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!
Today (Wed 11 Sep) with support from the Scottish Government’s Festivals EXPO Fund and Creative Scotland, the Scottish International Storytelling Festival launched its 35th festival programme.
The Scottish International Storytelling Festival (18 to 31 October 2024) is organised by TRACS (Traditional Arts and Culture Scotland) and is the world’s largest celebration of storytelling.
Since it began in 1989, it has been building bridges between cultures, artists and audiences all over the world through the power of storytelling.
To mark its 35th anniversary, which coincides with the fall of the Berlin Wall, the festival has chosen ‘Bridges Between’ as its programming theme, which has been the inspiration for eight new story commissions premiering during this year’s festival.
It has also invited international storytellers from the Storytelling Arena in Berlin, from Ireland with the support of Culture Ireland, and from India to participate in this year’s event.
New Commissions supported by the Scottish Government Festivals Expo Fund:
● Mending Nets (Fri 18 Oct) – Palestinian poet and dancer Nada Shawa and Scottish storyteller Janis Mackay present stories of loss, friendship and hope, to help people attempt to retrieve an unravelled sense of identity.
● The Bouncy Billy Goats Gruff (Sat 19 Oct) – a sensory version of the traditional tale of Billy Goats Gruff suited to children with additional needs, their families and friends with storyteller Ailie Finlay and artist Kate Leiper.
● The Dream of Al-Andulus (19 Oct) Storytellers Sef Townsend and Inés Álvarez Villa accompanied by flamenco guitarist Danielo Olivera and Moroccan musician Omar Afif, transport audiences to mediaeval Spain.
● The Desperate Battle of the Birds (Mon 21 Oct) Scottish storyteller James MacDonald Reid presents his version of this classic Gaelic folk tale intertwined with live electric cello music by Scottish-Korean musician Ryan Williams. Performed in English and Gaelic throughout.
● Òran Mhòir (23 Oct) Costumes, films, field recordings, folk songs and electronic sounds come together in a multi-media performance exploring the Gaelic lore of the intertidal zone. With storyteller Eileen Budd and experimental folk duo Burd Ellen.
● Jack and Beggar’s Island (25 Oct) The most powerful freedom story of Scottish oral tradition recreated by storytellers Jimmy Williamson, Claire McNicol and Linda Williamson connected with music from Toby Shippey and friends.
● Kanpur: 1857! (26 Oct)Niall Moorjani and Jon Oldfield present a dilemma between a young Indian rebel strapped to a cannon and a British officer for the crimes of Kanpur. Are they a hero or villain?
● A Wolf Shall Devour the Sun (30 Oct) Weaving myth from the Celtic Isles, Scandinavia and Siberia, storyteller Douglas Mackay takes a deep dive into the history of our troubled relations with our oldest ally. With Jemima Thewes providing shadow puppet animation and original, dreamlike soundscape.
This year the Festival is also part of the city’s Edinburgh 900 programme, celebrating nine centuries of story and literature in Scotland’s capital city.
Festival Director Donald Smith, who is also author of the newly-published Edinburgh Our Storied Town, has programmed a series of events showcasing Edinburgh through the centuries and exploring different eras of its history.
These include talks on ‘chivalry’ and the knightly values of the crusades; Edinburgh’s theatres and the history of the festivals; Scotland’s golden age of literature; and a conference and ‘Lit Fandango’ with Michael Pedersen to celebrate 20 years since Edinburgh was crowned the world’s first UNESCO City of Literature.
There are also guided walks through the city to explore Edinburgh’s founding women with Claire McNicol; an after-hours tour of Surgeon’s Hall where tales of chloroform tea parties and grave robbing will be shared; and storytelling sessions at Bridgend Farmhouse, The Balm Well and Edinburgh’s Philosophy Cafe on the Southside.
For younger audiences and familiesthere is a packed programme of events over the October school holidays kicking off on Saturday 12 October, ahead of the festival’s main programme (18 to 31 Oct).
Family highlights include storytelling fun and adventures with Claire McNicol and Linda Williamson in Raven Jack and Lady Unicorn; dancing and stories with Moyra Banks and Fergus McNicol; tales of dragons and tunes from Lithuania and Scotland; and The Hairy Tale of Sam the Skull about a gallus Glasgow cat, told by storyteller Alastair McIver.
There is also a chance for young storytellers to learn new skills in the 3-day workshop series School of Storycraft and plenty of events outdoors including the return of the Botanics Storytelling Day and Macastory’s Caddie Capers.
Plus, the festival’s Global Lab strand returns with four online workshops exploring intangible cultural heritage; the war in Gaza through the voices of children and young people; stories from across India hosted by the Folklogue Team; and a discussion of Scotland as a slaver nation trading in Jamaica hosted by Kate Philips, author of Bought and Sold: Scotland, Jamaica and Slavery.
Work in progress, marked as ‘In the Making’ will be shared during the festival and will include stories from Norway created and performed by Svend-Erik Engh, Hafdís Huld and Neil Sutcliffe; adventures beyond the iron curtain told by Alice Fernbank through her dad’s memoirs; a coming of age story told in the spirit of the Griot storytelling traditions from West Africa by French-Cameroonian artist Fay Guiffo; and retellings of the work of Hamish Henderson.
This year the festival runs up until Halloween and includes events when storytellers, musicians and artists will join together to share dark tales and gather for Samhain. There will also be four Tree of Memory events celebrating and honouring some of our storytelling elders including Irish and Scots storyteller Audrey Parks; Shetland storyteller Lawrence Tulloch, and Edinburgh storytellers Jack Martin and John Fee.
