Latest Events in Edinburgh(April Updated)

Saurus Fire Festival2025 will be held on April 30 on Calton Hill in Edinburgh. It is a traditional Celtic festival celebrating the arrival of summer. This year's theme is "Reinventing Nature", which aims to reimagine the relationship between people and nature by reviving cultural and spiritual connections. Activities include costumes made from foraged materials, seed exchange activities and symbolic seed exchange ceremonies. The festival will also showcase traditional storytelling, fire performances, acrobatics, music and more, and everyone is welcome to participate in celebrating the renewal of life.

Saurus Fire Festival2025 will be held on April 30 on Calton Hill in Edinburgh. It is a traditional Celtic festival celebrating the arrival of summer. This year's theme is "Reinventing Nature", which aims to reimagine the relationship between people and nature by reviving cultural and spiritual connections. Activities include costumes made from foraged materials, seed exchange activities and symbolic seed exchange ceremonies. The festival will also showcase traditional storytelling, fire performances, acrobatics, music and more, and everyone is welcome to participate in celebrating the renewal of life.

The Junior Summer Muay Thai Camp will be held in Edinburgh at the Endangered MMA venue located at 195b Slateford Road, EH14 1QA. The event is scheduled for June 30, 2025. Participants can experience a dynamic training program led by experienced instructors, aimed at improving their skills in the art of Muay Thai. This camp offers a unique opportunity for young martial arts enthusiasts to enhance their techniques and learn from top professionals in the field. With a ticket price of £110, attendees can immerse themselves in a challenging yet rewarding experience that will leave a lasting impact on their fighting abilities.

The exhibition sheds light on behind-the-scenes processes, from photographers’ handwritten annotations to correspondence with members of the Royal Family and their staff, revealing the stories behind some of the most celebrated photographs ever taken of the Royal Family.

The centenary of celebrated Scottish artist Ian Hamilton Finlay (1925-2006) will be marked by a new, free display of his work at Modern Two. Sculptor, poet, printmaker, gardener and provocateur, he achieved international renown from the 1970s.Rarely leaving his home in the Pentland Hills, he created a garden of sculptures that attracts visitors from all over the world. Occupying the ground floor rooms of Modern Two, the display includes sculptures, prints and a room-size installation as well as extensive archival material.

Explore the creation and use of maps during the Second World War. Discover their use through personal stories, photography, and memorabilia. Between 1939 and 1945 over 3 billion maps were produced for the Allied, Soviet and German forces. Used to navigate the jungles of south-east Asia or for devising an escape plan, the maps on display are now mementoes. Maps kept alongside medals and photographs to say ‘I was there.’ You'll find aerial photography, war diaries, and even a fashionable dress made from escape and evasion maps. The exhibition introduces us to a Prisoner of War, an RAF pilot, a Brigadier and an army chaplain through the maps they kept as a memory of their war service.

The Great Edinburgh May Day Cabaret returns for the third year running. There’ll be comedy, music and poetry to celebrate International Workers’ Day. Compered by Jim Monaghan, and featuring a fantastic line-up of poetry from Kevin P Gilday, comedy from Vladimir McTavish and music from Calum Baird, Elsie McDonald and Joe Solo. Supported by Fair Pley, The STUC, Allan McDougall Solicitors and The Edinburgh, Lothians and Borders May Day Committee. Doors open 7:30pm Information Source: Calum Baird | eventbrite

Mushroomification: Legs, Legs, Legs is a new play that tells the story of a talking mushroom, desperate to break away from the constrictive, authoritarian Mycelium and become an individual. Simultaneously, a Scientist by the name of Karies is working night and day to develop a human hive-mind with the aim of putting all people on equal footing. When the pair have a chance meeting in the woods, they each feel that the other is the key to their salvation. Student Promo Code: STUDENT Information Source: Heads on Crooked Theatre Collective | eventbrite

