Edinburgh is a city with many names. In Gaelic, Dùn Èideann. Auld Reekie, after the fug of smoke that formerly hung over it, not to be confused with the fug of haar* that now often hangs over it. The Athens of the North, a nod to Castle Rock’s similarity to the Acropolis as well as the city’s disastrous attempt to build an actual Acropolis on Calton Hill in the 19th century. Sometimes Edina, for reasons which remain unclear, but seems to be popular with poets. Here’s a quick guide to the different areas, to help you get your bearings.
Old Town
The medieval centre of the city, full of winding alleyways and many of the main historic attractions (Edinburgh Castle, Royal Mile etc), as well as the subterranean nightlife hub of the Cowgate.
New Town
A UNESCO World Heritage site, the Georgian grid plan is home to city centre shops, world-class galleries containing many of the nation’s treasures, quiet residential streets and a wide array of pubs and restaurants.
Southside
Home to Edinburgh University, beloved arts hub Summerhall and much of the Edinburgh Fringe, the Southside is where to find cheap eats, green spaces and a laidback air.
West End
A sprawling clash of Georgian architecture and dominating office blocks, home to theatres and grand concert venues, art galleries, coffee shops and bakeries.
Bruntsfield, Tollcross & Marchmont
Three interlocking Edinburgh neighbourhoods with an intensely local feel and plenty to discover.
Fountainbridge, Gorgie & Dalry
This area’s old industrial buildings are undergoing radical regeneration, yet these remain primarily working-class parts of town with welcoming cafes, bars, restaurants and shops.
Stockbridge & Canonmills
These historic residential areas have a village feel and scenic streets that are manna for influencers.
Abbeyhill
Taking its name from the nearby ruins of Holyrood Abbey, Abbeyhill is one of the oldest parts of the capital – here you’ll find big hills, great sandwiches, exciting galleries and historic pubs.
Leith
Multicultural Leith is not the same as Edinburgh. Liberated from the tramworks, the area is a hive of activity packed with pubs, restaurants, cafes, artist studios and independent shops.
Portobello
A burgeoning food and drink scene, a bustling high street, and all the joys of the Edinburgh seaside.
*A freezing fog that comes in from the North Sea and often ruins entire summers on the East Coast of Scotland
Find the exact location of every venue listed via the QR code.
Step beyond the Edinburgh Festivals and live like a local by seeking out some of the things that make Edinburgh a special place to live all year round
LEITH WITCHCRAFT MARKET
Get in loser, we’re going crystal shopping. The Leith Witchcraft Market takes place every few months, coinciding with the various Pagan Sabbats in the calendar. Head to their spot at Leith Arches for their Lammas (27 Jul), Mabon (22 Sep), Samhain (19-20 Oct) and Yule (14 Dec) markets, with witchy prints, handcrafted herbal soaps and tarot readings aplenty.
TRAM CRAWL TO NEWHAVEN
The tram goes all the way from the airport to Newhaven. What better way to take advantage of such a slick transport link, than use it to get boozy. There are 23 stops, so we don’t recommend you imbibe at every one. Kick-off at Dreadnought in Newhaven; end at The Roseburn by Murrayfield; and drink responsibly along the way.
WATER OF LEITH PATH
Edinburgh does not want for lovely walks, but perhaps the prettiest is along the Water of Leith. The path is teeming with nature (ducks, bats, foxes, swans, herons) and foraging opportunities (raspberries and wild garlic abound). Keep an eye out, too, for Antony Gormley’s haunting series of sculptures that stand sentinel in the river.
TURKISH BATHS
A very charming thing about Edinburgh is that many of its council-run public swimming pools are housed in old Victorian swimhouses. Portobello takes it a step further with an authentic Victorian Turkish bathhouse, with three different hot rooms you work your way through for the ultimate relaxation experience for under a tenner.
Leith Witchcraft Market
Newhaven Water of Leith path
Portobello
Photo: Andrew Dawes
JUPITER ARTLAND
Jupiter Artland is a magical sculpture garden in Wilkieston on the outskirts of Edinburgh. Open until 29 September, this year sees a new installation from Laura Aldridge and exhibition from Andrew Sim join existing works from Tracey Emin, Laura Ford, Antony Gormley, Phyllida Barlow and more. On 17 August, head to their one-night only festival, Jupiter Rising, in collaboration with Edinburgh Art Festival.
COLONY OF ARTISTS
The original idea behind the Abbeyhill Colonies (est. 1867) was to offer affordable, secure and clean housing for a whole host of tradespeople, with community at its heart. Now home to many artists, since 2005 artists annually open their homes, turning them into mini exhibition spaces, and the community comes together with stalls, cake stands, art trails, live music and more. Abbeyhill Colonies, 14 & 15 Sep
LEITH COMEDY FESTIVAL
Comedy! It’s not just for August, nor is it just for three streets in the Old Town! After a successful inaugural run last year, the Leith Comedy Festival returns this year for three nights of Fringe fun at The Biscuit Factory from 15 to 17 August, while their full festival takes place later in the year, from 4 to 6 October, details tbc.
BOOK EVENTS
Edinburgh has a vast array of cute indie bookshops, with Lighthouse Bookshop (43-53 W Nicolson St), Typewronger Books (4a Haddington Pl), Argonaut Books (15-17 Leith Walk), Tills Bookshop (1 Hope Park Cres) and Portobello Bookshop (46 Portobello High St) being some of our faves. They all run interesting events and author discussions throughout the year, so keep an eye on their socials for up-to-date info.
Colony of Artists
Leith Comedy Festival
Jupiter Artland
Lighthouse Bookshop
Photo: Peter Simpson
Photo:
COLINTON TUNNEL MURAL
There are several disused railways-turned-paths to be explored all over Edinburgh, with most perfect for an afternoon amble or cycle; the most exciting lies in the west of the city. Accessible via the Water of Leith, the Union Canal or the less scenic Slateford Road, Colinton Dell is home to the Colinton Tunnel Mural, Scotland’s largest historical mural.
BREWERY TAPROOMS
Brewery taprooms have had a revival of sorts in recent years, and in the Leith area you’ll find some of our favourites. On Jane Street, just off Leith Walk, we recommend starting at Newbarns, before heading down the street to Campervan. After that, it’s a brief stroll to the Shore for Moonwake and Lost in Leith, while you’ll find the gluten-free Bellfield Brewery in Abbeyhill.
COWGATE
The Cowgate is one of the Old Town’s main thoroughfares and a must for anyone looking for a top tier night out, especially if you’re after one with live music, and a more underground feel. Pub crawl along the street from east to west, then take in a gig and club night at the award-winning, small but perfectly formed, Sneaky Pete’s.
GO UP A HILL
Edinburgh’s city centre is built on seven hills, which means lots of amazing panoramic views of the capital and beyond. While Arthur’s Seat, an extinct volcano, is by far the most famous, the view from Blackford might be the best. But the prize for most accessibile and interesting goes to Calton Hill, with stuff to actually see and do at the top; there’s a restaurant, an art gallery (Collective), and the Scottish National Monument, aka Edinburgh’s Disgrace.
Colinton Tunnel Mural
Calton Hill
Cowgate
Newbarns Brewery and Taproom
Photo: Mike McBey licenced CC BY 2.0
Photo: Juli Vo
Photo: James Portuos
A QUEER NIGHT OUT AT PARADISE PALMS
Edinburgh doesn’t have an extensive queer clubbing scene as such, but one of our favourite places is tropical dive bar Paradise Palms, who serve their queer clubbing with a side of vegan food and an indie record label. Find the likes of Femmergy and Sweet Philly there, as well as cabaret nights like Fruit Salad and Kabaret Kweer.
GET A COFFEE
Edinburgh is home to a frankly absurd number of excellent indie coffee shops, dotted all over the place. In leafy Stockbridge (Fortitude)! By the Meadows (Cult)! Just off Princes Street, right in the middle of town (Cairngorm)! In the shadow of the actual Castle (The Source)! Caffeine fans, fill your boots.
OLD MAN PUBS
Edinburgh is very very good at old fashioned boozers and traditional pubs, where locals can be found in the same seats at the same time most days. Some of the best include The Bow Bar (80 W Bow), The Blue Blazer (2 Spittal St), Teuchters (26 William St), The Persevere (398 Easter Rd), Roseburn Bar (1 Roseburn Ter) and Athletic Arms (1-3 Angle Park Ter).
VISIT DUDDINGSTON
We don’t want to accuse Duddingston of actually hiding behind Arthur’s Seat, so we’ll say that the historic village is ‘tucked away’ behind The Big Rock. Walk through Holyrood Park and you’ll find the lovely Sheep Heid pub, an enormous community orchard, and a chill, bucolic vibe.
Roseburn Bar
Duddingston
Femmergy
Fortitude
Photo: Stephen Packwood
Photo: Eamonn Wang
Image: courtesy of Roseburn Bar
Photo: Charlotte Cullen
Image: courtesy of Splintr Design
Whether you’re after a bumper brunch, an onthe-run snack or a delicious dinner, we’ve picked out some of Edinburgh’s culinary highlights
Words: Peter Simpson
ARDFERN
The latest spot from The Little Chartroom team may well serve the best breakfast in Edinburgh; here’s what makes it so great
POV: You’ve had a bumper weekend in Edinburgh, the Athens of the North, the one with all the cobbles and hills and bars and parties and music and comedy and folk with magic wands. It was a big weekend though, and you want one last treat before returning to the day job: a really, really, really good breakfast.
Ardfern is the place to go. The latest spot from the team behind The Little Chartroom fits right in the cool, ‘faintly Nordic’ bracket with its clean white walls and wooden everything else, and the food follows Chartroom’s standard gambit of big flavours and interesting combos. The hash browns are topped with mushroom ketchup and a massive pile of pecorino; the doughnuts are simultaneously filled with jam and custard. But the breakfast, oh my Christ, the breakfast.
‘Venison lorne sausage’ were the words that shook us out of our seats and sent us Leith-ward; when combined with the thick slab of pork belly bacon, this is very much the upscale version of that breakfast from Studio Ghibli classic Howl’s Moving Castle (minus the talking fire). Perfect poached e s; homemade beans that hit all the classic marks but with more bite and less sugariness; crispy, fluffy
toast – this is identifiably a full Scottish breakfast, just done very very well.
ARDFERN
10-12 Bonnington Rd
Mon-Sun, 9am-11pm (kitchen open 9am-2.30pm and 5-8.30pm
The ve ie options are also exciting (oyster mushroom and hispi cabbage, yum yum yum), the Bloody Mary is visually simple but with flavours that are both a big hug and a friendly slap in the face, and the energy of the whole place is
ardfern.uk @ardfern_edinburgh
great. Come back in the evening for an enormous wine list or a big ol’ plate of charcuterie, but for now, enjoy your breakfast. If this won’t haste ye back, we don’t know what will.
Photo: Sam Christie
BREAKFAST AND BRUNCH
71 Steps
22 Rodney St
New from the Bearded Baker team, 71 Steps is a lovely, calming space located exactly 71 steps from the original cafe. Food-wise, the excellent bagels feature heavily, alongside great coffee and top-drawer sweet baking.
Chotu
16 Haymarket Ter
If you want a bit of heat, head to Chotu opposite Haymarket station. Crispy dosas, fried e s flecked with spices and fresh herbs, and keema to wake you from the deepest of sleeps.
Edinburgh Larder
15 Blackfriars St
Two great phrases to hear when you’re planning breakfast: ‘high quality’ and ‘all day’. The Larder has them both covered, with top-notch Scottish ingredients aplenty.
Hank’s
162 Fountainbridge
Mornings at Hank’s are a busy affair; wedge in the door and you’ll find high-quality breakfast options, a great salad bar, and a very good baked potato.
Hobz Bakery
106 Leith Walk
If you’re in the mood for a more continental breakfast, Hobz is a great
option. Excellent bread, delicious pastries, and a boulevard-esque placement on Leith Walk.
Hula
103-105 West Bow & 94A
Fountainbridge
Loads of foliage, in both print and in person, awaits at Hula’s two spots. The brunch options are great, the juices are delicious, and the decor is tropical.
Kvasa
101 Leith Walk
We like big buns, and we cannot lie. They don’t come much bi er or better than at Kvasa, the sourdough bakery and the only place we can think of with a dedicated cinnamon bun loyalty card.
Preacher’s
24-26 Lady Lawson St
Across the street from The Skinny office, these folks have saved our bacon on multiple occasions. Freshly-baked rolls and homemade tattie scones, and great lunch options for later.
Roseleaf
23-24 Sandport Pl
Mismatched decor, a lovely wateradjacent location and cocktails served in teapots – if ‘vibes’ were an Olympic sport, the Roseleaf would definitely be among the medals.