Throughout the festival, audiences can also enjoy relaxed Open Hearth gatherings of storytellers and musicians in the evening at the Netherbow Theatre, and post-show Festival Nights at The Waverley Bar.
Go Local returns this year, with new voices from Angus, the Highlands, and Stirling joining storytellers from all over Scotland throughout October and November to celebrate 35 years of the festival.
From Orkney and the Western Isles, to the Scottish Borders, there will be nearly 50 Go Local events in this year’s programme, plus two of the festival’s commissions will tour to community halls, libraries and storytelling festivals in Glasgow, Aberdeen and Tobermory.
Finally, this year’s festival exhibition hosted at the Scottish Storytelling Centre will be Take Me To New Lands & Then Take Me Home, a series of paintings by Orcadian artist and musician Sarah McFadyen exploring the line between the worlds of fact and fable, and the place where land and sea meet.
Culture Secretary Angus Robertson said:“The Scottish International Storytelling Festival’s 35th anniversary is a magnificent achievement and demonstrates what a successful and important event it is.
“That’s why the Scottish Government has provided £100,000 in EXPO funding this year to support the commissions of eight performances at the festival.
“This year’s programme is incredibly diverse and there is plenty there to appeal to people of all interests, and both young and old. I am really looking forward to hearing some of the amazing stories at the Festival.”
Donald Smith, Scottish International Storytelling Festival Director said: “In a world plagued by violence and division, the Scottish International Storytelling Festival offers bridges of imagination, fellow feeling and hope.
“And these qualities are inspired by a capital city that is celebrating 900 years of story, art and friendship.”
Performing at today’s launch storyteller Janis Mackay and poet and dancer Nada Shawa said: “We met on the dance floor fifteen years ago. Building bridges between is at the heart of our dance practise, 5 rhythms.
“Bridges between each other, between the heart and the body. Between the music and the dance. And with both of us there are many opportunities for exploring bridges between.
“Nada is from Gaza, Janis is from Edinburgh. Nada uses a wheelchair. Janis does not. Nada is a poet. Janis is a storyteller. So many rich differences that we weave into this show; Mending Nets.”
The Scottish International Storytelling Festival will take place from Friday, 18 October to Thursday 31 October.
Tickets to family events cost just £5 per ticket. For those planning on attending multiple events, the Festival Supporter Pass offers discounted tickets to many live festival events, online and at the Scottish Storytelling Centre, as well as a discount at the Scottish Storytelling Centre’s bookshop, Haggis Box Café and an invitation to the Festival launch event.
To purchase tickets and browse the full programme, visitsisf.org.uk
Edinburgh Science Festival 2024 has everyone covered this year with a Shaping the Future programme, showcasing the cutting-edge technology and science to help us create a more sustainable future.
The Festival celebrates 35th anniversary this year.
Family favourite City Art Centre returns with five floors of hands-on science for children: the perfect family day out this Easter break. On sale from Monday 26 February.
Big Ideas, a series of talks aimed at adults, brings some of the world’s most renowned scientists and thinkers to the Scottish capital, including Prof Chris Lintott, presenter of the Sky at Night, Prof Richard Wiseman, psychologist, magician, entertainer, Dr Erica McAlister – fly expert from the Natural History Museum, Rachel Miller, a National Geographic explorer, Laura Foster – BBC Health and Science presenter, Prof Sarah Sharples, Chief Scientific Advisor for the Dept of Transport
Guaranteed sell-out every year, Science Nights Out are back with more creative ways to get everyone hands-on with science in a relaxed environment.
The Festival, renowned for its unique presentations of arts colliding with STEM, creating STEAM, delves deep into the alternative future with Future Proof, a visual arts exhibition.
The Festival takes over Edinburgh with events, talk, workshops and exhibitions taking place at the National Museum of Scotland, Dynamic Earth, The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, Edinburgh Zoo, Summerhall, Bayes Centre and many others, with new additions of Panmure House, Mary’s King Close and The Biscuit Factory.
This year’s Festival shows for children 5+ include Bakineering, exploring the science of baking by Andrew Smyth – of The Great British Bake Off fame!
Edinburgh Science Festival is the first and still one of Europe’s biggest science festivals, taking place over the Easter holidays, between 30 March and 14 April.
With the 2024 theme of Shaping the Future, the Festival continues its years-long commitment to Programming for the Planet. It urges everyone to build a more sustainable future as it showcases the cutting-edge technology, including Artificial Intelligence, and science research to help make that ambition a reality.
Edinburgh Science Director and CEO, Dr Simon Gage said: “We have an amazing festival lined up for our 35th anniversary.The programme touches the cutting edge of invention from the worlds of AI, robotics, space exploration to the unusual such as giant rooms made of mushrooms!
“And in amongst it, we look at some more familiar things in an unusual way such as disposing of the dead, poisons, the psychology of magic and virus bingo. Whether you want to blast it, build it, bury it or bake it, we have something for you and for little ones too if you have some!”
Edinburgh Science is the world’s expert in producing live science events and the 2024 Festival is the prime example of the power of bringing people together to explore the fascinating world of science, technology, engineering and maths – and arts! – this year celebrating 35 years.
The Festival is pleased to continue the fantastic collaboration with the venue partners around the city, including City Art Centre, sponsored by Cirrus Logic, which every year becomes the Festival’s premier family destination as well as National Museum of Scotland and Dynamic Earth, each presenting a number of science events for children and adults. This year’s programme is spread across 30 venues and 40% of the offer is free to access.
As in previous years, the Festival presents a series of BSL-interpreted, audio described and relaxed sessions. At the City Art Centre, it also offers sensory backpacks available free of charge from the ticketing desk on the ground floor, and, for the first time, a Quiet Space on the fourth floor where visitors can take a break from the excitement.
