tribute to a writer in the world, the Scott Monument in East Princes Street Gardens. Equally impressive is the Nelson Monument on Calton Hill.
At night, take the scenic route home passing through the spectacular Field of Light which will remain in St Andrew’s Square until 27 April. Entry is free.
There’s got to be something among that lot to keep the little dears happy?
Mary Erskine’s to represent city in referendum debate
Mary Erskine School will fly the flag for Edinburgh in the final of a TV schools debate on Saturday.
Eight secondary schools from across Scotland will battle it out on STV in the final of a national debating competition next Saturday (12 April at 1740).
The half hour programme, Referendum: The Next Generation, sees four pupils from each school take part in knock out rounds before the winner of the final debate picks up the trophy.
The other schools to compete are the Nicolson Institute (Western Isles), Douglas Academy (East Dunbartonshire), Montrose Academy (Angus), Lockerbie Academy (Dumfries & Galloway), St Andrews Academy (Renfrewshire), Grove Academy (Dundee) and St Josephs Academy (East Ayrshire).
STV teamed up with Debating Matters in 2013 to give secondary school pupils from all 32 local authority areas, many of who will be eligible to vote in the referendum on independence, the opportunity to research and discuss issues which will affect the future of Scotland.
The Scotland wide competition was open to secondary five and six pupils who had a chance to compete with other schools in their local authority area last summer before taking part in eight regional heats in November 2013. The final of the competition was held at The University of Glasgow and the programme is hosted by STV’s Gordon Chree.
Elizabeth Partyka, deputy director of channels at STV, said: “This programme is the culmination of a series of lively debates between secondary schools throughout the country. We are committed to providing a platform for debate on all the big issues and it is fantastic that secondary school pupils have the opportunity to research and discuss issues that matter to them. We hope people tune in to see which school picks up the winner’s trophy.”
Claire Fox, Director of the Institute of Ideas, said: “Debating Matters is delighted to have worked in partnership with STV to provide an intellectually demanding and rigorous platform for students across Scotland to engage in serious discussion of the big philosophical, cultural and political questions relating to Scotland’s future direction society, and to debate the key issues around the Scottish Independence referendum. The Institute of Ideas values substance over style and emphasises the complexities beyond the headline and beyond sound-bites, so important when young people are considering something as important as the future of Scotland constitutionally. Based on the debates we saw in the autumn and this spring, those young Scots we met rose to that challenge more than admirably.”
Good luck, Mary Erskine!