Singapore Coffee House
5 Canonmills
Bringing kopitiam classics to Canonmills (try saying that three times before a coffee), Singapore Coffee House offers a real change of pace. Look out for their kaya (coconut jam) on toast.
Snax
118 Buccleuch St & 15-17 W Register St
A true Edinburgh icon, Snax is the place to go if you want a classic cafe breakfast. Don’t let the baby blue paint fool you – these guys have been kings of bacon and e country for years.
Image: courtesy of Hobz
Hobz Bakery
MOTHER INDIA’S CAFE
It’s an Edinburgh institution that’s somehow right next to everything – if you need dinner plans, here’s why you should head to Mother India’s Cafe
In a city filled with restaurants of all shapes and sizes, how do you stand out? Maybe you have a single-minded focus on one or two dishes, or perhaps you move with ruthless efficiency in an effort to bring prices down. Maybe you pop an entire tree inside the restaurant and hope that makes a difference.
For Mother India’s Cafe, the solution is simple – be reliably excellent at what you do. It’s not exactly ‘one neat trick’, but they’ve been going for over 15 years on this corner at the edge of the Bridges and Newington for a reason. Their tapas-sized take
on Indian cuisine has spawned plenty of imitators, and it’s still one of our favourite places to go with a big group.
It’s a big menu but the portions are small, so you’re basically forced to try a bunch of different stuff. There are options for most tastes whether meat-eaters, pescetarians, ve ies or vegans (may we recommend the spiced baked haddock, unless you’re one of the ve ies or vegans). There’s plenty of seating upstairs and downstairs, and it’s ideally located for a whole bunch of
different venues. Festival Theatre, Jazz Bar, the Cowgate, the Tattoo – all of them are just a daal-fuelled stroll away.
Great food designed for sharing, in a location that couldn’t be more central – that’s what makes Mother India’s Cafe stand out. Get a table, order a whole bunch of stuff, and let the undignified squabbling over the last spoonful of saag begin.
Image: courtesy Mother India's Cafe
ON THE MOVE
£2 Pizza Slice
11 Albion Rd & 26 South Bridge
The clue was in the title all along! This hole-in-the-wall spot will sort you out with a very serviceable slice of margarita or pepperoni for the price of a bus ticket.
Africano Wrap Place
4 Chapel St
These guys know how to manage a queue; no-one has ever waited for one of these delicious, spicy, flavour-packed wraps for more than a few minutes.
Alby’s
8 Portland Pl & 94 Buccleuch St
Big Hot Sandwiches – fair play to Alby’s, they live up to their slogan. Head here for massive wedges of focaccia loaded up with exciting fillings and updated takes on classics.
Bánh Mì Brothers
141 West Port
A tiny spot turning out great sandwiches inspired by the Vietnamese classic. Every time this writer goes in, they’re out of my first choice, and I keep going back. They must be doing something right.
Bonnie Burrito
Outside the Eye Pavillion, Lauriston Pl
This place is so on-the-go it’s on wheels. Tasty burritos with the always-welcome option to split your fillings, in a super-central location.
Civerinos Slice
Various locations around Edinburgh
They say ‘slice’, but we’ve definitely been served pieces of pizza at Civerinos that are the size of whole pizzas elsewhere. Not that we’re complaining; this is very very good pizza.
Earl’s
74 Raeburn Pl & 124 Morningside Rd
A burger’s basically a sandwich, and a sandwich is an on-the-go lunch thing,
right? Earl’s offers up a solid take on the classic cheeseburger, with gooey cheese and cra ly patties.
Edinburgh Street Food
Leith St
ESF has it all – loads of food options, hundreds of seats inside and out, quick service via an order-at-seat system that actually works, and an enormous pink sign you literally can’t miss.
The Fishmarket Newhaven
23A Pier Pl
Fish and chips don’t get much better than at the Fishmarket. It’s always busy, so be ready to queue, but the rewards are worth it.
Greek Artisan Pastries
23 Bread St & 32-34 Portobello High St
These pastries are serious units. You could pave a road with these slabs of bougatsa. Hyperbole? No, the pastries at Greek Artisan Pastries really are that hefty.
Harkness Pies
30B Raeburn Pl
Pie-lovers, brace for impact. Harkness’ range of pastries is incredible. Off for a walk in the Pentlands? Stick a Scotch pie in your Uniqlo banana bag, and you’ll be ready for anything.
Image: courtesy of Alby's Alby's
Lannan Bakery
29-35 Hamilton Pl
The queues are legendary, but the rewards at Darcie Maher’s bakery are excellent. Brilliantly crisp pastry, mind-blowing lamination, and untold Instagram cred await you.
Lovecrumbs
155 West Port
The vibe – delightful. The coffee – delicious. The seating – surprisingly ample. Lovecrumbs is ideal for an Old Town pitstop, or pop in for one of their incredible ‘jamaretti’ biscuits.
Mary’s Milk Bar
19 Grassmarket
Mary’s is so good that it’s crossed over from ‘foodie’s pick’ to ‘legit tourist attraction’. The ice cream is genuinely the best in the country, so get in the queue – you will not regret it.
Moo Pie Gelato
26 St Mary’s St
Moo Pie’s soft serve is amazingly smooth, their flavours are brilliant, and if you’re here in the winter their hot chocolate is unmissable.
The Original Mosque Kitchen & Cafe
50 Potterrow
A true icon in Edinburgh food, the outdoor seats behind the Central Mosque have seen thousands of folk pass through for delicious and incredibly cheap curries.
The Pitt
20 West Shore Rd
The original Edinburgh street food market, The Pitt has been on hiatus for a bit. However, they’re beginning their reemergence by the waterfront at Granton with a series of pop-ups this summer.
Photo: ZAC and ZAC
Lannan Bakery
Polentoni
38 Easter Rd
A superb deli amid a clutch of great independent spots on Easter Road, Polentoni is the place to load up for your picnic. Great sandwiches, lovely sweet treats, and more.
Razzo Pizza Napolitana
59 Great Junction St
Razzo’s pizzas are classics of the Neopolitan style – puffy crusts, excellent sugo, a lovely soupy bit in the middle.
Sicilian Pastry Shop
14-16 Albert St
Whether you want delicious cannoli, arancini filled to the brim with ragu, or a full-sized birthday cake, the Sicilian Pastry Shop has you covered. Leith legends, and rightly so.
Twelve Triangles
Locations across Edinburgh 12T offer up reliably great pastries and bread from their various spots across town – if you want more of a sitdown option, head to their Kitchen Table cafe on Easter Road.
SIT DOWN DINING
Chennai’s Marina
Venues across Edinburgh
When Chennai’s Marina say ‘two
chillies’, trust and believe them. The Sri Lankan restaurant bring the heat to their curries, along with mountains of flavour.
Chez Jules
109 Hanover St
This French institution is the place to get a steak or moules frites and come away with a surprising amount left on the Monzo – their lunch deal is legendary.
Eleanore
30-31 Albert Pl
Turn things up a notch at Eleanore, where elegant, delicate presentation comes alongside flavours that will knock you off your feet if you aren’t ready for them.
The Gardener’s Cottage
1 London Rd
A surprisingly idyllic setting given that it’s right by the main road, a kitchen dedicated to local ingredients, and a £20 lunch menu it seems almost unfair to make use of.
Kampong Ah Lee
28 Clerk St
A brilliant no-frills Malaysian restaurant, ideal for dinner before a show at Summerhall or The Queen’s Hall. Big flavours, speedy service and some absolutely brilliant roti.
Photo: Murray Orr
Twelve Triangles
Kim’s Mini Meals
5 Buccleuch St
Home-style Korean classics delivered with love, with the not-insignificant chance of a seat in a weird corner underneath a staircase.
Montrose 1-7 Montrose Ter
The cute, atmospheric Montrose (from the team behind the Michelin-starred Timberyard) is a delightful and surprisingly laidback option if you want to get fancy, but not too fancy.
The Palmerston
1 Palmerston Pl
Excellent pastries in the morning, inventive and considered cooking in the afternoons and evenings, and a grand but not-too-grand setting whenever you arrive.
Paz Taqueria
64 Thistle St
Paz is ideal date night territory – moody lighting, great cocktails, lovely staff, and inventive tacos that will give you plenty to talk about.
Pizzeria 1926
85 Dalry Rd
The Dalry institution serves up excellent pizza and a great range of fried starters from a bright, Diego Maradona-inspired dining room.
Pomelo
27 Sciennes Rd
Firmly established in their new place in Sciennes, Pomelo offers up
excellent modern Asian cooking. Their hand-pulled noodles are the stuff of legend.
Sabzi
162 Ferry Rd
This award-winning family-run spot on Ferry Road serves up brilliant and highly shareable Indian classics from a menu which changes weekly.
San Ciro’s
148 Leith Walk
Top-notch Neapolitan pizza delivered at high speed and with some real touches of flair, and it always smells incredible.
Skua
49 St Stephen St
We love it when fine dining chefs get a bit wild with it. Case in point: Skua, where top-drawer cooking leads to incredible fried chicken paired with excellent drinks.
Taco Libre
3 Shandwick Pl & 85 Rose St
Chaos reigns at Taco Libre, with its bright lights and loud decor. The tacos are some of the very best around, with simple, authentic fillings and bags of flavour.
Tipo and Noto
110 Hanover St; 47a Thistle St
Stuart Ralston’s culinary empire has many tendrils, but two great places to start are Tipo and Noto. Tipo is inspired by Italy, so head here for great pasta; Noto has a more varied menu, headlined by some outrageously buttery crab.
Photo: James Porteous
The Palmerston
DRINKS
Edinburgh overflows with bars of all stripes, from cosy pubs to sleek wine bars, and its coffee options are bountiful too. Here are some of our favourite places to imbibe in town
Words: Jamie Dunn
There’s loads to see and do in the capital of Scotland, as evident in the pages of this guide. But once you’ve marvelled at its historic landmarks, soaked up its rich art and culture, climbed its many hills and navigated its ancient streets, you’ll probably want a pint, or a reviving cup of coffee, or simply somewhere to shelter from the inevitable downpour – preferably with a cosy vibe and a first-rate jukebox. Well you’re in luck, because Edinburgh happens to have some of the best pubs, the hippest cocktail joints and the chicest wine bars in the UK, not to mention an on-point coffee scene and a surprisingly bountiful selection of breweries with taprooms to choose from.
Here are The Skinny’s picks of the wonderful beverage providers Edinburgh has to offer. Whether your ideal tipple is a flat white or Taro milk tea, a pint of Neck Oil or a heaven-sent negroni, you’ll find some great options in the list below.
TRADITIONAL PUBS
These are the old-school boozers that don’t go in for frills or fad redesigns. No schooners, brioche burgers or fancy cocktails here, just great
atmosphere, tasty beers and if there is food, it’s of the hearty variety.
Athletic Arms
1-3 Angle Park Ter
Aka ‘the Di ers’, this is a smashing, wedge-shaped bar with a cosy lounge in the back. We highly recommend the pies.
Bennets Bar
8 Leven St
One of Edinburgh’s prettiest ‘old man pubs’, this historic venue features gorgeous original features, maps in the tables (!) and a knockout malt selection.
The Blue Blazer
2 Spittal St
The dark wood decor and cosy nooks of this two-room pub have stayed steadfast for decades. But why change perfection? This place has great beers, and even better vibes.
The Bow Bar
80 West Bow
An Old Town classic, The Bow Bar offers great pints and whisky options (there’s over 300 single malts behind the gleaming bar) in a lovely cosy environment. Their soup and pie game is also exceptional.
Athletic Arms
Carriers Quarters
42 Bernard St
This Leith favourite dates back to 1785, and it’s barely changed since then. The bar at the front has a friendly atmosphere while the back room hosts everything from live music to bingo.
George IV Bar
54 George IV Bridge
A great option for a pint in the heart of Edinburgh’s Old Town, this traditional pub is bursting with character. The drink and food options are plentiful – and their chips are out of this world.
Malt & Hops
45 Shore
Come to this no-frills pub by the Shore for the rotating ales and craft beers on tap, the fireplace you’re encouraged to stoke, and the chatty bar staff.
Teuchters Bar & Bunker
26 William St
A laidback bar with a ‘make-yourselffeel-at-home’ vibe. The beer selection is good, and there’s tonnes of Scottish scran on the menu. Also check out sister venue Teuchters Landing near the Port of Leith for more nautical vibes.
St Vincent
11 St Vincent St
Just off the Instagram-friendly Circus Lane, this gorgeous, wood-panelled pub in the basement of a Georgian townhouse is a tucked-away New Town gem. Friendly, snug, and with a cocktail menu as good as the beer list.
