Five things you need to know today
Book ahead for theatre in July, too many things to do this weekend in the capital - and a by-election reminder.
MANY MANY activities and events this weekend
This list only scrapes the surface of the many events and activities on in Edinburgh on what is set to be a sunny weekend according to the latest forecasts.
The Edinburgh Canal Festival - details here.
Make Music Day - details here - many events in the city libraries on Saturday
The Royal Highland Show - details here
Edinburgh Repair Café - at The Shed in Spylaw Park Colinton - see poster below
Pride Edinburgh takes place on Saturday - "Scotlands longest running celebration of diversity, Pride Edinburgh ensuring the rainbow shines over the capital city" details here
Ceilidh for David - At the Scottish Storytelling Centre there will be a special midsummer night to celebrate David Campbell - an outstanding figure in Scottish and international storytelling - details here
At Out of the Blue Drill Hall on Dalmeny Street - Active Inquiry Flashback Theatre Company return to the Out of the Blue Drill in June with 'The Manuscript' - details here
Anna Somerville Resonance - the artist’s new series of abstract works explores memory, material process, and emotional landscape through layered abstraction - at &Gallery - details here
Art 27 Scotland’s mini festival for Refugee Week looking at the power of art when encountering erasure. Taking place across Edinburgh from 20-24 June, the programme includes performances including Farah Saleh’s choreographic piece The Balfour Reparations 2025-2045 and Alaa Shehada’s The Horse of Jenin – screenings of short films by Gaza filmmaker Moayed Abu Ammouna and a tatreez embroidery exhibition in The Queen's Hall foyer - details here
Make Music Day at the city's libraries
Wester Hailes Library Ceilidh with Hotscotch Ceilidh Band, Friday 20 June, from 3 to 4pm
Make Music at Currie Library, Saturday 21 June from 11am to 5pm
Moredun Library – Storytime and craft at 11am
Make Music Day at Craigmillar Library, from 11am to 3pm
Make Music Day at Central Music Library
Gilmerton Library make some music shakers from 11.30am to 12.30pm – craft activity for under 10s
Make Music Day at Central Music Library
At Central Library they have the last Music on the Mezzanine of the season with Tinderbox Orchestra who will be recording live their new album, 'Live In Libraries'! Book tickets here.
Bringing together rappers and singers with soaring strings, heavy brass, woodwind and thundering bass and drums, Tinderbox transforms preconceptions of what an orchestra can be. Packed with original music and unexpected collaborations, it is an unforgettable experience featuring some of Scotland’s leading musicians across genres and a host of local and international collaborators and performers.
For this year's Make Music Day, the band will be setting up shop at Edinburgh's Central Library to record some brand new songs, collaborations with other amazing artists, as well as a few classics from the Orchestra's back catalogue.
There is also a performance by Sangstream a Scots folk choir, originally formed as part of the Scots Music Group. With a repertoire consisting of traditional Scots songs, along with a few contemporary pieces, they promise to put on an enchanting performance. Book tickets here.
Gaming Marathon
On Friday, local gamer Sean Forrest is hosting a 24-hour gaming marathon through his Edinburgh-based workplace, Rabbie’s Tours, to raise funds for Health in Mind.
The Scottish Mental Health Charity, Health in Mind, are navigating a tricky landscape in the Health and Social Care sector. In these financially uncertain times, individual supporters and workplaces are using creative ways to help keep important mental health
services going.
Starting at 9am on 20 June, Sean and his colleagues at Rabbie’s Tours will be live streaming their 24-hour gaming marathon. This company-wide event will allow people to step away from their corporate desk job to play games like Mario Kart and Stardew Valley to raise
vital funds for Health in Mind. Rabbie's Tours have committed to match every penny that their staff raise for Health in Mind through this 24-hour challenge.
Lynne Stanford, Income Generation Manager, Health in Mind said: “We are so excited for Rabbie’s Fundraising event. Raising awareness and funds for our vital services, Sean is really highlighting just how important it is to support mental health. We are looking forward to cheering the team on.”
Sean Forrest, Rabbie’s Tours said: “I took my passion and made it into a challenge. Many of my colleagues expressed that they would love to participate in a 24-hour gaming marathon, but would never have the time or space to do so. Rabbie’s has not only shown incredible support, but has been generous enough to encourage staff to use paid volunteering days to participate.
"When I first did the 24-hour gameathon, the event was a band of students alleviating the stress of exams to do something good. Now, with the support of Rabbie’s, this event has grown from me sitting on a webcam by myself to a full-blown company-wide event.”
If you want to follow Sean and the team from Rabbie’s, the Twitch channel is https://m.twitch.tv/toddsir and will be live streaming from 9am on Friday 20 June until 9am on Saturday 21. You can read more of Sean’s story here: https://health-in-mind.org.uk/community-stories/sean-24-hour-gaming/
One week to go until by-election
There is a by-election taking place next Thursday to fill the position left vacant after the death of Cllr Val Walker in April.
There are thirteen candidates and we have interviewed some of them. We will be publishing articles shortly to offer the voters in Fountainbridge/Craiglockhart some insight into who they can vote for.
The candidates standing for election are:
Bonnie Prince Bob, Independent
Derrick Emms, Independent
Lukasz Furmaniak, Scottish Libertarian Party
Mark Hooley, Scottish Conservative and Unionist
Richard Crewe Lucas, Scottish Family Party
Q Manivannan, Scottish Greens
Kevin Joseph McKay, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Catriona Munro, Scottish Labour Party
Gary Neill, Reform UK
Mark Rowbotham, Independent
Murray Visentin, Scottish National Party (SNP)
Steve Christopher West, Independent
Marc Wilkinson, Independent
If you are a candidate and would like to speak to us then please get in touch.
Love Your Business June meeting
Love Your Business takes place on Thursday 26 June at Black Ivy when Paul Lambie, the former film and TV creative designer, writer, poet and co-founder of Unco Campfires will speak to those attending.
His business is an eco-friendly campfire in a box - it is available in various shops and cafés including Traade, Civerinos, The Espy in Portobello, Steampunk Coffee in North Berwick and caravan parks and glamping sites in Scotland.
Paul will be talking about setting up the business, intended to purely to solve the problem of unsafe and environmentally harmful campfires and highlight the benefits of sitting around a fire sharing stories with people you love, which dates back over a million years.
Paul believes in community building. He founded The Big Beach Busk in Portobello, runs a Soup Club from his home each winter and started the In Progress Poetry Social.
He will address the challenges of being an entrepreneur, especially in a small business where you need to wear all the hats and why he has reached a crossroads over future decisions about the company.
He’ll also share his passion for writing and those monthly In Progress poetry nights at Till's Bookshop in Portobello.
Like Love Your Business, his ethos in everything he does is about making connections, enjoying conversations and feeling part of the community.
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/love-your-business-in-june-tickets-1045401643457?aff=oddtdtcreator
In July
PORNO is coming to Leith Theatre next month - time to buy your tickets now. Fifteen years after Trainspotting, what has become of Renton, Sickboy, Spud & Begbie?
PORNO
Friday 18 & Saturday 19 July
Leith Theatre
Adapted by Davie Carswell, the writer of The TOMMY BURNS Story and Glasgow Kiss.
PORNO started out as 50 minute version with a month long, sold out run at the Pleasance as part of the Edinburgh Fringe ’22.
The two hour full length version went on to have a sold out run at the King’s in September 2023, before going on to the Liverpool Olympia, the Crewe Lyceum, the Manchester Waterside and then a seven week sold out run in the West End, where it was nominated as best new play in the What’s On Stage Awards.