Although particularly designed for those with sensory needs, these resources are available to everyone.
Visit the Festival website for more information on accessibility.
2024 HIGHLIGHTS
City Art Centre (30 March – 14 April) – five floors of hands-on science extravaganza for children between 3 and 12 years old. From making your own scab or slime to becoming an animal conservationist, investigating a crime scene or programming your own robot, City Art Centre is the most fun a family can have this Easter break! Allow 4-5 hours for the visit. On sale from Monday 26 February.
Growing Home: A New World of Materials (30 March – 14 April) – highlighting the consequences of overconsumption, this interactive exhibition shines a light on biomaterials and how they can be used in future building, packaging, fashion and more.
Standing three meters high, Growing Room is an impressive architectural structure, devised and created by the Hub for Biotechnology in the Built Environment at Newcastle University, made from biomaterials.
Grown from wool and mycelium (the root network of fungus) to give it strength and stability, the piece shows how research into the future of biomaterials could transform the built environment. It is accompanied by Symbio, a display of biomaterial themed garments by inspiring Edinburgh-based artist Emily Raemaekers.
Developed with support from Creative Scotland through the Scottish Government’s Festivals Expo Fund. Supported by the Edinburgh Napier University, School of Computing, Engineering & The Built Environment.
Edinburgh Medal (2 April) – a prestigious award founded by the City of Edinburgh Council in 1989, this year’s Medal’s recipient is Italy’s Mario Negri Institute, a pioneer non-profit research institute dedicated to open clinical and biomedical research and renowned for its ‘patient-first’ rather than ‘patent-first’ approach.
Director Giuseppe Remuzzi accepts the Medal on behalf of the Institute and is set to share his insights into the benefits of the approach of this exceptional research team that does science for social good during the Medal Address on 2 April.
Creative Informatics, an ambitious research and development programme based in Edinburgh which aims to bring the city’s world-class creative industries and tech sector together, presents a fantastic series of events at this year’s Festival.
It includes Unleashing the Power of Data (30 March – 7 April) exhibition highlighting the latest achievements of the creative industries using data and digital technologies; Creative AI for Creative Work (10 April) featuring creatives talking about the use of AI to enhance their creative projects; and Let’s Play (12 April), an evening to explore how creative technologies and on-screen innovation are changing how we play and experience the world around us.
Our Fragile Space: Protecting the Near-Space Environment (8 March – 18 April) – opening a few weeks before the Festival, the free to access photography exhibition on Mound Precint in the city centre of Edinburgh presents the stunning photographs of Max Alexander’s, transporting its audiences to orbital space to explore the increasing issue of space debris and satellite crowding.
FAMILY PROGRAMME
For those who performed a surgery, dug up a dinosaur or built their own wind turbine at the City Art Centre and got hands-on with mycelium in Growing Home at the National Museum of Scotland, the Festival has plenty more in store.
Also at the Museum, The Rocket Show (7 April) is an explosive family-friendly adventure, delving into rocket science as we explore forces, test materials, and prepare for launch – so strap-in, countdown, and blast-off for a show that’s out of this world!
Join former Great British Bake Off finalist and creator and judge of Netflix’s Baking Impossible, Andrew Smyth for Bakineering (31 March), an edible exploration of the engineering involved in baking.
In Minecraft Disease Detectives (9 April) enter the Minecraft world to become a field scientist and visit different places to collect data on how a virus is spreading. Supported by LEGO® Build the Change, the activity under the same name (8 – 14 April) is all about learning about biodiversity and how to protect it – using LEGO!
Is the blue whale really the biggest animal ever to have existed? What killed the Megalodon shark? In Mysteries of Animals 3D (5 April), presenter and author Jules Howard outlines the weirdest and most elusive animal questions out there for future generations to discover.
Sci-curious aged between 12 and 18 can access £5 tickets for all talks at the Museum and The Bayes Centre using code TEENTALK.
Over at the world-famous Edinburgh Zoo, Career Fayre (3-4 April) puts staff centre-stage – keepers, vets, researchers and many more – to share fascinating insights into their everyday work while at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh the family-favourite Easter Trail (30 March – 14 April) returns, and Build a Better City (11 April) imagines a city that is good for us as well as for the planet by bringing nature into it, consequently reducing pollution, flooding, regulating heat waves and helping keep our minds and bodies healthy.
A science centre and a planetarium, Dynamic Earth invites everyone to Icy Investigations (5 April), a digital workshop looking at our melting ice caps and to become Planet Protectors (4-8 April), learning about ways to protect Earth, including building a mini bug hotel.
Ever wondered what lies beneath North Sea wind farm? Thanks to North Sea 3D (12 April) and Scottish Association for Marine Science, you can now see it in virtual reality!
The University of Edinburgh presents the ground-breaking robotic technologies such as Exoskeletons for enhanced mobility, the humanoids Talos and EVA, and robotic arms for handling objects in Bayes Centre Tour: Meet the Robots (12 April). Explore the Science in Your Pocket: Coins (2-6 and 9-13 April) with Museum of the Mound and step back in time to learn about Edinburgh’s rich medical history at Mary King’s Close’s Medical History Tours (30 March, 6 & 14 April).
Supported and presented by the Heriot Watt University and the National Robotarium, Robotics Unveiled at the National Robotarium (12 April) is a fascinating tour of the UK’s newest and fanciest cutting-edge centre for all things robotics – including a robot petting zoo!
Out and about, Explore Beach Pebbles (11-14 April) of Edinburgh beaches or go down the Royal Mile on a walk to Discover Edinburgh’s Mathematical History. Further out, the Scottish Seabird Centre encourages everyone to become a budding marine scientist and work on their Seaside Science Skills (10-13 April), including identifying rockpool creatures.