MODERN BARS
These bars are newer on the block or have changed with the times. They go in for music, DJs and offer more varied drink options. These are ideal spots for lively nights out or places to pre-game with friends before or after a gig.
The Blackbird
37-39 Leven St
This Bruntsfield pub always seems to be bustling – particularly its cute beer garden out back. The beers are wellcurated, and the cocktail list is a mix of classics and more curious concoctions.
The Devil’s Advocate
9 Advocate’s Cl
Situated halfway up one of Edinburgh’s Escher-esque stairwells, this classy bar boasts excellent food and a 300-strong whisky shelf.
DRINKS
Image: courtesy of Devil’s Advocate
The Devil’s Advocate
The Dog House
18-24 Clerk St
Funky decor and tasty cocktails with regular DJ sets and live music. And that name isn’t a misnomer: expect lots of do os!
Leith Depot
138-142 Leith Walk
Live music is just one reason to seek out this Leith gem; others include its welcoming atmosphere and outstanding pub grub.
Paradise Palms
41 Lothian St
With varied DJ and cabaret nights, plus decor that su ests a gay disco on a neon-lit desert island, Palms is a firm favourite.
question – and a smart wee beer garden at the back.
BREWERIES AND DISTILLERIES
There are great breweries and distilleries scattered across Edinburgh, with many of them selling their wares onsite or nearby. Head to the below if you wanna taste these great drinks at their source.
Bellfield Brewery
46 Stanley Pl
Tucked away in a residential corner of town, this award-winning beer garden and taproom isn’t one you’d just happen across but once you know it’s there you’ll keep returning. The beers are first-rate, and there’s a rotating roster of pop-up food vendors.
Lost in Leith
82 Commercial St
Lost in Leith is both a great pub and a fermentaria. Inside you’ll find an atmospheric bar with a full array of weird and wonderful beers from Campervan, and plenty of seating outside to spill out to on warm days.
Newbarns
13 Jane St
Despite being located within a Leith industrial estate, Newbarns gives local pub vibes. Expect darts, a lively atmosphere and fantastic ales, lagers and stouts fresh from the brewery next door.
Port of Leith Distillery
11 Whisky Quay
Salt Horse
57-61 Blackfriars St
Fans of boundary-pushing beer should head to Salt Horse for schooners from the UK’s best craft and small breweries.
Starbar
1 Northumberland Pl
Lovely New York dive bar vibes here. The best jukebox in Edinburgh – no
On the top floor of this newly built nine-story distillery is a nifty bar with a well-crafted cocktail list, small plates and panoramic views.
Porty Vault
243 Portobello High St, Portobello
A stone’s throw from Portobello Beach, this taproom from Vault City serves up an ever-changing lineup of craft beer, from Vault City’s latest releases to
Image: courtesy of Newbarns
Newbarns
guest beers from around the world. Bao bun specialists Bundits currently have a pop-up in the kitchen.
The Royal Dick
1 Summerhall
Art complex Summerhall is home to Pickering’s Gin and Barney’s Beer, and you’ll find both in plentiful supply in The Royal Dick (or simply ‘The Dick’ to locals), Summerhall’s pub and central hub.
Wee Vault
7A W Maitland St
Also from the Vault City crew, this taproom and bottle shop near Haymarket is heaven for craft beer lovers. As the name su ests, it’s small, but with two dozen beers on tap at any one time, the choice is ample
COCKTAIL AND WINE BARS
Edinburgh has one of the liveliest cocktail scenes in the UK, and a great selection of wine bars too. The below are perfect spots for date nights and for those of you who crave something more than beer.
Bramble
16A Queen St
This low-lit basement cocktail joint serves up inspired concoctions, with terrific DJs bringing the atmosphere.
Chancho
7 Bernard St
An excellent new agave-focused, Leith-based cocktail bar from the team behind Hey Palu.
Hey Palu
49 Bread St
A fantastic Italian cocktail bar that regularly makes ‘best bars in the country’ lists; expect expert bartenders, amazing nibbles and a lovely vibe.
Lucky Liquor Co.
39A Queen St
Another of Edinburgh’s tucked-away cocktail joints serving up an
ever-changing menu of libations pushing the cocktail boundaries.
Nauticus
142 Duke St
This crackerjack cocktail joint in Leith has a neat twist: every one of its tasty concoctions has a link to the area’s rich history as a trading hub.
Nótt
13 Crighton Pl
This chic wine bar in Leith has a deli counter specialising in cheeses, meats and homemade Turkish delights to pair with your tipple.
Smith & Gertrude
26 Hamilton Pl
This cosy neighbourhood wine bar in Stockbridge serves up delicious cheese plates to accompany your wine while vinyl crackles on the record player.
Smoke & Mirrors
159 Constitution St Walk through Smoke & Mirrors’s fairy-light-rimmed arch entrance and
you’ll find an intimate bar bursting with character and great cocktails.
Spry
1 Haddington Pl
Stripped back, monochrome and minimalist, Spry offers an extensive menu of natural wines and delicious small plate options.
COFFEE, TEA AND JUICE
Maybe it’s a caffeine hit or a vitamin boost you’re after. Below are our favourite coffee shops and juice joints in town.
Artisan Roast
72-74 Leith Walk
An Edinburgh institution, you’ll find several Artisan Roasts across the city, and it goes without saying, the coffee is ace at all of them. The Leith shop is particularly good: with plenty of space, it hosts regular spoken-word and comedy events.
Bing Tea
37 W Nicolson St
This tea shop is cute as a button. It serves up the classic milk tea flavours – Thai, Taro, Matcha – alongside fruity numbers and original concoctions like the popular Flaming Tiger and White Rabbit.
Cairngorm Coffee
1 Melville Pl
A bright corner cafe serving killer toasties and knockout coffee with their own roasted beans.
Cult Espresso
104 Buccleuch St
In a converted alleyway, Cult showcases an evolving range of speciality coffee from their own roastery and beyond.
Fortitude
66 Hamilton Pl
Your best place for a caffeine hit in Stocky. Expect superb single-origin coffees and tasty baked goods.
Hula Juice Bar
103-105 West Bow & 94A Fountainbridge
If juices and smoothies are more your bag, get yourself to Hula. Even on the gloomiest Edinburgh day, its vibrant beverages like Sunshine in a Cup or the Blue Hawaiian will put a spring in your step.
Lovecrumbs
155 West Port
Gorgeous cafe with great homemade cakes and pastries and adorably quirky decor.
The Source
4 Spittal St
This tiny cafe and roaster with exciting, funky, small-batch espresso is a favourite of The Skinny team.
Williams & Johnson
1 Customs Wharf
It’s all sleek concrete and streamlined furnishings, but there’s nothing simple about the rich and delicious coffee.
Photo: Amelia Claudia
Smith & Gertrude
SHOPPING
From specialist food shops to delightful indie bookshops, we explore the best indie shopping on offer in Edinburgh
Words: Anahit Behrooz
One of the most exciting things about Edinburgh is the plethora of independent shops that line the winding, cobbled streets, offering all kinds of curated, handmade goods that beat any of the souvenir tat you might pick up on the tourist trail. Here, we walk you through some of the best design, art, books, record, and food shops to pick up a gift (for yourself as much as anyone else).
DESIGN, HOMEWARES & GIFTS
Agitate
6 William St
Recently relocated photography gallery and shop, with a well-curated selection of film, prints and photography books. agitate.gallery
An Independent Zebra
88-92 Raeburn Pl
A hub of independent designer-makers of homewares, prints, furniture and gifts from across the UK. anindependentzebra.com
Curiouser & Curiouser
93 Broughton St; 106 Bruntsfield Pl
Art, framing and gift shop with two locations in the city. curiouserandcuriouser.com
Flamingosaurus Rex
22 Bruntsfield Pl
A dynamic, multifunctional gallery, shop and art space. flamingosaurusrex.com
Handsel
336 Leith Walk
An independent one-stop-shop for art, homewares, jewellery, cards and zero-waste products. handsel.uk
Logan Malloch
13 Leith Walk
Art, books, ceramics, greeting cards, plants, stationery and gifts mostly sourced in Leith, Edinburgh and wider Scotland. loganmalloch.com
Red Door Gallery
42 Victoria St
Long-standing hub for local artists’ prints, artworks, crafts and jewellery in prime sight-seeing location. edinburghart.com
Photo: Marinel Dizon
Agitate
PROFILE:
LIGHTHOUSE BOOKSHOP
There’re so many incredible bookshops in Edinburgh to choose from – here we pick one of our favourites
There is an embarrassment of bookshops in Edinburgh – appropriately so, given its infamous status as a UNESCO City of Literature. And while it might have been Rabbie Burns and Sir Walter Scott that got it that moniker, it’s the city’s bookshops that carry the torch, offering not just an incredible selection of books but community building and stunning events programmes.
One of the best to do it is Lighthouse Bookshop, the city’s queer community bookshop dedicated to all things radical in fiction and nonfiction. There’s been a bookshop in that space on West Nicolson Street for 30 years; previously called Word Power Books, Lighthouse Bookshop was born when the current owners took over the space in 2017 and has fast become a staple in the Edinburgh book scene. The inside is split across three different spaces that cover all kinds of writing, from indie presses and diverse fiction (their romance section is particularly – excuse the pun – banging) to radical and left-wing politics and even a wee zine section.
Their booksellers are also some of the best in the business, with a sta ering amount of knowledge
LIGHTHOUSE BOOKSHOP
between them – if you have a vague recollection of a book cover you saw once, or want a recommendation for truly niche poetry, they’re your people. And the spirit of fellowship doesn’t stop there; Lighthouse Bookshop is all about building community, whether that’s closing for an hour so its booksellers can attend protests or putting on incredible events that bring writers and readers together. There are book launches throughout the year, monthly book clubs about queer
43-45 W Nicolson St
Mon-Sat, 10am-8pm; Sun, 11.30am-5pm
lighthousebookshop.com
fiction and women in translation, and several festivals that the bookshop runs: First Date, a sexy romance festival in June, Book Fringe, which offers an alternative programme of events during the August festivals, and the Radical Book Fair in November, spotlighting some of the best radical fiction of the year.
Image: courtesy
Lighthouse Books
FOOD & DRINK
The Beer Cave
43 Dalry Rd
Well stocked local favourite with a focus on European craft beer. IG: @thebeercavescotland
The Beerhive 24 Rodney St
A carefully-chosen selection of beers, wines and spirits with a local emphasis. thebeerhive.co.uk
Cork and Cask
136 Marchmont Rd
Thoughtfully sourced wine, beer and whisky. corkandcask.co.uk
Cornelius
18 Easter Rd; 128 Leith Walk
An Easter Road institution that’s also branched out to Leith Walk, Cornelius stock the very best wine, beer and spirits. corneliusbeers.com
George Mewes
3 Dean Park St
For all your cheese-related needs. They sometimes (at least once) give away samples and mulled wine when the Christmas queue is too long. georgemewescheese.co.uk
Great Grog
2 Dalkeith Rd
Specialist in local and international craft beers and wines. greatgrog.co.uk
I.J. Mellis
30 Victoria St; 6 Bakers Pl; 330 Morningside Rd
The OG of Edinburgh cheesemongers, Mellis focus on small scale farmhouse producers alongside a range of wines and artisanal foodstuffs. mellischeese.net
Image: courtesy of I.J. Mellis
I.J. Mellis
PROFILE:
GOOD VIBES
Head to Good Vibes Neighbourhood Store for exactly what it says on the tin: a friendly community record shop with the best vibes
Listen, sometimes the vibes are off, so where better to head for a little afternoon peruse than somewhere with the best vibes right on the tin. Good Vibes Neighbourhood Store is a wee record shop and studio space that opened in 2020: located in deepest Leith, right as Constitution Street winds towards The Shore, it’s a gorgeously sunny space filled with records and knick knacks and an incredible programme of events.
As with the best shops in Edinburgh, it’s entirely independently owned, run by partners in life and in business Fiona and Mike Bryant, who began to transform the old ship’s chandlery building into a studio space and decided to open the shop of their dreams on the ground floor. It’s impeccably designed and a delight to be in, but the aesthetics aren’t the only thing Good Vibes has going for it: their record collection is wonderfully curated, with big releases and undiscovered gems alike. They also have an incredible events programme, with the likes of Record Store Day and launch parties featuring lots of local acts and DJs. Having been closed through May and June while they do a big refurb, Good Vibes is reopening 10 July
with a big re-launch party planned 13 July, featuring a lineup of Scottish DJs through the day and live music from two of Scotland’s emerging talents – electro-pop duo Both Hands and indie artist Susan Bear – in the evening.
