Tag: local performers

Local young people from Tinderbox Collective to stage free community event as North Edinburgh Community Festival launches programme

  • Ten young people (aged 14-18) have taken part in a six-month course with Tinderbox Collective and North Edinburgh Community Festival to learn how to organise a festival. 
  • The course, Festival Futures, culminates this weekend (Saturday 28th March) in West Pilton for the launch event for North Edinburgh Community Festival.
  • The launch event will feature live music from local performers, a games hub, food stalls, community stalls and sports activities. 

Local young people are behind the organisation of the launch event for North Edinburgh Community Festival, taking place in West Pilton Neighbourhood Centre tomorrow (Saturday 28th March) from 12-2pm.

Festival Futures, a six-month project between Tinderbox Collective and North Edinburgh Community Festival, has allowed ten young people from North Edinburgh to get hands-on experience, workshops and work experience on how to run a live event. This festival launch is the culmination of their work and has given the young people the chance to step behind the scenes and learn how a real community festival comes to life. 

The launch event will host live music from local young performers who have been honing their skills and shaping their sound in youth clubs and community spaces delivered by Tinderbox Collective and Granton Youth, including Lotas, Georgia Amery, Abraham Olivier, and Leon Highway.

There will be community stalls from local organisations including Granton Baptist Church, Spartans, Childrens’ Holiday Venture, Project Esperanza and more, as well as sports activities and food stalls. Tinderbox Games Club will also be hosting an escape room they have designed, letting people try out computer games they have designed over the last year.  

This weekend’s event marks the launch of the programme for the 2026 North Edinburgh Community Festival, which will take place on 16th May.

Returning for its fifth edition, the much-loved festival continues its mission as a family friendly fun day out for all the residents in North Edinburgh, and a vital community anchor which brings people together, strengthens local pride, and connects thousands with essential services and opportunities. 

During the festival itself, Tinderbox Collective will be producing and running the Main Stage, which brings together choirs, youth bands and community performers from across North Edinburgh.

The North Edinburgh Community Choir – a vibrant group of around 100 singers from Pirniehall, St David’s Craigroyston and Forthview Primary Schools and Craigroyston High School – will return to perform, and Tinderbox’s Tuesday Music Club band – made of up thirty young people from across North Edinburgh – will also take to the stage with original tunes and reimagined covers they’ve been developing together.

Also featuring on the main stage are Edinburgh Ukrainian Choir, Ama-zing Harmonies and Pulse Of The Place. 
 
Tinderbox Collective will also join forces with Granton Youth to produce the North by North West stage which will feature emerging young musicians and new talent still to be announced.  

Adele Conn, Festival Director of North Edinburgh Community Festival, said: “I’m incredibly proud of the young people in our Festival Futures programme; their creativity, commitment, and professionalism over the last six months have been nothing short of inspiring.

“Seeing them lead today’s launch with such confidence and pride is a real joy, and they should each feel immensely proud of what they’ve achieved.” 
 
The North Edinburgh Community Festival launch takes place tomorrow – Saturday 28th March, from 12 – 2pm at West Pilton Neighbourhood Centre and is free to attend.

The full festival will follow on Saturday 16th May 2026 at West Pilton Park and the West Pilton Neighbourhood Centre. 

Johnnie Walker Princes Street hosts unmissable shows & exclusive experiences for Festival Fringe

Festivalgoers will be treated to the perfect blend of performances and given the chance to co-create their own bottle design using the power of AI

Johnnie Walker Princes Street The World’s Leading Spirit Tourism Experience* on Princes Street in the heart of Edinburgh, is hosting a series of events from local performers as part of its Edinburgh Festival Fringe sponsorship which is now in its third year.

Kicking off the programme of Fringe events, which will be held in the venue’s Label Studio, will be a host of incredible talent from Be United. 

The group will energise audiences with electrifying performances from disco, soul, jazz and hip-hop as part of ‘This Is Your Fringe’(2nd & 3rd August), developed to showcase phenomenal Black talent within the Scottish creative sectors, inviting them to change the game at the Edinburgh Fringe.

The four artists, including singer Eyve, who performs a unique blend of hip hop, trap, jazz, and music which reflects her African roots are set to bring a celebration of community and exceptional music.

Additionally, throughout the festival (13-14, 16-17, 24-25th August), audiences can enjoy shows from a quartet of Johnnie Walker Princes Street’s very own Nicola Alexander and Lori Flannigan, and friends, who will be taking centre stage with ‘She Burns’.

The group who met while working in the venue will perform renditions of Burns poems interspersed with their own stories in a music and comedy cabaret style show, through a modern lens.

‘She Burns’ group members and current Experience Ambassadors, Nicola Alexander and Lori Flannigan, can also be spotted leading Johnnie Walker Prices Street’s signature ‘Journey of Flavour’.

What’s more, those visiting the venue from across the world will, for the first time at the venue, have the chance to enjoy this multi-sensory tour in Mandarin, Spanish, French and soon German, using special translation headsets.

Nicola said: “For us, performing She Burns in the place we met is an exciting full-circle moment. It will be brilliant to perform in this iconic building in the centre of Edinburgh during The Fringe.

“The team at Johnnie Walker Princes Street has always been behind us, nurturing our talents and continually championing the thriving arts and culture scene Scotland.”

Be United’s Creative Director, Collin Hills, said: “It’s fantastic to see a venue like Johnnie Walker Princes Street collaborating with smaller artists, giving them the opportunity to showcase their talents in the centre of Edinburgh throughout the festival.

“Johnnie Walker Princes Street’s ambitions to champion the arts align perfectly with our own. ‘This is Your Fringe’ is a great fit to help open up the art and culture scene throughout The Fringe to both those who have never ventured into the festival, as well as for Fringe veterans.”

Those looking to add a truly exclusive experience to their Fringe itineraries can now book the Johnnie Walker x Scott Naismith: Blue Label Bottle Design & Tasting Experience. Here, guests can co-create their very own unique bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue Label by harnessing cutting-edge, purpose-built AI-technology. 

The bottle design element can be complimented at no extra charge by a bookable expert-led tasting of Johnnie Walker Blue Label, as well as a guided tasting of the incredibly special limited edition Johnnie Walker Blue Label ‘Elusive Umami’, in the rooftop Explorers’ Bothy bar.

Catch ‘She Burns’ at Johnnie Walker Princes Street on: 13-14, 16-17, 24-25 August: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/she-burns

Search Johnnie Walker x Scott Naismith experience to book: https://bit.ly/3W5R12v

August 2nd:

  • Groove Down: An Edinburgh-based disco-soul band, formed in 2022, Groove Down blends progressive soul, disco, house, and funk to create a fresh, multicultural sound that is uniquely their own.
  • Cling: Known for his infectious Afrobeats, Cling is poised to light up the stage with an energetic performance that will set the tone for the festival.

August 3rd

  • Eyve: Bringing a passionate blend of hip hop, trap, jazz, and African roots, Eyve’s music reflects her life experiences and commitment to social and political issues, gender equality, and inclusivity.
  • JEmmanuel: Making a significant impact since 2023, JEmmanuel will deliver a mesmerizing performance of Retro-Soul, Blues, Jazz, and Funk, continuing to captivate audiences across Edinburgh.