Join Craig A Smith on Friday 2nd May at 7pm, as he chats to Doug Johnstone about his life-spanning epic novel about death and new beginnings,The River. There’s a saying, beloved of Scottish grannies: “Whit’s fur ye will no’ go by ye.” Seemingly embracing this maxim, Lachlan McCormack lives his life as aimless as a piece of driftwood, but somehow gets to where he always wanted to be – where the river meets the sea. The novel is a love story, both to his childhood sweetheart, and to Scotland, and follows Lachlan’s journey through seven decades of the nation’s political, sporting and cultural history (and disappointments). Along the way, it appears that only death has the power to propel him onward, and the novel revisits the seven significant deaths that have shaped him and mapped his journey. It explores the cyclical nature of life, love, happiness, and Scotland’s ongoing struggle with its place in the world. - Doors: 6.30pm, event starts: 7pm, please arrive early to secure a good seat. Tickets are £3and there is a Ticket & Book option which includes a signed copy of The River. The bookshop has level access, events are seated and speakers use microphones. If you have any concerns about accessibility, please do get in touch and we will do our best to accommodate your needs. Refunds are reviewed on a case-by-case basis, we are unable to offer a refund after the event. For more information or if you would like a signed copy because you can't make it to the event, please contact the Blackwell's events team on 0131 622 8222 or matthew.land@blackwell.co.uk Information Source: Blackwell's Edinburgh South Bridge | eventbrite

Witness the excitement of the Edinburgh Napier Knights U19 Home Game at Meggetland Sports Complex in Edinburgh. The event is scheduled for May 4, 2025, where the Knights will showcase their skills against their opponents. Tickets are available for £0 to £6.13, offering an affordable opportunity to support the team and enjoy a thrilling sports event. Don't miss out on this chance to experience the competitive atmosphere and cheer for the Edinburgh Napier Knights U19.

Enjoy a glass of prosecco when joining us in our Personal Shopping suite for a brush a long evening with Hourglass pro artist Sarina, she will take you through her latest tips and tricks for creating a flawless finish and the secret to dewy skin. Tickets are £40 and are fully redeemable in store when buying Hourglass products. Information Source: Harvey Nichols | eventbrite