GOOD VIBES
151-153 Constitution St, Leith
Thu-Sat, 11am-5pm Sun, 11am-4pm
good-vibes.space
Image: courtesy of Good Vibes
Lupe Pintos
24 Leven St
Specialist deli supplying Scotland with hard to find Mexican, American and Spanish ingredients, for all your hot sauce, bean and taco needs. lupepintos.com
Winekraft
6 Brandon Ter
Organic, biodynamic and natural wine shop, also stocks the crisps and olives you’ll remember from lockdown Instagram. winekraft.co
PLANTS
Broughton Street Flowers
87 Broughton St
Newly opened in the old Narcissus site, with a fresh coat of yellow paint, serving all your flower and plant needs. broughtonstreetflowers.com
Green Meadows
137 Buccleuch St
A modern take on a tropical plant shop with social and environmental sustainability at its core. greenplantshops.co.uk
Grow Urban
92 Grove St; 8B St Vincent St
A leafy haven for all your plant gifts inc. hand painted pots, cards by local artists and terrariums for your low maintenance plant gifting. growurban.uk
Moss & Fern
84 South Clerk St
Plants and gifts, including dried floral arrangements, art, prints and homewares. mossandfern.shop
Rose and Ammi Flowers
2 Gillespie Cres
Bespoke wreaths and beautiful pots. roseandammiflowers.com
BOOKS
Argonaut Books
15-17 Leith Walk
Leith’s community bookshop, with a diverse stock and programme of in-person events. argonautbooks.co.uk
Armchair Books
72-74 West Port
Family-run second hand bookshop with the city’s finest About
Image: courtesy of Newbarns
Grow Urban
Photo: Murray Orr
page, ‘staffed by Edinburgh’s finest book people who brave the shop’s untraceable noises and unique microclimate.’ armchairbooks.co.uk
Ginger and Pickles
51 St Stephen St
A thoughtfully selected range of kids books, with beautiful titles ranging from baby to young adult. gingerandpicklesbookshop.com
Golden Hare Books
68 St Stephen St
A cosy space filled with a finely chosen selection of writing, art books and children’s titles. goldenharebooks.com
The Portobello Bookshop
46 Portobello High St
A gorgeously designed, gorgeously curated seaside bookshop, complete with fiction, art books, and a stunning magazine collection. theportobellobookshop.com
Rare Birds Books
13 Raeburn Pl
Much-loved independent book shop championing women authors. rarebirdsbooks.com
Tills Bookshop
1 Hope Park Cres
A secondhand bookshop overlooking the Meadows specialising in rare and antiquarian books. tillsbookshop.co.uk
Topping & Company Edinburgh
2 Blenheim Pl
A veritable labyrinth of book rooms complete with book ladders and window seats, where you may be offered a complimentary tea. toppingbooks.co.uk
Typewronger Books
4a Haddington Pl
Edinburgh’s smallest bookshop and
Scotland’s only typewriter repair shop!
Selling books, independent publications, zines and associated merch. typewronger.com
RECORD SHOPS
Assai Records
1 Grindlay St
Staff-favourite specialists in vinyl, turntables and music merch. assai.co.uk
Avalanche Records
Waverley Mall
Indie record shop located just off Waverley Station, with an assortment of vinyls, CDs and T shirts. avalancherecords.co.uk
Slow Progress Records & Coffee
53 Blackfriars St
Lots of indie vinyl and a wee coffee shop located in the Edinburgh Old Town. slowprogress.co.uk
Thorne Records
125 Bruntsfield Pl
Well organised indie with a strong devotion to local artists and customers alike. thornerecords.com
Umbrella Vinyl
20 Valleyfield St
Specialists in second hand world music, collectibles and rare wax. umbrellavinyl.com
Underground Solu’shn
9 Cockburn St
Central Edinburgh mainstay for dance music, decks and DJ equipment. undergroundsolushn.com
VoxBox Music
21 St Stephen St
Indie record store focusing on secondhand vinyls, with books and music memorabilia. voxboxmusic.co.uk
ATTRACTIONS
Some are brought to Edinburgh by the buzz of the Fringe, some come for a shopping spree up the Royal Mile. Whether you’re wanting the lowdown on top attractions for your visit, or you’re a new resident who’s looking for the lore of your locale, the capital has a ton of landmarks that are informative, eye-opening, and oftentimes, downright eerie.
Words: Ellie Robertson
There has been some kind of fortification on the volcanic plug of Castle Rock for more than 1000 years, but the Edinburgh Castle we can see today was one of Medieval Britain’s most defendable strongholds – fortunately for us in modern times, the gates have opened and tours of the
fortress are now Scotland’s most visited paid tourist attraction. The castle walls are a crowning jewel of the capital’s skyline, and the daily firing of the One O’Clock Gun from the battlements has become an iconic part of the city’s soundscape every afternoon.
Photo: Julia Solonina
As well as displaying geological and archaeological samples from around the world, the National Museum of Scotland (Chambers St) contains an eight-storey wing detailing the country’s timeline, starting in the basement with prehistoric Scots, to postwar modernity right underneath the rooftop terrace. Other highlights include the taxidermied remains of Dolly the Sheep, the first mammal to have been cloned from a single cell, and the Millenium Clock, a ten-metre high tower which, multiple times a day, comes alive with hellish scenes of gargoyles dancing around the sculpture and machinery.
A medical museum not for the faint of heart, Surgeon’s Hall (Nicolson St) offers an archive of anatomical parts, with Edinburgh’s grizzly history of Enlightenment-era surgeons and scientists having their work preserved in formaldehyde for all to see. For a standout attraction, see the pocket book bound in the skin of notorious graverobber William Burke.
Rumoured by some to be one of Britain’s most haunted locations, Mary King’s Close (2 Warriston’s Cl) is an alleyway buried hundreds of years ago, perfectly preserving Edinburgh’s Reformation-era undercity. Guided tours shine a lamplight on the gruelling conditions of the past, and the impact of the plague on all levels of the capital.
Greyfriar’s Kirkyard
Greyfriar’s Pl
Our own Père Lachaise, Greyfriar’s Kirkyard is a cemetery renowned for its gothic embellishments and interned elite. The legendary terrier who protected his owner’s grave for years is immortalised in the statue of Greyfriar’s Bobby, who vigilantly guards the cemetery on George IV Bridge.
Vault Tours
Mercat Tours, 28 Blair St + Auld Reekie Tours, 45 Niddry St
Auld Reekie Tours and Mercat Tours
both offer a thrilling exploration of the catacombs that rest under the Old Town. See the city from its darkest depths with this subterranean sojourn into the vaults where smu lers and witches hid from prying eyes.
Dynamic Earth
Holyrood Rd
If tunnels and tombs are too macabre, Dynamic Earth is Scotland’s alwayspopular, highly interactive science centre. Experience a simulated earthquake, place your hand on a real-life glacier and expand your horizons at the star-studded planetarium shows.
Camera Obscura & World of Illusions
549 Castlehill
To see Edinburgh from a whole new perspective, this tourist attraction / learning centre contains six floors of mind-bending optical illusions, including holograms, a mirror maze and a vortex tunnel.
National The Mound
FKA the Scottish National Gallery – behind the huge, neoclassical columns facing Princes Street is a collection of fine art featuring works by Monet, Rembrandt and Van Gogh.
Scott Monument
Princes St
Built to commemorate the celebrated novelist Walter Scott, this imposing black spire is one of Edinburgh’s most iconic waypoints, not only for the excellent vistas offered on the structure’s viewing platforms.
Modern
73 & 75 Belford Rd
The artist formerly known as the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Modern One and Modern Two on opposite sides of Belford Road house contemporary multimedia art, and have hosted past exhibitions on everything from surrealism to claymation.
AN A TO Z OF EDINBURGH (FOR KIDS)
There’s tonnes to do in Edinburgh for kids – from festival programmes to dedicated play areas in the galleries and museums, city centre green space and easily accessible beaches. We’ve made an A to Z of kid-friendly activities to get you started
Words: Rosamund West
A is for Arthur’s Seat
Edinburgh’s very own city centre mountain (legally speaking it’s a hill), it’s an excellent first climb for small legs and offers spectacular views from the summit.
B is for Beaches
Head to Portobello on the bike routes or by bus, swim in the sea (at the Joppa end), grab an ice cream or a pizza slice.
C is for Castles
We’ve got a load of them. Edinburgh’s the obvious choice, but you can avoid the crowds at Craigmillar, Blackness or Tantallon.
D is for Dynamic Earth
Learn about the story of our planet in the city’s world-class science centre and planetarium.
E is for Engineering
And what better feat of engineering to gaze upon than the Forth Rail Bridge in South Queensferry?
F is for Fish and Chips
You’ll find some of the best in the world at Newhaven Fishmarket, L’Alba D’oro or Portobello’s St Andrews Fish and Chip Shop.
G is for Greyfriars Bobby
This tragic tale of a very loyal dog is a firm family favourite – you can visit his tombstone and leave a stick.
H is for Haha!
Which is the noise you will make at one of the very funny comedy shows for kids in this year’s Fringe programme.
I is for Ice Cream
You’ll find excellent options at Mary’s Milk Bar, Joelato, Crolla’s, Luca’s and Alandas – the city’s gelato renaissance means you can’t really go wrong.
J is for Jupiter Artland
A magical sculpture park just outside the city, this year featuring a new family of goats alongside the work by internationally-renowned artists.
K is for Kidzone
Pleasance have a dedicated kids crafting space – you’ll find other drop-in creative play spaces at galleries including Collective and Modern One.
L is for Licensing
Real talk: it’s best to check the rules around children before you sit down in the pub, as the licensing varies wildly between hospitality venues.
M is for Meadows
A massive central green space criss-crossed by cherry trees, great for a picnic and a run-around.
N is for Newhailes
Between Portobello and Musselburgh, a National Trust house with an attached adventure playground, called Wee Hailes.
O is for Ornithology
Word is there’s a peregrine falcon nesting on the Salisbury Crags. You’ll find families of swans, moorhens and coots in ponds across the city, and the very lucky may spot the Water of Leith kingfishers.
P is for Playparks
The best can be found in the Meadows, Leith Links, Saughton, Inverleith and Princes St Gardens.
Q is for Queen, as in Mary Queen of Scots
You can view the bloodstain of her murdered servant Rizzio in her former home of Holyrood Palace.
R is for Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
Vast, beautiful gardens, a bus or walk from the city centre, home to world-leading scientific enquiry and many squirrels.
S is for Swimming
Edinburgh has many Victorian baths with family sessions, a Turkish bath at Portobello and the Commonwealth Pool for those who like their swimming pools to be less than 100 years old.
T is for (Edinburgh) Treasure Trail
A self-guided tour through the city’s Old Town filled with clues and historical facts, downloadable from the Visit Scotland website.
U is for Underwater Exploration
Something you can do at Deep Sea World by taking the train over the Forth Bridge to North Queensferry.
V is for Vaults
Edinburgh is full of spooky vaults that you can explore with a ghost tour. Head to Mary King’s Close to see the real subterranean vaulty city.
W is for Water of Leith
You can cycle the leafy walkway from Colinton Dell to Leith, stopping to explore Saughton Park, the National Galleries’ Modern site and Dean Village on the way.
X is for Xylophone
There’s one in the National Museum of Scotland playroom – probably.
Y is for Y did I decide to do an A to Z
Z is for Zoo
Edinburgh Zoo! It’s got giraffes, red pandas, predatory seagulls and much more besides.
GALLERIES
Edinburgh’s network of galleries range from the national collections to DIY artist-run spaces via internationally-renowned contemporary art spaces. In August, Edinburgh Art Festival takes over with a programme blending the galleries’ own exhibitions with an energising series of events and commissions
Words: Rosamund West
It doesn’t get much more central than Fruitmarket (45 Market St). Located next to the entrance to Waverley Station, the contemporary art gallery is celebrating its 50th birthday this year. This summer they’re presenting Songs About Roses (13 Jul-6 Oct), an exhibition by Ghanaian artist Ibrahim Mahama, who’ll be working with materials collected from Ghana’s now obsolete British-built railway.
Opposite, City Art Centre (2 Market St) has a varied programme ranging from contemporary art to the Science Festival. You’ll find Edinburgh Art Festival’s early-career-focused Platform programme in there this summer, as well as Sanctus! (both 9-25 Aug), a new film installation by Renèe Helèna Browne exploring devotion in relation to portraiture, faith, and belonging.
Round the corner, photography focused Stills (23 Cockburn St) has been offering exhibitions and practical training in their Cockburn Street gallery since 1977. This summer they’ll be presenting an exhibition of contemporary photography from Ukraine (2 Aug-5 Oct).
Located within the University of Edinburgh’s Old College, law school and symbolic flashpoint for student and union protest, Talbot Rice Gallery (University of Edinburgh, South Bridge) presents a thoughtful year-round programme melding international artists and Scottish early-career residencies. Their next exhibition is the largest UK survey of the work of Ghanaian artist El Anatsui (29 Jul-29 Sep).