For more family events at the Festival, click here.
**Pics free to use**
Edinburgh Science Festival has everyone covered!
Maria Tolzmann and Andrew Jenkins of Edinburgh Science Festival getting ready for the Festival to take over the Scottish capital this Easter break!
Edinburgh Science Festival, the first and still one of Europe’s biggest science festivals, takes place over the Easter holidays (30 March – 14 April) and today announces its 35th anniversary programme.
With the 2024 theme of Shaping the Future, the Festival continues its years-long commitment to Programming for the Planet. It urges everyone to build a more sustainable future as it showcases the cutting-edge technology, including Artificial Intelligence, and science research to help make that ambition a reality.
ADULT PROGRAMME
Technology
Can you trust a robot? Coming face-to-face with cutting-edge technology, Two Truths and a Lie (8 April) is an interactive, Traitors-style experience exploring deception, truth and robotics at the Panmure House, home of Scottish philosopher, Adam Smith, presented and supported by the Heriot Watt University and the National Robotarium.
Carefully balancing conservation and creation, Constructing Tomorrow (10 April) uses Edinburgh and its UNESCO World Heritage sites to explore the work of the innovators at the forefront of future, sustainable construction.
Supported by Edinburgh Construction. In the Future of Transport (11 April), Chief Scientific Adviser for the Department for Transport Prof Sarah Sharples looks at the challenges and opportunities of transport decarbonisation.
One of the Festival’s Science Nights Out events, Innovation Late with Lady MacRobert (8 April) highlights the work of the potential winners of the prestigious MacRobert Award celebrating the UK’s most exciting engineering innovators – and includes demonstrations! Supported by the Royal Academy of Engineering.
From advances in disease diagnosis and treatment to the hidden carbon cost of AI, discover how this revolutionary technology affects global politics and society in TheFuture of AI (3 April) with Director of the AI & Geopolitics Project at the University of Cambridge and former Global Head of Policy for Google DeepMind Verity Harding and AI Editor at the Financial Times Madhumita Murgia.
The Promises and Pitfalls of AI (8 April) with Chemical Engineer Prof. Raffaella Ocone, Quantum Scientist Prof. Daniele Faccio, and Medicinal Chemist Prof. Stefano Moro explores how AI is shaping their scientific fields and why it is so much more than just ChatGPT.
Supported by Consulate General of Italy Edinburgh and Istituto Italiano di Cultura. AI for Earth (11 April) with Dr Will Cavendish, Global Digital Leader at ARUP and ex-Strategy Lead at Deep Mind, explores what role AI might play in helping us respond to the climate and nature crises. Supported by ARUP.
Join National Geographic Explorer and Founder of Rozalia Project for a Clean Ocean Rachael Miller for a discussion around the Science and Solution for a Clean Ocean (1 April) as she guides as through the problem with plastic and the latest solutions to fight it. Supported by the U.S. Embassy.
Also looking at the new technology helping us tackle the climate crisis is Carbon Capture and Storage for a Net-Zero Future (8 April) – how much carbon dioxide can be captured and stored? What are the risks of storing carbon dioxide underground? As carbon emissions continue to rise, what are the risks of not doing so?
Audience’s favourite naturalist and author Jules Howard teams up with fly expert Dr Erica McAlister to fill us in on the latest discovering in insect sex life science in their trademark light-hearted style in Indecent Insects (5 April).
What happens to our bodies after we die? From the rising demand for greener funerals, to water cremation, human composting and “body farms”, choices are no longer limited to burial or cremation.
Join our panel of experts for Disposing of the Body (2 April) which lifts the shroud on the fascinating and taboo topic of alternative post-mortem care. In Free Agents (9 April), leading neuroscientist Kevin Mitchell makes the evolutionary case for free will.
Our Lives with IBD (10 April) presents a short film about inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), the people affected by them, and the new research that aims to improve these conditions.
Following the film, comedian Susan Morrison guides an entertaining discussion about IBD with the filmmaker Hugo Hemmati and the film’s stars, including gastroenterologist Dr Gwo-tzer Ho and IBD patient Molly Halligan.
Virus Bingo (11 April) is an interactive activity looking at what it takes for a virus to cross the divide between animals and humans.
Custodians of the Cosmos (3 April)features Prof Andy Lawrence from The Royal Observatory Edinburgh and eminent photographer Max Alexander exploring why studying the skies is of vital cultural and economic importance.
In Our Accidental Universe (12 April) BBC presenter of Sky at Night and Gresham Professor of Astronomy Chris Lintott takes us on an astonishing tour of bizarre accidents, big characters, and human error to tell the story of some of the most important astronomical events of the past hundred years.
Award-winning broadcaster and author Marcus Chown breaks down the big physics questions that explain the universe in The One Thing You Need to Know (12 April).
FOr Pink Floyd’s fans out there, Planetarium Late: Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon (4-6 April & 11-13 April) is a mesmeric and immersive 360° show with breath-taking views of the Solar System, set to the official 1973 album in spectacular surround sound.
When STEM meets arts, amazing things happen – such as Future Proof (30 March – 26 May) at Summerhall, a series of exhibitions and events from visual artists that explore alternative futures through examination of the past and present and pose existential questions from the blurred boundary of art and science. It includes Morality Calcusus, a bio-art installation by artist Yuning Chen that recounts the endeavour of creating bread fermented with yeast-human cell hybrids in a synthetic biology lab in collaboration with biologist Dr. Elise Cachat.