PROGRAMME – Scotland Based Modern ComposersErin Thomson - Imagine, for soprano, piano and viola (2023) – Text:Amy LowellTom David Wilson - Kirschenbaum Songs – Text: Lydia KirschenbaumOliver Iredale Searle– Postcards from the Barras (2022) – Text from the postcardsMUSICIANSBaichuan Hui (Piano)Baichuan Hui is an accomplished and actively versatile pianist in solo and chamber music repertoire. She is ‘a first-class musician with cultivated taste,’ (Aaron Shorr) with ‘virtuoso technique, real temperament and flair’ (Fali Pavri), and her performance work has been described as having ‘undiluted emotional drama: hope, joy, fear, confusion, and despair.’ (Snack Magazine) Baichuan has performed in Glasgow, Edinburgh, London, Beijing, Xuzhou, Shijiazhuang, and Ningxia, at venues including the Royal Concert Hall, House for an Art Lover, the Scottish Music Centre, Ningxia Theatre and Steinway Hall in Beijing, China. She also has appeared at the Hidden Door Festival in Edinburgh, and she is featured in ‘Music for First Contact’, an interdisciplinary electronic opera album with Scottish band Post Coal Prom Queen. Baichuan has won several competition prizes, including the Agustin Aponte International Music Competition (second prize), the 7th Shenzhen Piano Open Competition (first prize) and the Jock Holden Memorial Mozart Prize (first prize). She has participated in international festivals and masterclasses as both a soloist and chamber musician, including masterclasses with Malcolm Martineau, John Thwaites, Meiting Sun, Steven Osborne, Roy Howat, Ashley Wass, Dina Yoffe, Cristina Ortiz, Ian Fountain and Jean-Efflam Bavouze. Baichuan began learning piano at four years of age. At age 12 she gained a place at the China Conservatory Affiliated High School, studying with Professor Xiaoxue Hu. In 2013, Baichuan was awarded an ABRSM full scholarship to study for the degree of Bachelor of Music at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (RCS) under the tutelage of Professor Aaron Shorr. Baichuan was awarded a full scholarship by RCS Trust to undertake postgraduate studies at RCS and has since been awarded a Masters degree in Music and thereafter in 2021, an Artist Diploma under the guidance of Professors Aaron Shorr and Fali Pavri. She is currently studying towards a Doctor of Performing Arts (D.Perf.) jointly supervised by the RCS and the University of St Andrews. Her area of study focuses on Jewish composers whose lives and music were suppressed by the Nazi regime during the Second World War. In 2019, she achieved a Diploma in Piano Teaching from the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM). She works regularly with students of RCS Junior Conservatoire as Deputy Piano Lecturer since 2021, and has been appointed as Lecturer in Piano Performance in RCS Junior Conservatoire in 2024. https://www.baichuanhui.co.uk/ Sarah Hanniffy (Viola)Sarah Hanniffy is an Irish violist studying under the tutelage of Dr. Lev Atlas at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. Following her graduation from the BMus course in 2024, she is currently participating in an orchestral fellowship with the Scottish Conservatoire. Sarah is an avid chamber musician and regularly travels between Scotland and Italy for masterclasses and performances with Xenia Chamber Music and is featured in Nikita Lukinov’s Scottish Tour. In addition to performing in venues such as Wigmore Hall, Het Concertgebouw and Slovak Radio Hall, Sarah has performed with the Irish, Ulster, Welsh National Youth Orchestras and was the principal violist of the Scottish National Youth Orchestra in 2021 and 2023. Hanniffy is a decorated orchestral having played with Scottish Opera, Scottish Ensemble, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra and the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. From growing up in the west of Ireland, Sarah also has an affinity for traditional music and has a keen interest for cross-genre music. She has performed with the GRIT Orchestra and Qawwali Orchestra at Celtic Connections as well as with Natasha Bedingfield, Sharon Shannon, and Simon Neil of Biffy Clyro. Hanniffy is a member of the Sòlás Collective with Fionnlagh Mac A’Phiocair and Tom Macfadyen, which features music from the Irish and Scottish Gaelic cultures. Sarah and Fionnlagh made features on Classic FM for their performance with the King’s Foundation in London and have performed at private concerts for HM King Charles III and the President of Sierra Leone. Sarah Hanniffy's performances have also been broadcast on RTÉ Lyric FM, TG4, BBC Radio Scotland Classical Now and Travelling Folk. In 2020, Sarah was awarded with the Eimear Noonan Award of Excellence and in 2021, the Royal Philharmonic Society’s Instrument Purchase Grant. Within the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in 2023, she won the Highly Commended Award at the Watson Forbes Viola Competition. Lizzie Fletcher (Mezzo-Soprano)Lizzie Fletcher is a mezzo-soprano, originally from Southampton. She graduated from Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance with BMus in Classical Vocal Performance in 2023, where she studied under the instruction of Joan Rodgers and Andrew Matthew-Owens. She decided to continue her studies starting an MA in Vocal Performance at The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in 2024 under Kathleen Mckellar Ferguson and Michael Bawtree. As well as singing in many solo settings, Lizzie has continued her passion for choral music, holding choral scholarships throughout her studies. While in London she sang with the BBC Symphony chorus, singing under Jules Buckley with Father John Misty (The Barbican, May 2023) and during the BBC Proms. Recently, she has performed as Hansel (Hansel and Gretel, Humperdinck) and Dorabella (Cosi Fan Tutte, Mozart) in RCS opera scenes. As well as enjoying singing, Lizzie is passionate about community outreach work. She has been actively involved in many community projects, including Music and Theatre for All's Urban Opera Project, Constella Operaballet and working as a mentor facilitator with Singing for Parkinson’s. COMPOSERSErin ThomsonErin Thomson is a composer and music educator whose works have been performed at prestigious venues across Scotland, London, Dublin, and New York by renowned ensembles such as the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and the Britten Sinfonia. Her music is featured on Live Music Now Scotland’s 40th Anniversary album, Building Castles, and in 2024, was commissioned by James MacMillan to compose a new work for SATB choir and solo trumpet, premiered at the Cumnock Tryst Festival. Erin is dedicated to fostering creativity through education and community engagement across Scotland. Tom David WilsonTom David Wilson was born in Manchester in 1957. In the 1970's he was a student at theBirmingham Conservatoire where he studied composition with Andrew Downs. In the1980's he was a student at Goldsmiths College, London University where he spent five years studying composition with Melanie Dakin and Edward Gregson. For ten years he was Head of Woodwind and Tutor for Academic Music at Uppingham School in Rutland but since 1989 he has lived in Glasgow and Musselburgh. He teaches composition at theRoyal Conservatoire of Scotland.He is married to Emma and has two children; Rachel andJames. Recent performances include the premiere of his Concertante Viola in Edinburgh,March 2024, with Emilian-Teodor Danila as soloist.Selected works are available through the RCS Library, the Scottish Music Centre or via thecomposer directly via t.wilson@rcs.ac.uk Oliver Iredale SearleOliver is a Glasgow-based composer and educator and is Head of Composition at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. He has written a wide variety of works for many professional, amateur, youth and theatre organisations, which have been broadcast and performed around the world, and is interested in developing new environments for new music, collaborating with other artists and organisations to find ways to communicate to new audiences. Information Source: Scottish_Arts_Trust | eventbrite