Nearby, Dovecot (10 Infirmary St) is a gallery built around a worldrenowned tapestry studio, with Chris Ofili’s major tapestry The Caged Bird’s Song on display until 5 October. As part of EAF, Dovecot also present a triptych of tapestries by Christine Borland at the Edinburgh Futures Institute (1 Lauriston Pl; until 31 Dec).
At the top of Calton Hill, with some of the best and most accessible views the city has to offer, Collective
gallery occupies the former City Observatory and City Dome. They’re celebrating their 40th birthday this year, and their summer show features figurative collage and paper sculptures from Scottish artist Moyna Flannigan, one of their early committee members.
In Fountainbridge, Edinburgh Printmakers (Castle Mills, 1 Dundee St) have two exhibitions in their gallery space (both 27 Jul-10 Nov).
Ade Adesina’s INTERSECTION combines objects, places and scenes from Adesina’s African roots, British culture, and encounters whilst travelling into visually captivating landscapes. Tayo Adekunle’s Stories of the Unseen re-examines stories about Blackness from a different perspective, challenging the narratives that we have been taught.
In Newhaven, Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop (21 Hawthornvale) is a purpose-built studio system, workshops and exhibitions space with a forward-thinking education programme for children and adults alike. The summer show is Sequoia Danielle Barnes: Everything Is Satisfactual (9 Aug-1 Sep) as well as a new public commission by Jan Pimblett, Hybrids (12 Jul-6 Oct), and they’ll be running family drop-in sessions at the weekend
in August with their much-loved Sculpture Saturdays.
In Leith, Sierra Metro (13-15 Ferry Rd) is a small but perfectly formed gallery space, studio and coffee shop. For August they’re presenting a small soft space to land for brutal times, with Flannery O’kafka: For Willy Love and Booker T: Blue babies do whatever they want (10 Aug-15 Sep).
Bard (1 Customs Wharf) is a gallery and shop with a craft and design focus, and presents work from artist and activist Matthew Hyndman (9-25 Aug).
Edinburgh is home to a range of artist-run spaces, from established bricks and mortar galleries to more peripatetic work popping up in disused rooms across the city. Embassy (10B Broughton St Lane) has been around for two decades, but its rotating committee-based structure has kept it young. Keep up to date with their events via their Insta @embassygallery.
Sett Studios (127 Leith Walk) is an artist-run studios and gallery space, and for EAF they’ll be presenting a short residents exhibition U HAD 2B THERE ;-) (24-25 Aug).
Artist-run Agitate (6 William St) is a photography-focused gallery, events space, bookshop and studio. Dissenter Space (@ dissenter.space, 94
Ocean Drive) pops up in unexpected places with a radical programme of performance and exhibition – the last pop-up was in an empty Wagamama in decaying shopping centre Ocean Terminal. Keep an eye on their socials for upcoming performances.
At the more establishment end of the scale, Edinburgh is home to the various outposts of the National Galleries of Scotland, with the neoclassical columns of the National on The Mound forming the very centre of the city centre. They’re showing work by Irish Impressionist John Lavery this summer (20 Jul-27 Oct), alongside their permanent collections of Scottish art. Out west, the twin modern art galleries, Modern One and Two (75 and 73 Belford Rd) present a survey by Korean artist Do Ho Suh (until 1 Sep) and the much-anticipated Women in Revolt! (until 26 Jan 2025), respectively. The latter, subtitled Art and Activism in the UK 1970-1990, has toured up from London, and promises to inspire with stories of collaboration, creativity and rebellion.
In the New Town, the Ingleby Gallery in the former Glasite Meeting House (33 Barony St) showcases work by internationally renowned contemporary artists including Katie Paterson and Peter Liversidge. They’re currently showing paintings by Los Angelesbased artist Hayley Barker, Rising Stone, part of EAF (until 31 Aug).
Nearby Dundas Street is home to a scattering of commercial art galleries with varying specialisms.
Finally, no visit to Edinburgh is complete without a trip out of town to Jupiter Artland (Bonnington House, Wilkieston), a magical sculpture park on the outskirts of the city which has been steadily growing year by year. This year’s exhibitions feature Laura Aldridge, who’s contributed a snail fountain to the permanent collection alongside her gallery show, and Andrew Sim, whose paintings of plants and rainbows interact perfectly with the ornate surrounds of the ballroom.
Photo: Neill Hanna
Laura Aldridge at Jupiter Artland
GIG SPOTS
Edinburgh has long been seen as the underdog in Scotland when it comes to its live music scene, especially when pitted against our pals in the west, and it’s hard to fight back with Glasgow recognised as a UNESCO City of Music. However, Edinburgh really does have a lot to offer in terms of its gig spaces. To give you a better idea of what to expect, let us talk you through the capital’s hot spots, from small sweatboxes to large concert halls.
Words: Tallah Brash
SMALL: 60-200 CAP OR THEREABOUTS
It would be rude not to begin proceedings with Sneaky Pete’s. Located smack bang in the City Centre’s buzzing Cowgate, this intimate 100 or so capacity space has been serving lovers of new music since 2008, picking up multiple accolades along the way, including the Grassroots Music Venue: Spirit of the Scene award in the 2019 Music Week Awards, alongside appearing in DJ Mag’s Top 100 Clubs in the World list in 2021. Take that, Glasgow! Sneaky’s is a great spot for catching artists before they become massive, with Young Fathers, Future Islands and Self Esteem amongst the impressive roll call of artists who have played in the past. Other small grassroots venues to seek out in the city include Voodoo Rooms, The Jazz Bar, Legends, Bannermans, Banshee Labyrinth, Leith Depot, Leith FAB Cricket Club, and Lost In Leith
MEDIUM: 250-600 CAP
In the Southside of the city, Summerhall is an all-year-round multi-roomed arts venue. A former veterinary school, the venue houses a brewery, a distillery, multiple artists studios, the excellent Royal Dick bar, and two spaces dedicated to live music – the 450 capacity Dissection Room, and 150 capacity Old Lab. Sometimes you’ll even catch shows in their grand Main Hall, or smaller seated Anatomy Room. While you won’t find many live gigs there this August, during the other 11 months of the year they have a dedicated music programme hosting touring artists on the rise as well as local ones to watch. Dry Cleaning, Aldous Harding, Tune-Yards, The Chats, and Kathryn Joseph have all passed through its walls.
You’ll find a handful of other excellent mid-sized venues in the City Centre too, with The Mash House, Cabaret Voltaire, The Bongo Club, The Caves, and La Belle Angele all within walking distance of each other along a stretch of the Cowgate.
Photo: Eilis Garvey on unsplash
Sneaky Pete's
LARGE: 800+ CAP
If you head to the city’s West End, you’ll find the gorgeous domed Usher Hall standing proud halfway up Lothian Road. Sandwiched between two theatres, the Usher Hall is a versatile space used frequently for classical concerts as well as for more contemporary gigs, with a max capacity of 2200, shows can be all seated, or a mix of seating and standing. Over the years, artists like The Flaming Lips, Bon Iver, The xx, Mitski, Angel Olsen, Underworld, Paramore and Mogwai have graced its stage.
Other big guns across the city include The Liquid Room, The Queen’s Hall, Assembly Rooms and O2 Academy Edinburgh, while in the summer months you’ll often catch even
bi er shows at locations like Edinburgh Playhouse, Edinburgh Castle, Princes Street Gardens, The Royal Highland Centre and Murrayfield Stadium
GLASGOW
As we said at the top of this roundup, Glasgow is a UNESCO City of Music, so if someone you’re desperate to see live isn’t playing Edinburgh, you can get to Glasgow Queen Street Station by train in around 50 minutes from Waverley. Then, pick between smaller venues like The Hug & Pint, Broadcast, Nice N Sleazy, The Rum Shack, King Tut’s, Stereo, Mono and The Glad Cafe, or larger spaces like SWG3, O2 Academy Glasgow, SEC Armadillo, OVO Hydro or the world famous Barrowland Ballroom.
Photo: Dale Harvey
St. Vincent live at Usher Hall
GOING OUT
Our top picks of club nights you can rely on for a night out in the capital
Words:
Cammy Gallagher
Photo: Mihaela Bodlovic
Tracks, Subway, Mondays
The bi est stage in Scottish Drag, hosted weekly from 9pm by Elizabeth Moore.
Trash, Hive, Tuesdays
Free entry, £1 spirit mixer, and a sticky dancefloor to get down to indie classics til late every week. No frills, no qualms.
Haptic, Sneaky Pete’s, Wednesdays
Serving sweet sounds and intimate parties out of Cowgate’s sweatbox monthly. Previous guests include Baltra, Vegyn, Nathan Micay.
Volens Chorus,
Sneaky Pete’s, Thursdays
A party collective sure to get you ready for the weekend. From hardcore to hip-hop – and everything in between – Volens Chorus has it covered. Previous guests include Wiki, ¥ØU$UK€ ¥UK1MAT$U, Kush Jones.
La Beat, Argyle Cellar Bar / Leith Arches, Fridays
hitters to the Cowgate bi-monthly; everyone’s a winner at Miss World. Previous guests include Jamz Supernova, mixtress, Darwin.
Pulse, The Bongo Club / The Mash House, Saturdays
A no-nonsense techno crew combining contemporary sounds with classic character. Previous guests include Blawan, Perc, Rødhåd.
Samedia Shebeen
The Mash House, Saturdays
Take a trip around the globe, through Cumbia, Kuduro, Afrobeat, and more, in Samedia’s tropical joy machine. Previous guests include Toya Delazy, Vixen Sound, Tom Spirals.
Femmergy
Postal, Sneaky Pete’s, Sundays
Tasteful headliners and trendy residents delivered straight to your door every week. Previous guests include Ross From Friends, Yung Singh, Neffa-T.
The capital’s monthly soul club. Relive the 60s and 70s through the carefully curated collections of Leith’s funky triumvirate.
Pleasure, Cabaret Voltaire, Saturdays
A reliable weekly affair you can count on for all your house and techno needs. Previous guests include Call Super, Peach, Jasper James.
Messenger Sound,
The Bongo Club, Saturdays
Holding it down since 1987, Messenger is Scotland’s longest-running independent heavy-duty, high-powered sound system. Three stacks, two generations, one love. Previous guests include Jah Shaka, Levi Roots, Channel One.
Miss World, Sneaky Pete’s, Saturdays
Bringing your favourite UK bass big
An intersectional safe space dedicated to femme art and music. Have a boogie in maximal style with minimal trouble – venues include The Bongo Club and Summerhall. Previous guests include DJ Rawzi, Rianna, Sweet Philly.
GRDN
A home-cooked party and sound system built by friends, for friends held sporadically across the city. Join the WhatsApp group to be in the know of the next location.
Headset
Gay Garage, UK techno, and a guaranteed good crowd. Currently operating UK-wide, with local parties few and far between, it’s advisable to get down when Skillis is in town.
Previous guests include Batu, Debonair, Leonce.
GREEN SPACE
Like Rome, Auld Reekie is rumoured to have been built on seven hills (though there’s debate as to which hills count). Getting to the loftiest lookouts in town can be an uphill stru le, but if you prefer your scenery horizontal, don’t worry –the capital has green spaces for all.
Words: Ellie Robertson
Princes
Street Gardens, right across the road from a ¾ mile shopping promenade, is Edinburgh’s most central green space. Visitors to the city can step right out of Waverley train station and into the shade of the nearby Castle Rock. Rest your feet before tackling the steep streets of the Old Town, or have a wander through the gardens’ many attractions – the Floral Clock, the Gardener’s Cottage, and St Cuthbert’s Kirkyard are all under a ten minute walk from the comfort of your memorial bench. The Ross Fountain, a turquoise masterwork of Victorian sculpture, is a particular highlight, and don’t forget to snap a selfie with the statue of Corporal Wojtek, the ursine WWII veteran who retired out of the Polish Army into the Edinburgh Zoo.
For some Scottish wilderness right in the heart of the capital, Holyrood Park has crags, hills, even lochs, but it’s best known for Arthur’s Seat, an extinct volcano from which
the city’s best vistas can be seen. An 18th-century superstition offers eternal beauty to those who bathe their faces with the May Day morning dew of Arthur’s Seat. A more recent myth states students who don’t climb the hill during Freshers’ Week are doomed to a lacklustre love life for the duration of their degree. We don’t know about all that, but if you climb the beginner’s route from Queen’s Drive, just along from Holyrood Palace, you’ll find breathtaking views at the summit, and hundred-year old curses will be the last thing on your mind.