There is also a theatrical tasting experience (13-14 April) accompanying the installation during which audience sample fictional hybrid organisms analogous to the ones involved in the bread making experiments.
In Post-Industrial Ecologies, Dawn Felicia Knox explores the way plants and fungi work together to undo the toxic residue of industrialisation on an example of one plot of land over 320 million years. The site, a coalmine during the industrial revolution, is a contaminated brownfield yet through the entanglement of plants and fungi it has become a vibrant ecosystem.
The University of Edinburgh’s annual Tam Dalyell Prize for Excellence in Engaging the Public with Science is awarded to Dr James Cook in recognition of his work increasing the public understanding of music in pre-Reformation Scotland.
Dr Cook gives his winning Lecture (14 April) on Linlithgow Palace, once the great pleasure palace of the kings and queens of Scotland. Aiming to recapture its lost glory, Dr Cook present an event bringing together scientific acoustic research, historical archival work, archaeology, and performance to reconstruct the music within Virtual Reality.
The annual Festival Opening Party remains the capital’s hot ticket – adult-only take-over of the flagship family venue, City Art Centre! Join us for a fantastic hands-on science experience on 28 March, getting down digging up a dinosaur or dancing with a robot.
The Festival’s main interactive exhibition, Growing Home, has its own late night event, Growing Home After Hours (4 April) which throws open the doors to the iconic National Museum of Scotland after hours; supported by the Festivals Expo Fund. A Night in the Undergrowth (10 April) cap-tivates everyone’s curiosity in a fun-gi evening event at the Biscuit Factory; supported by the Festivals Expo Fund.
Is Back to the Future better than Tenet? Is ET more accurate than Alien? Is The Matrix good enough to let us forgive its sequels? In Sci-Fi Snobbery (3 April) Simon Watt and Jamie Gallagher debate the merits of their favourites to work out which sci-fi movie has the most merit on both a scientific and cinematic basis.
Join mathematicians Katie Steckles and Ben Sparks for Pints and Puzzles (8 April), a mind-boggling evening of puzzles and mathematical thinking. Pit your wits against a series of beautiful, bamboozling maths brain teasers in this sociable night of fun!
And don’t forget to join Creative Informatics for a night of gaming in Let’s Play (12 April) and celebrate the latest in cutting-edge engineering (with demonstrations!) at Innovation Late with Lady MacRobert (8 April); supported by the Royal Academy of Engineering.
For more Science Nights Out highlights click here.
Culture Secretary Angus Robertson said: “We’re proud to support the 2024 Edinburgh Science Festival – another shining example of Scotland’s place as the perfect stage to host major events and the home of world leading festivals.
“The Scottish Government is supporting the Festival with funding of £120,000 from our Expo Fund, as well as £60,000 for the PLaCE programme to support the ongoing engagement programme with schools and community groups.
“This year’s theme, Shaping the Future is relevant and interesting; using technology and AI to help build sustainable solutions for Scotland. We’re certain all the Festival’s attendees will learn and have fun in the process.”
Culture and Communities Convener, Councillor Val Walker said: “It’s fantastic to see the city gearing up for the 35th anniversary edition of the Edinburgh Science Festival. The world we live in has arguably never been more innovative or advanced, this year’s theme of ‘Shaping the Future’ pays tribute to this and questions where we go from here.
“With events across the Capital exploring themes such as space, health and medicine, and artificial intelligence to name but a few, there is truly something for everyone.
“The Science Festival is one that’s particularly close to my heart, with many fond memories of taking my son and grandchildren along over the years. I’m really looking forward to the 2024 edition and I’d encourage all our residents and visitors to get involved.”
Push the Boat Out(PTBO), Edinburgh’s International Poetry Festival, returns for its third year with a vibrant, exciting line-up featuring over 50 events and with over 80 performers, artists and speakers within the programme.
Tickets go on sale today, Thursday 5th October – International Poetry Day.
Running over the weekend of 24-26 November in Summerhall, Edinburgh, the third Push the Boat Out programme, supported by Creative Scotland, continues and expands the festival’s mission to change our perceptions of what poetry can be.
From poetry readings and discussions, to new commissions, singer-songwriter circles, music hybrid events, dance and hip hop, poetic cocktail-making classes, film screenings, beach walks, panels, workshops and development opportunities – this vibrant, multi-layered, polyphonic line-up is a true fiesta of the vernacular with something for everyone and anyone.
This year, we’re celebrating the poetry of songwriting. Join Hamish Hawk for a solo performance and an evening of lyrical enchantment with support from Iona Zajac. Hawk will also appear alongside Karine Polwart and Inua Ellams in a special Songwriting Circle event discussing what it means to create a song through poetry.
Continuing to wax lyrical, Bemz, Dave Hook and Queen of Harps will lift the lid on their songwriting process by sharing the backstory to their songs in a Song Exploder event, whilst multi-instrumentalist, Dizraeli will take an honest look at human creation and connection in their event, Animal Noises.
We’re also finding the drama in poetry, with a series of new commissions in association with the National Theatre of Scotland. We’re taking inspiration from our home, Summerhall, as Ever Dundas and Harry Josephine Giles celebrate the building’s history with a darkly gothic night of poetry and original music composed by David Paul Jones that promises to be ‘cinema for the ears’.
We’re interested in the politics of poetry, as Jeremy Corbyn and Len McCluskey posit that poetry is for the many, with Yvonne Reddick’s urgent climate poetry, Kim Moore’s feminist poetic, and the pulsing poem-stories of William Letford and Dawn Watson.