Paint the beautiful grounds of Lauriston Castle with ink and watercolours. This stunning location combines nature with architecture and enjoys fantastic views over the Forth to Fife. On this 3 hour sketching tour, Mark (known locally as EdinburghSketcher) will guide you around the castle grounds, picking out details that will help describe the techniques he has picked up over a decade of sketching around the city. Each class will touch on mark making, perspectives, depth and composition, as you go from 5 minute exercises to relax the hand and work on composition, to 30 minute detailed vistas. Mark’s sketching tours are perfect for all levels, from beginners to those who would like to learn more about his unique speed-sketching style, or to practice sketching with ink and watercolour. A mount to house your finished sketches plus all materials needed on the day are included. This is a walking and sketching tour so come dressed for the Scottish weather! If you have any questions you can email Mark at contact@edinburghsketcher.com All materials are included in the price. Prepare for all weathers, this is an outdoor walking and sketching tour so please do check the forecast before you leave and dress appropriately. I will persevere if there is a little light rain but in the event of extreme weather we have space indoors where I will run the workshop using items from the beach and photographs of the area. The minimum age is 8 years old, and anyone aged 8-15 needs to be accompanied by a ticket holding adult. Information Source: Edinburgh Sketcher | eventbrite

Welcome to the Corstorphine P7 Football Party! Date: Time: Location: Powerleague Edinburgh Sighthill Come join us for a fun-filled day of football at our P7 Football Party! Whether you're a seasoned pro or just starting out, this event is perfect for all skill levels. Get ready to showcase your moves on the pitch and make new friends along the way. Don't miss out on the chance to score some goals and have a blast with your fellow players. See you there! Information Source: eventbrite

It’s Midsummer’s eve and deep in an enchanted forest mischief is stirring. The Fairy King and Queen are feuding, four runaway lovers are tying themselves in knots, and a troupe of quite appalling actors are preparing a theatrical extravaganza destined to impress. With shapeshifting trouble-maker Puck at the helm, the course of true love never did run smooth. ★★★★★ – “So entertaining…laugh-out-loud funny” ★★★★★ – “One of the best Shakespeare plays I’ll ever watch” – The Bristol Post ★★★★★ – “The ultimate British theatrical experience” – Hastings Independent Press ★★★★★ – “Riotously fun. Hugely enjoyable” On Wednesday 9th July, join us at Lauriston Castle. Bring your own cushions, and camping-chairs and join us on our 10th anniversary open-air adventure. Come prepared for the weather - the performance will continue come rain come shine! This performance is an outdoor performance. We recommend that you bring blankets/chairs/cushions etc. to sit on. Come prepared for the weather with warm coats and waterproofs etc, as the performance will continue come rain come shine! We ask that you don’t bring umbrellas as these can obscure the view for other people in the audience. 7pm start time, picnics welcome from 6pm. The performance will last approximately 100 minutes (+ a 20 minute interval). We recommend booking tickets for this performance online in advance. For further information about this performance please email boxoffice@threeinchfools.com. Information Source: The Three Inch Fools | eventbrite