For a less monumental climb with just as many landmarks to see, Calton Hill is home to the National Monument of Scotland, an attempted replica of the Parthenon which ran out of funding after the first wall was erected, immortalising the incomplete facsimile with the nickname ‘Edinburgh’s Folly’. The Dugald Stewart Monument also features in the
foreground of most of Edinburgh’s most iconic skyline photographs, and the City Observatory – which houses art venue Collective – is a masterpiece inside and out.
The student quarters’ informal commons is The Meadows, a vast park covered in cherry blossoms, that fills up with picnics and parties the sunnier it gets. Bordered by the University of Edinburgh George Square campus, it’s also right on the doorstep of arts complex Summerhall, and a lot of the fresh air is shared with nearby public golf course Bruntsfield Links.
The Water of Leith Walkway is a scenic, cycle-friendly route through the city that follows Edinburgh’s 22 mile river. This will take you by and through well-loved local green spaces such as Craiglockhart Hill and Saughton Gardens, as well as offering stops at such photogenic hotspots as the historic Dean Village, or the mural-dappled Colinton Tunnel.
Wintertime visitors to the city might be acquainted with Christmas at the Botanics, the enchanting light show that illuminates Edinburgh’s darker months – but the Royal Botanic Garden is a year-round breath of fresh air, in no small part due to the world-leading herbarium of over three million specimens. If you’re interested in going a little further afield, and in seeing some Highland coos up close in the fur, take a trip to the Pentlands, or soak up culture, sculpture and otherworldly landscaping at nearby open-air gallery Jupiter Artland.
And though they might not be as central as Calton Hill, Castle Rock, Arthur’s Seat and Craiglockhart Hill, the remaining three heights that complete the Roman analogy – Braid Hills, Blackford Hill and Corstorphine Hill – are particularly popular for the annual Seven Hills of Edinburgh Race & Challenge.
Photo: Mike Newbry GREEN SPACE
AUGUST FESTIVALS
Edinburgh in August is almost a whole different city. With Edinburgh International Festival, the Fringe, Edinburgh Art Festival, Edinburgh International Book Festival and Edinburgh International Film Festival all running their worldleading programmes, the city is filled to bursting with culture and tourists.
Words: Arusa Qureshi
Photo: Method Film
Kemah Bob
It’s a funny old time to be making art, whether you’re a performance poet, an up-and-coming musician or an absurdist clown. Whatever the discipline, it feels harder than ever to create work and get it out into the world for people to enjoy and respond to, as the cultural ecosystem around us seemingly crumbles with cuts and closures. It’s partly for this reason that August in Edinburgh is such an intensely special and unique month, as creatives from across the globe gather to share their work and audiences are invited to experience a taste of what is possible when art is given the limelight and the space to flourish. Edinburgh Festival season brings about complicated feelings for many – it’s too big, too expensive and ultimately, too much – but it’s simultaneously incredible to live in a city where every nook and cranny is occupied by creativity of some description, and where every day for a month, you can stumble upon something that might change your outlook or mindset for the better.
With the programmes for the Fringe, EIF, Book and Art Festivals now officially out in the world, it’s that time of the year where we all start to make plans on what to see, stressing about all the things we’ll inevitably miss. There are far too many highlights across all programmes to be able to mention everything but naturally, there are some names already on our radar and well worth keeping in mind. This is just the beginning though – for more Edinburgh Festival recommendations, interviews, reviews and more, be sure to grab The Skinny’s August issue and Fest, the latter of which publishes four issues between the end of July and August. And keep an eye on all the weekly winners of the newly announced
Skinny-Fest Festival Awards (for festivals) – aka The Besties – which will celebrate the best work happening anywhere in the festivals. For the time being, here’s a taste of what to expect and what we’d recommend getting excited about across genres and disciplines.
COMEDY
One of the big changes across the Fringe landscape this year is the absence of Teviot Row House. The Edinburgh University students’ association building, and Gilded Balloon’s main venue, is currently closed for major refurbs and won’t be back up and running again until spring 2025. As such a mainstay of the Fringe programme, it’ll be odd to not spend any time in the building this August but thankfully, the folks at Gilded Balloon still have plenty to look forward to at their other spaces in the
Photo: David Montieth-Hodge
Street Events
Patter House on Chambers Street and the National Museum of Scotland. Michelle Brasier is back with her new show Legacy, which is about all the other women she might have been if she’d made different choices, and Shitty Mozart makes his UK debut with his chaotic one-man multimedia concerto. Chemo Savvy stars Grant Stott, Jordan Young and Gail Watson and is inspired by the experiences of late great Scottish comedy legend, Andy Gray, while social media star Christopher Hall talks about his life as a ‘boy who’s a bit girly really’ in Girl For All Seasons. We’re looking forward to being back in Teviot with the Gilded Balloon team next year as they celebrate their 40th anniversary year. Speaking of anniversaries, Craig Hill has a pretty big one this year. The Scottish stand-up will be celebrating his 25th show at the Fringe with the aptly titled I’ve Been Sitting On This For A While!, which you can catch at Just the Tonic Nucleus. Just down the road at Pleasance Courtyard, there’s everything from comedy debuts to Fringe favourites, including Garry Starr who returns to perform every Penguin Classic ever written in an hour, mostly naked, and Anna Akana, who is back after a stalking incident forced her into retirement for six years. Australian sketch comics Hot Department make their Edinburgh debut, as does acclaimed comedian and podcaster Kemah Bob. In Demi Adejuyigbe Is Going To Do One (1) Backflip, the American writer, comedian and filmmaker does exactly what it says on the tin, with added original comedic songs, presentations and bits directed by BriTANick. Josephine Lacey presents a heartwarming insight into the relationship between mother and son in Autism Mama and Erin Farrington promises a seminar that will change your life with Think Better: Manifesting Money, Real Estate and Hot People
Underbelly has some big names returning this year, including Hannah
Photo: Aaron Walker
Garry Starr
Gadsby, who is back at the Fringe for the first time since they won the Edinburgh Comedy Award in 2017, and ALOK, who returns after a sold-out run at the Traverse in 2022. Another Edinburgh Comedy Award winner, Natalie Palamides, also returns, this time to the Traverse with her 90s rom-drom WEER. Elsewhere at Underbelly, we’re excited about Furiozo’s solo punk-rock comedy show Man Looking for Trouble, and The Duncan Brothers’ likely very silly Blood Sword. Assembly’s comedy programme also boasts some heavy hitters such as Trygve Wakenshaw, who’s back after a seven-year hiatus with his mime-clown-comedy show Silly Little Things, and American viral sensation Dylan Mulvaney, who brings F*GHAG to the George Square Studios. At the same venue, check out Dancefloor Conversion Therapy, which invites you
to Australian DJ and dance floor icon Jonny Hawkins’ afterparty, and Justice For Holly, from the writer of West End comedy, Death Drop, Holly Stars. Edinburgh’s year-round comedy hubs The Stand and Monkey Barrel both have so much to see throughout the year but they’re also known for bringing the best of the best to the Fringe annually. At the Stand, check out Mark Thomas’ trademark anti-Tory stand-up with Gaffa Tapes, Susan Morrison’s hilarious history tour through Edinburgh’s New Town, and local comic Gareth Waugh’s new show This Guy. Monkey Barrel have got Zoë Coombs Marr covering everything that’s ever happened in her life, 2023 Edinburgh Comedy Award Best Newcomer nominee Dan Tiernan with his follow-up Stomp, and Erika Ehler with the brilliantly named I Got Some Dope Ass Memories With People That
Photo: Bronson Farr
Alok
BATSHIT, Leah Shelton
Photo: Joel Devereux
I’ll Never F*ck With Again. For late-night fun, don’t miss Pi y Time, John Norris aka Mr Chonkers’ bizarre and beautiful mixed-bill show.
THEATRE
This year’s Edinburgh International Festival programme is full of some seriously impressive theatre, from award-winning companies to world premieres. This will be the second year under the helm of Festival Director and Scottish violinist Nicola Benedetti, and the theme chosen for 2024 is ‘Rituals That Unite Us’, which focuses on work responding to a desire for togetherness. Two major shows this year come from Scottish creatives: The Fifth Step, a new play written by David Ireland, directed by Finn den Hertog and starring BAFTA-nominated Scottish actor Jack Lowden; and the stage adaptation of Amy Liptrot’s bestselling memoir, The Outrun, brought to life by Stef Smith, director Vicky Featherstone and the Lyceum. Elsewhere in the theatre programme, British company 1927 returns to the International Festival with their new production Please Right Back, which combines fantastical animations with bold storytelling to explore the effects of the criminal justice system, and Peruvian theatre company Teatro La Plaza’s take on Hamlet makes its UK premiere, with the stories of people with Down’s syndrome taking centre stage.
In the Fringe programme, you’re utterly spoilt for choice at Summerhall, which has some of the most boundary-pushing and innovative theatre around. Fleabag and Baby Reindeer super-producer Francesca Moody brings three new shows to the venue: the dizzying Weather Girl, Todd Almond’s modern love story in song I’m Almost There and Kieran Hurley and Gary McNair’s riotous comedy VL. Part of the Made in Scotland showcase, the National Theatre of Scotland and Grid Iron present June Carter
Cash: The Woman, Her Music and Me, while Apphia Campbell tells the story of two generations of women activists in the stru le for black liberation in America in Through the Mud. Sh!t Theatre return with new show Or What’s Left Of Us, Fringe First winner Ben Target directs Fan/Girl, which is set against a backdrop of 90s football and pop, and Burnout Paradise features four performers on four treadmills. We’re also really excited about Down the Rabbit Hole Theatre’s The Disappeared, which tells the true story of a queer Latinx voice forced into exile, Precious Cargo, about the life-long impact of the Vietnam war, and Hyper, which explores trans people’s connection to hyperpop.
At the Traverse, you’ll find another fantastic programme thanks to highlights such as Virginia Gay’s gender-flipped retelling of Cyrano, the Ursula Martinez-directed Batshit, an intimate story of female madness, and My English Persian Kitchen, which features live cooking on stage. There’s also Fishamble’s In Two Minds, the UK premiere of Adam Rapp’s play The Sound Inside and the Dundee Rep co-pro A History of Paper, a musical by Oliver Emanuel and Gareth Williams. At Pleasance, don’t miss the compelling The Shroud Maker, which is inspired by a real-life character who sells shrouds for burying the dead in Gaza. There’s also Òran, which combines spoken word, lyrical storytelling and a electronic live score in a modern retelling of the classic Greek myth Orpheus; award-winning writer Yilong Liu’s new play The Book of Mountains and Seas; Crying Shame, which is described as a ‘cabaret-show-cum-wellness-journey all about loneliness’; and Boy in Da Korma, a solo show featuring live music, hip-hop and Irish trad.
Another show with music that is well worth your attention is A Giant on the Bridge at Assembly Roxy, by award-winning theatre maker Liam
Hurley and songwriter Jo Mango, also featuring Louis Abbott (Admiral Fallow), Raveloe and Solareye. Also at Assembly, check out The State of Grace by Michaela Burger, which is part of the House of Oz programme; Solve It Squad, from the creators of Spies Are Forever and founding members of Team StarKid; and Leni’s Last Lament, about Hitler’s controversial filmmaker, Leni Riefenstahl. At Just the Tonic at the Mash House, 3HAMS follows Max and Ry, two friends whose bond was forged through their shared stru le with eating disorders, while at ZOO Southside, Mexican musical Comala Comala offers a Day of the Dead-style theatrical experience. At the same venue, Lung Ha Theatre Company celebrate their 40th anniversary with their Fringe remounting of An Unexpected Hiccup, and You Heard Me, part of the Hear & Now Showcase, is a celebration of taking up space and refusing to be silenced.
MUSIC
This year’s Fringe programme has a sta ering number of musicals to
choose from, with topics ranging from pop culture to history. At Underbelly, Luke Bayer provides a blood-stained love letter to Broadway in DIVA: Live From Hell!, while you can enjoy a musical parody of the Academy Award-winning film The Silence of the Lambs with SILENCE! The Musical. At Assembly, there’s Mary, Queen of Rock!, a rock’n’roll retelling of the story of Mary, Queen of Scots; House of Cleopatra, a high-octane pop musical about the most powerful woman in the ancient world; and Who Do Ya Love?, the official KC and the Sunshine Band musical. Pleasance Courtyard have got Tit Swingers, a new punk gig musical about polyamorous queer pirates, and Pop Off, Michelangelo! at Gilded Balloon Patter House is an electropop comedy about Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci.