Our online programme includes international poetry stars Meena Kandasamy and Tishani Doshi, beamed into your home. We’re enjoying the sheer pleasure of poetry, as Cat Prince Michael Pedersen hangs out with his feline subjects in Maison de Moggy, Joelle Taylor and Kate Fox will help shake up a poetic cocktail or two, Sean Wai Keung leads us through a dumpling and poetry workshop, Inua Ellams throws open the doors with his audience-led Search Party show, and John Hegley runs an anarchic, joyous, hands-on creative session.
Emma Collins, Director of Push the Boat Out, said: “In this third year, Push the Boat Out is definitely poetry placed firmly in a current tide. This year’s programme is a true showcasing of contemporary excellence. Modern, charged, alive, joyful and celebratory with events that are also vehicles for important and vital discussions.
“We’ve brought together over eighty of the most exciting poets from Scotland, the UK and beyond and we’ve continued to expand our notion of what poetry is, with eclectic events that celebrate words and language in their many glorious forms and in conversation with other artistic disciplines.
“Poetry is everywhere, it’s the lyrics in songs, our conversations and dialogues, the rhythm of spoken word, scripts and sonnets, proclamations and points of view, the stories we tell and the history around us.
“That’s what Push the Boat Out is primarily about … words, how we use them, a celebration of them and what they mean to us. We’ve endeavoured to capture that in this year’s programming.
“We also strive to make Push the Boat Out as accessible for audiences as possible. BSL interpreted events are indicated within the programme and once again, in addition to our in person and online programme, we will have a programme of events free to listen to at home via our partners EHFM Radio as well as a selected live stream event that showcases newly commissioned work.
“We’ve been overjoyed by the response from the incredible artists and poets who’ve agreed to come on board the boat this year and cannot wait to bring them all together for audiences this November.”
Harriet MacMillan, Literature Officer at Creative Scotland, said:“In its third year, the Push the Boat Out programme is brighter and more dynamic than ever, capturing the many dimensions of Scotland’s rich poetry scene.
“Thanks to National Lottery players, this unique and varied international suite of events is testament to the vital role poetry plays in all of our lives.
“Their increasing range of collaborations and activities continues to show us how words can connect us with each other and ourselves – the power of poetry will be felt by all who take part in this brilliant celebration.”
LAUNCH PROMISES MORE STALLS, MORE MUSIC, MORE FOOD and.. SUNSHINE!
Next month’s North Edinburgh’s Community Festival will be even bigger than last years event, organisers announced at Tuesdays launch at West Pilton Neighbourhood Centre.
Around 6000 people attended last year’s gala event, and with at least SEVENTY marquees (up from 50 last year) and and not one but TWO music stages there promises to be even more for the local community to do, see and enjoy on 13 May.
Highlights include:
Disney-themed LIFT Parade from Muirhouse Millennium Centre to West Pilton Park to launch the Festival.
More than 70 local organisations and charities with Community Stalls
Two music stages: the open air Park Stage and the Green Room stage in West Pilton Neighbourhood Centre
The music line-up features a wealth of local talent. Performers include local youth orchestra Tinderbox, Granton Youth’s Mixtape Music Club and a session from ever-popular Fischy Music.
There’s a musical medley from the Edinburgh College Musical Theatre Group, performances from local choirs including Ama-zing Harmonies, AUGB Ukranian choir, Craigroyston High School Choir and a high-energy performance is guaranteed from local punk rockers Yer Local Bams. Low Tide, Rai Williams, Laurent and Abigail Kerner will also be performing live on the day in a musical feast.
Family events and activities will include Bookbug with Muirhouse Library and a Storytelling session with Edinburgh International Book Festival’s Citizen writers.
Fancy some sport? You’ll be spoilt for choice as Access Parkour, Spartans Community Football Academy and Inverleith Rugby Club will all be there. And there will be children’s Zumba classes.
North Edinburgh Arts will be organising arts and craft activities and Screen Education Edinburgh will offer film workshops. There’s an Army obstacle course, too.
There will also be learning and upskilling opportunities provided by local organisations including Edinburgh College will be offering course taster sessions.
All in all, there really should be something for everyone. And with sunshine (almost) guaranteed, it promises to be a great day.
Local activist Willie Black, a member of the Festival planning committee, introduced Tuesday’s launch. “We are very excited about this year’s Festival and it promises to be a really great event, a community celebration for everyone to enjoy.
“We have a wealth of diverse talent in this community and we want to share that talent far and wide. We’re looking forward to offering a warm North Edinburgh welcome to thousands of visitors next month, and the hope is that the Festival will be a great success and that it can become an annual event.”
North Edinburgh Community Festival is on Saturday 13 May from 12 – 5.30pm. Free event. All welcome.
theSpaceUK kicks off their 27th year at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in style
It was a night to remember as theSpaceUK kicked off their 27th year at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe with a powerhouse performance packed launch at theSpace Triplex.
Artists from a wide variety of genres came together to wow audiences with a small flavour of the 400+ shows available in this year’s programme. Featuring eleven fantastic acts, the launch was a showcase of music, comedy, theatre and packed with plenty of action, to give a taste of the talent on show at theSpaceUK this year.
theSpaceUK pioneered the return of grass roots performance to the festival last year and continues to offer the most established programme for new and original writing as well as established work offering that unique and special experience that can only be found in Edinburgh during August.
Highlights from theSpaceUK Press Launch
Kicking off proceedings was the Hip Hop Orchestra Experience direct from California which seamlessly fused hip-hop and classical music. Upcoming theatre company koi collective premiered a new comedy at the Edinburgh Fringe, Crossing the Void, with a swirl of intrigue and emotion.