Also in the Fringe music programme, check out BirdWorld at Summerhall, which features a set-up of cello, drums, kalimbas and percussion spanning alternative, electronic, Afro-Cuban and contemporary classical music. At the Storytelling Centre, The Other is a multimedia performance exploring culture and
Photo: Mihaela Bodlovic
Grit Orchestra - Greg Lawson
displacement with nine musicians, a dancer, a visual artist and a filmmaker, and Stumped is a brand-new miniature opera exploring deforestation. The Queen’s Hall also has plenty of music to explore in August, including the Ligeti Quartet, who perform music by Anna Meredith, and Seckou Keita, who is nicknamed ‘the Hendrix of the Kora’. The venue is home to numerous EIF shows too, including Iranian-American musician Mahan Esfahani, South London singer-songwriter Tirzah, indie-pop musician Bat For Lashes and post-punk icon Nadine Shah
Elsewhere at the International Festival, pianist Yuja Wang performs an eclectic programme of virtuoso masterpieces, and multi-instrumentalist, producer and singer-songwriter Jordan Rakei tours his highly-anticipated fifth studio album, both at the Usher Hall. The Philharmonia Orchestra is in residence at the EIF this year, with a performance of Verdi’s Requiem and the International Festival’s Closing Concert, Strauss’s Capriccio, with Malin Byström. The Philharmonia also present the UK premiere of Julia Wolfe’s Fire in my Mouth, a multimedia performance
conducted by Marin Alsop, with the National Youth Choir of Scotland.
At The Hub, jazz musician Domo Branch returns for a night of original music and improvisation, while award-winning Egyptian singer, musicologist and composer Mustafa Said also makes an appearance. Meanwhile, at the Playhouse, The GRIT Orchestra unites Scotland’s leading folk, jazz and classical musicians.
In opera, Carmen arrives at the EIF from Parisian opera house OpéraComique, with a new production brought to the stage by director Andreas Homoki, with Gaëlle Arquez as Carmen. And Scottish Opera presents a promenade performance of Stravinsky’s Oedipus Rex in the National Museum of Scotland’s Grand Gallery, supported by a 100-strong community chorus from across Scotland.
DANCE, PHYSICAL THEATRE & CIRCUS
In addition to theatre and music, the International Festival is a great place to see high-quality dance productions from world-class companies. This year, Crystal Pite and Jonathon Young
Photo: Fraser Taylor
Nadine Shah
present the Scottish premiere of major new dance work Assembly Hall, which follows a group of mediaeval re-enactors as they gather for their Annual General Meeting. Aakash Odedra returns following his highly-acclaimed Samsara in 2022 with Songs of the Bulbul, which explores an ancient Sufi myth about a bulbul, a songbird common throughout Africa and Asia.
At the Fringe, Dance Base have once again joined forces with Assembly this year to create Assembly @ Dance Base. The 2024 programme includes 29 shows from 33 companies in the Grassmarket venue, with dancers and choreographers from countries and territories such as Australia, Taiwan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Belgium, Denmark, and Germany. Highlights include rising star of Australian dance Lewis Major, who brings two shows to Dance Base as part of the House of Oz programme – Triptych and Lien, the latter of which is a one-on-one ten-minute encounter that will never be repeated. Also at Dance Base, What Songs May Do… sees award-winning choreographer Mathieu Geffré and his company Rendez-Vous dance perform to the evocative songs of Nina Simone; Transhumanist is a duet between two male dancers; and Futuristic Folktales reimagines the tale of the first womb.
At Assembly Hall, you’ll find Ten Thousand Hours, Gravity & Other Myths’ new family-friendly acrobatic extravaganza, and ARI: The Spirit of Korea, which brings the 600-year-old folk song Arirang to life. Meanwhile, Assembly Checkpoint hosts Of the Land on Which We Meet, in which Na Djinang circus follows the journey of three contemporary Australian circus artists with distinct relationships to their land.
For more circus, head to Underbelly’s Circus Hub on the Meadows, where you’ll find Quebec City-based circus company, Machine de Cirque’s Ghost Light: Between Fall
and Flight, which sees Maxim Laurin and Guillaume Larouche perform a duet on a spinning teeterboard. Japan’s Cirquework make their UK premiere with YOAH and Circus Baobab, an exciting collective of artists from Guinea and the diaspora, also bring their debut Yé! to the Circus Hub.
At Summerhall, check out Cosmos by Ashtar Muallem, a Jerusalemite artist who humorously explores her life and spirituality; Show Pony by still hungry and Bryony Kimmings; B.L.I.P.S., a touching
AUGUST FESTIVALS
Photo: Christophe Raynaud de Lage
Cosmos. Clément Dazin and Ashtar Muallem.
retelling about the chaos of psychosis; and Wen-Jen Huang’s Lost Connection, part of the Taiwan Season. At Zoo, you’ll find two of Scottish Dance Theatre’s most physically daring and dynamic works
– The Flock and Moving Cloud.
CABARET
The cabaret section of the Fringe programme is traditionally where you’ll find some of the best party-starters, and this year is no exception. Cabaret star Aidan Sadler is back with two helpings; Melody at Voodoo Rooms, which takes audiences through the top steps to surviving the apocalypse, and Big Gay Afterparty at Just the Tonic at The Caves, Aidan’s pop-up late-night cabaret with a rotating selection of Fringe performers.
At Assembly, These Are the Contents of My Head (The Annie Lennox Show) sees Salty Brine chart their way through Lennox’s debut solo album DIVA, while Skank Sinatra is cabaret queen Jens Radda’s reinvention of Sinatra’s classics through saucy modern twists. For ogre-inspired burlesque and drag, look no further than Swamplesque at Assembly Hall.
For more drag, check out Elle Barto: Itchy and Scratchy at theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall, which features New York drag queen Elle Barto reliving your favourite moments from film and television. At Pleasance Courtyard, you’ll find Polly & Esther by iconic Welsh mother and daughter drag-duo Polly Amorous and Esther Parade, and at Pleasance Dome, Janie Dee’s Beautiful World Cabaret is Olivier Award-winning West End star Janie Dee’s celebration of our world and confrontation of the climate crisis, via song and spoken word.
FILM & ART
The relaunched Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF) takes place from 15-21 August this year, with
Photo: Lee Kun-Yen
a few new venues to be included as part of the programme, such as Summerhall and the Cameo. This year’s festival will be the 77th edition and though the full programme is still to be announced at the time of writing, it will open with Nora Fingscheidt’s adaptation of Amy Liptrot’s best-selling memoir, The Outrun. Elsewhere on the programme, Coralie Fargeat’s thrilling body horror The Substance will be the Closing Night film of the Festival’s brand new Midnight Madness strand, which runs throughout August.
The Edinburgh Art Festival is also back this year from 9-25 August, with the festival celebrating its 20th anniversary. There are numerous exhibitions to seek out across the city in venues such as Fruitmarket, the Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop, Edinburgh Printmakers and more, but in addition, visitors are encouraged to take in some of the many performances and events that will be part of the programme over the month. A highlight of the festival is JUPITER RISING x EAF (17 August) at Jupiter Artland, which celebrates underrepresented artistic voices and champions queer and QTIPOC experimental practice. This year’s line-up includes Gemma RollsBentley, Sgàire Wood and Femmergy.
The Art Festival itself launches with a Birthday Launch Party at Custom Lane in Leith on 9 August, hosted by queer-led party series Ponyboy, with EHFM DJs providing music throughout the night. Also on the same day, EAF has invited Mele Broomes to create an Opening Performance that responds to the EAF24 Framework. Mele Broomes: through warm temperatures takes place at Custom Lane at 7pm.
At City Art Centre on 10 August, join artist Karol Radziszewski for an in-depth exploration of his exhibition Filo and then on 11 August, head to the Opening Provocation at Edinburgh College of Art. This year’s participants include Cooper Gallery, Falastin Film
AUGUST FESTIVALS
Photo: Eoin Carey
Festival, Haven for Artists, Lighthouse Bookshops, and Más Arte Más Acción. At Castle Terrace Car Park on 16 August, Prem Sahib presents performance work Alleus, a polyphony of live and pre-recorded voices. Also part of the Edinburgh International Book Festival, Remnants In-Conversation: How you re-assemble a city (13 August) features feminist architecture collective Voices of Experience, who discuss how we might imagine city spaces that encourage a culture of belonging for all.
BOOKS
The Edinburgh International Book Festival has some exciting changes this year, with new Director Jenny Niven presenting her first programme and the festival itself moving to the newly opened Edinburgh Futures Institute (EFI). This year’s theme is ‘Future Tense’, with various events exploring how we can, or should, change our individual and collective futures featuring the likes of Martin MacInnes, Naomi Alderman, Joelle Taylor and Richard Holloway
Other big names included on the programme are Margaret Atwood, Lauren Groff, Lorraine Kelly and Karl Ove Knausgård. The Front List is a new partnership between the Book Festival and Underbelly, with a number of legends of stage and screen set to appear at the McEwan Hall. Alan Cumming and Forbes Masson will be in conversation with Jackie Kay about their comedy history and their new book Victor and Barry’s Kelvinside Compendium (10 August); cult favourite author of Heartstopper Alice Oseman will be chatting with Lauren James (13 August); Booker Prize-winning Salman Rushdie will be appearing live from his home in New York (17 August); and Richard Osman speaks to Ian Rankin about his new series (24 August).
This year’s EIBF will also mark the 200th anniversary of James Ho ’s
Alan Cumming
seminal work The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner with a series of events under the Justified Sinner 200 banner. Highlights include New Myths, in which Kirsty Logan, Esther Swift, and folk singer Kirsty Law reset the text in a contemporary Scottish cult, and Perambulations of a Justified Sinner, Grid Iron and Ray Interactive’s immersive walking tour through Edinburgh’s old town which features voiceovers from Louise Welsh. For after hours fun, head to the Spiegeltent for Back to Ours, a strand of evening and late night events ranging from performance to poetry, comedy to podcasting and more. The Big Friendship Fandango on 23 August is definitely one not to miss, with Michael Pedersen hosting special guests like Bee Asha & The Band Tees, Blindboy Boatclub, Greg McHugh, and Jack Rooke.
KIDS
There’s always plenty to see and do with the little ones at the Book Festival, with regular free events including Are You Sitting Comfortably? and Hip Hop Story Stop!, as well as opportunities to meet popular characters like the Gruffalo, Pikachu and Supertato. Other names on the programme with events especially for kids are Julian Clary, Emma Grae, Dr
Amir Khan, Big Manny, Nikita Gill, Joseph Coelho and Dean Atta. Children are also well catered to via the Fringe programme, with shows for babies, toddlers and older kids alike. At Pleasance, Monkeys Everywhere is bound to be a hit. In this all-ages show containing puppetry and clowning, audiences join Garry Starr as he tries to find a calmer place to be amongst the madness of the monkey business that fills his mind. Also at Pleasance Courtyard, Rosie and Hugh’s Great Big Adventure follows Rosie and Hugh the Hedgehog, who are best friends, with songs from CBeebies’ Nick Cope.
Staying with the animal theme, The Last Forecast at Dance Base is about Gael, a gecko-like creature who lives alone in harmony with the surroundings, until a stranger arrives. Blue Badge Bunch at Pleasance Courtyard is described as ‘the disability Taskmaster’, as kids are invited by comedian and host Benny Shakes to join teams to battle it out in a show where disadvantage is an advantage. Another top pick with a game show-style format is The Kids Always Win at Gilded Balloon’s Patter House, where Tom Whiston and Max Prentice ask grown-ups to compete against kids in a series of stacked decks and impossible scenarios.
Michael Pederson
Words: Laurie Presswood
Photo: Nighthawk Shoots Cairngorms
Edinburgh City
GET ON YOUR FEET
A lot of Scotland’s most well-known scenery is over on the west coast – achievable in a day by car, but not realistic for the Edinburgh traveller using public transport. But fear not, there is plenty of beauty to be found in the lowlands and east coast. Close at hand are our very own Pentland Hills, which have a grade of walk for every level of outdoorsman. Harlaw
Reservoir makes for an easy, peaceful walk, while West Kip, East Kip and Scald Law will deliver views to those with more hiking experience.
If you want to get the full Scottish mountain experience, the south of the Cairngorms are achievable from Edinburgh by train – the stations at Blair Atholl and Dalwhinnie can act as starting points for walks of various difficulty levels.
Alternatively, for a slice of the outdoors that is readily accessible and
doesn’t ask much of your legs, visit Cramond Island, a tidal island in the Firth of Forth with a history of human occupation stretching back to the prehistoric era. Text CRAMOND to 81400 to get the day’s safe crossing times from the RNLI.
And of course, for a Scottish experience so quintessential we made it into a whole song, you can visit Loch Lomond by jumping on a train to Balloch (via Glasgow Queen Street). There are plenty of different walks here, including paths stable enough for a pram. Grab a picnic and choose the route which best suits you.