A multimedia hybrid, part live stand-up, part film, Apartness featured Sylvester McCoy, Linda Marlowe in a tale of two isolated souls and their devilish comedian saviour. Prejudice & Pride was new folk musical comedy that reimagines Jane Austen’s classic novel in modern America with gender-swapped characters.
How do predators justify what they have done? Why do some victims survive and others perish? Brother’s Keeper is about courageous survival. Merrill gets diagnosed with ADHD as an adult and tries to make sense of her life and chaotic childhood in Merrill Means Well.
The Mistake is a compelling new play by Michael Mears that explores the events surrounding the catastrophic “mistake” that launched our nuclear age.
UK Underdog is a solo show based on true events in a London, Jewish boy’s life told with humour and plenty of chutzpah.
A modern tale of the gay scene which can be harsh and lonely, Soho Boy is packed with glamour, sex and songs.
One-liners and light-hearted jokes from the UK Pun Championships winner 2022 and Scottish Comedian of the Year runner-up 2021, Richard Pulsford had the audience in stitches.
Puppet Pansori Sugungga is an untraditional staging of classical Korean themes using the traditional puppetry of pansori and live music. All hosted by the freshest comedian at the Fringe, It’s Fraser Brown.
About theSpaceUK
Established in 1995, theSpaceUK hosts the largest and most diverse programme at the fringe. Companies, both professional & amateur, are given an affordable, supportive and professional platform to showcase their work.
About the venue
theSpaceUK operates 19 venues across 7 sites including: theSpace@Surgeon’sHall, theSpace@SymposiumHall, theSpace on North Bridge, theSpace on the Mile, theSpaceTriplex, the Space@Venue45. Further details will be revealed in the coming months.
Edinburgh International Book Festival Programme launched
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All Together Now is our rallying call in 2022. This year’s vibrant programme builds on the hybrid format we’ve developed over the past two years, with live, in-person events, many of which are also available to stream or watch at a later date.
Packed with events for adults and with a stunning programme for children and young people, this year’s Book Festival celebrates the imagination, ideas and issues at the heart of books and stories, offering new perspectives on the world around us.
We return to Edinburgh College of Art but with a new site layout to accommodate more events and bigger audiences. You’ll find more than 600 events in this year’s programme featuring over 550 authors, performers, musicians and thinkers from 50 countries.
The big outdoor screen returns for free screenings of selected events, and a range of new theatres and creative workshop spaces host daily events for adults and children in the bustling Book Festival Village.
There’s also the Baillie Gifford Storytime Yurt, dedicated to children’s events and activities, the iconic Wee Red Bar, a great space for performances and writers events, and our biggest new venue, Central Hall, located just off Lothian Road, is a five-minute walk away.
Like last year, we have hybrid events in Central Hall, the Baillie Gifford Sculpture Court and Baillie Gifford West Court theatres, with live audiences as well as multiple cameras.
Amongst the hundreds of authors taking part this year are Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Ressa, Vietnamese American poet Ocean Vuong, Outlander writer Diana Gabaldon, as well as Noam Chomsky, Jack Monroe, Alexander McCall Smith, Denise Mina, William Dalrymple and Armando Iannucci.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon joins us for two events, interviewing acclaimed novelist Louise Welsh about her new novel The Second Cut, and screen legend Brian Cox about a life on the Scottish stage and his role in television hit series Succession.
For younger readers there are events with some of the world’s best known children’s authors including Jason Reynolds, Cressida Cowell, Julia Donaldson, Michael Morpurgo and doctor turned writer and comedian Adam Kay.
Nick Barley, Director of the Edinburgh International Book Festival, said: “We’ve learned a great deal in the last two years, so that alongside the return of our full-scale in-person festival we can also offer the accessibility and international reach of live-streamed events.
“The world has changed immeasurably since 2019: we’re learning to live with the effects of the pandemic and war in Europe – but we’re also beginning to imagine what a better future should look like.
“Exploring these issues in inspiring conversations with scientists, historians, poets and novelists is exactly where the Book Festival comes into its own. I’m thrilled that thanks to Baillie Gifford, every young person coming to a Schools event gets a free ticket and a free book this year.
“With all online events and a selection of our in-person theatre tickets also available on a Pay What You Can basis, we’re doing everything we can to make the festival accessible to everyone.”
Women’s Prize for Fiction 2020 winner Maggie O’Farrell launches her hotly-anticipated novel The Marriage Portrait. Also launching new books are some of the world’s best-loved thriller writers: Val McDermid follows up last year’s bestselling 1979 with 1989, the latest in her series chronicling modern Scotland, while Irvine Welsh talks for the first time about his new crime novel The Long Knives.
The most recent winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature, Abdulrazak Gurnah, talks about his novel Afterlives. Among other leading writers discussing their new books are Booker Prize winners Marlon James, Damon Galgut, Howard Jacobson and Julian Barnes. Douglas Stuart is back on home soil with Young Mungo, the follow up to his Booker-winning first novel Shuggie Bain. And the great Irish writer Anne Enright returns to reflect on finding influence and inspiration in Ireland.
Two more Irish writers making a welcome return to the Book Festival are Colm Tóibín – the new Irish Laureate for Fiction who was recently awarded the David Cohen Prize for a lifetime of achievement – and Small Things Like These author Claire Keegan. Also, Monica Ali introduces her first novel for a decade. Appearing via screen link from their home countries are Helen Garner from Australia, and Jonathan Franzen, A M Homes and Jennifer Egan from the USA.
Artistic boundaries will be crossed in events featuring world-famous musicians including Martha Wainwright, Jarvis Cocker, Vashti Bunyan, and Deacon Blue’s Ricky Ross, who share stories of their journeys through the world of music; while writer Sinead Gleeson discusses This Woman’s Work – the anthology she coedited about women and music, whilst screenwriter Abi Morgan and actor Alan Cumming discuss their luminous memoirs about their fascinating lives.
Questions around the role of Europe and the impact of war remain front of mind. Chernobyl expert and bestselling Ukrainian historian Serhii Plokhy discusses Ukraine’s position at the crossroads of Europe and Russia, while Gideon Rachman, Andrew Wilson and Lea Ypi come together to investigate the rise of authoritarian leaders. Historian Antony Beevor talks about his new book exploring the dramatic story of Russia’s revolution that continues to influence the modern era.
In a story from closer to home, Norman Scott shares his own perspective on his affair with politician Jeremy Thorpe in the 1970s, and a subsequent failed assassination attempt. Meanwhile we explore the relationship between money and power in the post-pandemic world and rising inequality in the UK, in events featuring leading economists Mariana Mazzucato and John Kay; historian Adam Tooze and journalist Oliver Bullough.
Poetry heavyweights, alongside up-and-coming talent, also feature this year with the likes of American poet Ada Limón, while P J Harvey will be in conversation with fellow poet and editor Don Paterson. We also welcome Edinburgh Makar Hannah Lavery, and Michael Pedersen with special guests Shirley Manson and Charlotte Church. And Lemn Sissay, Malika Booker, Kayo Chingonyi and Salena Godden will take the stage together to celebrate the work of Black British poets.
Black perspectives take centre stage in non-fiction events: Howard W French presents a revised history of modern civilisation from the point of view of Africa and its people in conversation with Olivette Otele. Tsitsi Dangarembga from Zimbabwe and Esi Edugyan from Canada join us to discuss their essays on race and representation, and Lord Simon Woolley, founder and director of Operation Black Vote and the first Black man to lead an Oxbridge college, talks about his own inspiring life story with Baroness Lola Young.
The Book Festival features a range of LGBTQIA+ voices. From the continuing fight for equality, recognition and belonging, to tender tales of love against the odds, these stories get to the heart of issues affecting the queer community.
Participants include Imogen Binnie, Torrey Peters and Shola von Reinhold who join Harry Josephine Giles to talk about the evolution of trans literature, and award-winning poet and performer Joelle Taylor who inspires audiences to use personal experience and perspectives to create new forms of poetry.
It’s an unprecedented year for performance at the Book Festival. This is Memorial Device is a full theatre production of a new play based on David Keenan’s novel of the same name, and is presented throughout the Book Festival. Graham Eatough’s adaptation is the latest development in a long-term partnership between the Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh and the Book Festival.
Performance events also include a series entitled Scotland Through Time – supported through the Scottish Government’s Festivals Expo Fund – looking at Scotland’s past, present and future through new books. Sarah Smith presents Hear No Evil; the new memoir by Chitra Ramaswamy, Homelands, is brought to life using a mixture of images, sound and performance; Deep Wheel Orcadia is a performance written in Orkney dialect and based on the verse novel by Harry Josephine Giles. International performances include the premiere of a major touring production of theatre, music and image, based on Faïza Guène’s bookDiscretion, directed by its English translator Sarah Ardizzone. And Philippe Sands is joined by RSC and Bridgerton actor Adjoa Andoh to present an illustrated performance of his book The Last Colony.
Stories are part of Scotland’s DNA and with support from EventScotland as part of the Year of Stories 2022, the Book Festival champions books by globally-acclaimed Scottish authors. Amongst the many highlights is Ali Smith with her latest work, Companion Piece; Richard Holloway, who has spoken at every Festival for the last 23 years, returns for an on-stage discussion with his friend, the artist Alison Watt, and the newly-knighted Ian Rankin returns for a conversation with Sam Baker about Murder Island, William McIlvanney and his upcoming Rebus novel.
We welcome firm favourites in the Baillie Gifford Children’s Programme including bestselling author-illustrator Cressida Cowell, Gruffalo author Julia Donaldson, British poet Dean Atta, author Juno Dawson, comedy writer and former doctor Adam Kay, and celebrated comedian and cartoonist Henry Packer.
Michael Morpurgo returns with Carnival of Animals, a musical event for the over fives and, for the first time, the Book Festival hosts the YA Book Prize Ceremony. Also appearing are authors Sinéad Burke, Rosie Jones, Jason Reynolds, Humza Arshad, Elle McNicoll, Ross Montgomery, and Aisha Bushby with their own books and stories in a series of lively events.
Our flagship Citizen programme, which has brought local communities in North Edinburgh, Musselburgh and Tollcross together through shared creativity, showcases some of the inspirational work created by the groups: participants share their own stories in events including at a community meal.
In a separate project, the Citizen Writers’ Group, led by author Eleanor Thom, presents One Day Ticket – a brand new play that takes the audience on a journey through the memories of Edinburgh in a script-in-hand performance by seven actors.
Citizen is supported by players of People’s Postcode Lottery and through the PlaCE Programme.
This is just a small sample of the many joyful, inspirational and thought-provoking events in our programme this year.
The 2022 Edinburgh International Book Festival runs from Saturday 13 to Monday 29 August 2022. Audiences can enjoy live events in person, or online from home, and relax and chat with fellow audience members at our Festival Village at Edinburgh’s College of Art on Lauriston Place – entry to our Festival village is free.
The Fringe sparked into life despite yesterday’s rain with the launch of the official 2019 Edinburgh Festival Fringe Programme, featuring a diverse selection of work from the worlds of theatre, dance, circus, physical theatre, comedy, music, musicals and opera, cabaret and variety, children’s shows, spoken word, free shows, exhibitions and events.Continue reading Fringe Programme launched: #MakeYourFringe