INFINITE ROOM FOR ACTIVITIES
For you sporty types, there’s all kinds of outdoors activities available within striking distance of Edinburgh. The dry ski slope at Hillend is so close it’s visible from the city – a sort of beacon
Photo: Sean Kinnear
Pentlands
for thrillseekers with tough elbow skin. The Midlothian Snowsports Centre offers lessons in skiing and snowboarding, as well as the option to go tubing if all you really want is to launch yourself down a big hill.
It might surprise you to hear that East Lothian is great for surfing – in Dunbar in particular several companies have popped up offering lessons. Top spot Belhaven Bay is easily accessible by public transport, so just hop aboard the next ScotRail service to Dunbar – but do be sure to pre-book a ticket for your board.
For something a little less extreme, you can try paddleboarding or kayaking in any number of our still bodies of water – the Willowgate Activity Centre in Perth is a great place to sample a variety of activities, from paddle boarding and kayak city tours, to archery and axe throwing.
NIGHT-TRIPPING
If you’re after not so much a day trip but more of a night-trip, there’s only one place to go. Trains to Glasgow Queen Street rattle off every quarter of an hour – the journey should take around 50 minutes so check the arrival time before boarding to make sure you’re not on one of the long trains. Start off with a pizza dinner at Paesano in the West End followed by a pub crawl into town – Inn Deep, Bananamoon and the The Hug & Pint are all conveniently located along your route down Great Western Road. Finally, sample some of Glasgow’s famed nightlife on Sauchiehall Street before catching a bus back home at any half-hour mark throughout the night. Alternatively, you might want to organise your trip around a specific gig or clubnight – check out The Skinny's Music and Clubs listings to see what’s on in Glasgow this month.
The Hug & Pint
WHERE ART THOU
There are galleries aplenty in Scotland’s largest city, but if you fancy something off the beaten track, the woefully underrated Dundee plays host to three exciting galleries that are well worth the trip alone. The V&A Dundee juts out into the riverbank like it’s about to break away and set sail to the Arctic Ocean. It’s Scotland’s first dedicated design museum – their exhibition on the history of the kimono runs through January 2025. Dundee Contemporary Arts is an industriallyconverted church which now houses a gallery, print studios, two-screen cinema, bar, restaurant and cafe. They’ve made a name for themselves hosting UK solo debuts for many up and coming artists – they have several more lined up for the rest of the year. Be sure to also check what’s on at Generator Projects, a small industrial unit behind the art school which hosts
some of the most surprising, and often tongue-in-cheek work Dundee has to offer.
WHISKY GALORE
You’re not exactly stuck for choice if you’ve come to Scotland hoping to tour a whisky distillery. There are a handful in Edinburgh itself, with the newcomer Port of Leith the UK’s first vertical distillery (it also has a top floor bar and restaurant with incredible views – best enjoyed at sunset). If you want to make a day of it, try the Arbikie Highland Estate, just south of Montrose. Not only do they offer the standard tour and tasting, the tour also takes in their crop fields, where the whisky you’ll soon be drinking began. To top it all off, Arbikie stands behind the gorgeous Lunan Bay Beach, Angus’s worst-kept secret. It’s perfect for walking, sunbathing, and swimming, but maybe not after that dram…
Photo: AwAye Media
Port of Leith
FOOD
GALLERIES
GREEN SPACES
INDIE SHOPS
VENUES
ATTRACTIONS
DRINKS
Artisan Roast
72-74 Leith Walk P39
Athletic Arms
1-3 Angle Park Ter P34
Bellfield Brewery
46 Stanley Pl P37
Bennets Bar
8 Leven St P34
Bing Tea
37 W Nicolson St P39
The Blackbird
37-39 Leven St P35
The Blue Blazer
2 Spittal St P34
The Bow Bar
80 West Bow P34
Bramble
16A Queen St P38
Cairngorm Coffee
1 Melville Pl P39
Campervan Taproom
112 Jane St P16
Carriers Quarters
42 Bernard St P35
Chancho
7 Bernard St P38
Cult Espresso
104 Buccleuch St P39
The Devil's Advocate
9 Advocate's Cl P35
The Dog House
18-24 Clerk St P37
Dreadnought
72 N Fort St P14
Fortitude
66 Hamilton Pl P39
George IV Bar
54 George IV Bridge P35
Hey Palu
49 Bread St P38
Hula
94A Fountainbridge
103-105 West Bow P39
Leith Depot
138-142 Leith Walk P37
Lost in Leith
82 Commercial St P37
Lovecrumbs
155 West Port P39
Lucky Liquor Co.
39A Queen St P38
Malt & Hops
45 Shore P35
Moonwake Brewery & Taproom
6A Tower St P16
Nauticus
142 Duke St P38
Newbarns
13 Jane St P37
Nótt
13 Crighton Pl P38
Paradise Palms
41 Lothian St P37
The Persevere
398 Easter Rd P17
Port of Leith Distillery
11 Whisky Quay P37
Porty Vault
243 Portobello High St, Portobello P37
Roseburn Bar
1 Roseburn Ter P17
The Royal Dick
1 Summerhall P38
Salt Horse
57-61 Blackfriars St P37
Sheep Heid Inn
43-45 The Causeway P17
Smith & Gertrude
26 Hamilton Pl P38
Smoke & Mirrors
159 Constitution St P38
The Source
4 Spittal St P39
Spry
1 Haddington Pl P39
Starbar
1 Northumberland Pl P37
St Vincent
11 St Vincent St P35
Teuchters Bar & Bunker
26 William St P35
Wee Vault
7A W Maitland St P38
Williams & Johnson
1 Customs Wharf P39
FOOD
£2 Pizza Slice
11 Albion Rd
26 South Bridge P25
71 Steps
22 Rodney St P22
Africano Wrap Place 4 Chapel St P25
Alandas
1 Forrest Rd P50
Alby’s
94 Buccleuch St P25
8 Portland Pl P25
Ardfern
10-12 Bonnington Rd P21
Bánh Mì Brothers
141 West Port P25
Bonnie Burrito
82 S Clerk St P25
Chennai’s Marina
54 Clerk St
192 Dalry Rd
23 Jocks Lodge P29
Chez Jules
109 Hanover St P29
Chotu
16 Haymarket Ter P22
Civerinos Slice
49 Forest Rd
5 Hunter Sq
47-49 Fi ate Ln P26
Crolla's
1 The Shore P50
Earl's Burger Co.
74 Raeburn Pl
124 Morningside Rd P26
Edinburgh Larder 15 Blackfriars St P22
Edinburgh Street Food Leith St P26
Eleanore
30-31 Albert Pl P29
The Fishmarket Newhaven 23A Pier Pl P26
The Gardener’s Cottage 1 London Rd P29
Greek Artisan Pastries
23 Bread St
32-34 Portobello
High St P26
Hank's
162 Fountainbridge P22
Harkness Pies
30B Raeburn Pl P26
Hobz
106 Leith Walk P22
Joelato
31 N W Circus Pl P50
Kampong Ah Lee
28 Clerk St P29
Kim’s Mini Meals 5 Buccleuch St P29
Kvasa
101 Leith Walk P22
L'Alba D'oro
7 Henderson Row P50
Lannan 29-35 Hamilton Pl P26
Lovecrumbs 155 West Port P26
Luca's 16 Morningside Rd P50
Mary’s Milk Bar 19 Grassmarket P26; 50
Montrose
1-7 Montrose Ter P30
Moo Pie Gelato 26 St Mary's St P26
Mother India’s Cafe 3-5 Infirmary St P24
Noto
47a Thistle St P30
The Original Mosque Kitchen & Cafe 50 Potterrow P26
The Palmerston 1 Palmerston Pl P30
Paz Taqueria 64 Thistle St P30
The Pitt 20 W Shore Rd P29
Pizzeria 1926 85 Dalry Rd P30
Polentoni
38 Easter Rd P29
Pomelo
27 Sciennes Rd P30
Preacher's 24-26 Lady Lawson StP25
Razzo Pizza Napolitana
59 Great Junction St P29
Roseleaf 23-24 Sandport Pl P25
Sabzi
162 Ferry Rd P30
San Ciro’s
148 Leith Walk P30
Sicilian Pastry Shop 14-16 Albert St P29
Singapore Coffee House
5 Canonmills P25
Skua
49 St Stephen St P30
Snax
118 Buccleuch St 15-17 West Register St P25
St Andrews
Fish & Chip Shop
280-284
Portobello High St P50
Taco Libre
3 Shandwick Pl
85 Rose St P30
Tipo
110 Hanover St P30
Twelve Triangles Kitchen
Table
22-24 Easter Rd P29
GALLERIES
Abbeyhill Colonies
Abbeyhill P15
Agitate
6 William St P55
Bard
1 Customs Wharf P55
City Art Centre
2 Market St P54
Collective City Observatory, 38 Calton Hill P54
Custom Lane
1 Customs Wharf P81
Dissenter Space
94 Ocean Dr P55
Dovecot
10 Infirmary St P54
Edinburgh Futures
Institute
1 Lauriston Pl P54; 82
Edinburgh Printmakers
Castle Mills, 1 Dundee St P54; 81
Edinburgh Sculpture
Workshop 21 Hawthornvale P54; 81
Embassy
10B Broughton St Ln P55
Fruitmarket
45 Market St P54; 81
Ingleby Gallery
33 Barony St P55
Jupiter Artland
Bonnington House, Wilkieston P50; 55; 67; 68-85
Modern One
75 Belford Rd P49; 55
Modern Two
73 Belford Rd P49; 55
National The Mound P49; 55
Sett Studios
127 Leith Walk P55
Sierra Metro
13-15 Ferry Rd P55
Stills
23 Cockburn St P54
Talbot Rice Gallery
University of Edinburgh, South Bridge P54
GREEN SPACES
Arthur's Seat
Holyrood Park P50; 66
Blackford Hill
Blackford Hill P67
Braid Hills
Braid Rd P67
Bruntsfield Links
Bruntsfield Links P67
Calton Hill
Calton Hill P66
Castle Rock
Castlehill P66
Colinton Tunnel
Colinton Dell, Lanark Rd P67
Corstorphine Hill
Clermiston Rd North P67
Craiglockhart Hill
Colinton Rd P67
Dean Village
Dean Path P67
Holyrood Park
Queen's Dr P66
Inverleith Park
Inverleith P51
Jupiter Artland
Bonnington House, Wilkieston P50; 55; 67; 68-81
Leith Links
Leith Links P51
The Meadows
Melville Dr P51; 67
Newhailes
Newhailes P51
Pentlands
Pentland Hills
Regional Park P67
Portobello Beach
Portobello P50
Princes Street Gardens
Princes St P51; 66
Royal Botanic Garden
20a Inverleith Row P51; 67
Saughton Gardens
Balgreen Rd P51; 67
Union Canal
Edinburgh Quay P16
The Water of Leith Walkway various P51; 67
INDIE SHOPS
Agitate
6 William St P39
An Independent Zebra
88-92 Raeburn Pl P39
Argonaut Books
15-17 Leith Walk P44
Armchair Books
72-74 West Port P45
Assai Records
1 Grindlay St P45
Avalanche Records
Waverley Mall P45
The Beer Cave 43 Dalry Rd P42
The Beerhive 24 Rodney St P42
Broughton Street Flowers 87 Broughton St P44
Cork and Cask 136 Marchmont Rd P42
Cornelius 18 Easter Rd 128 Leith Walk P42
Curiouser & Curiouser
106 Bruntsfield Pl
93 Broughton St P39
Flamingosaurus Rex
22 Bruntsfield Pl P39
George Mewes
3 Dean Park St P42
Ginger and Pickles
51 St Stephen St P45
Golden Hare Books
68 St Stephen St P45
Good Vibes Neighbourhood Store & Studios 151-153 Constitution St P43
Great Grog
2 Dalkeith Rd P42
Green Meadows
137 Buccleuch St P44
Grow Urban
92 Grove St
8B St Vincent St P44
Handsel
336 Leith Walk P39
I.J. Mellis
30 Victoria St
6 Bakers Pl
330 Morningside Rd P42
Lighthouse Bookshop
43-45 W Nicolson St P40
Logan Malloch
13 Leith Walk P39
Lupe Pintos
24 Leven St P44
Moss & Fern
84 South Clerk St P44
The Portobello Bookshop
46 Portobello High St P45
Rare Bird Books
13 Raeburn Pl P45
Red Door Gallery
42 Victoria St P39
Rose and Ammi Flowers
2 Gillespie Cres P44
Slow Progress
52 Blackfriars St P45
Thorne Records
125 Bruntsfield Pl P45
Tills Bookshop
1 Hope Park Cres P45
Topping & Company
2 Blenheim Pl P45
Typewronger
4a Haddington Pl P45
Umbrella Vinyl
20 Valleyfield St P45
Underground Solu'shn
9 Cockburn St P45
VoxBox Music
21 St Stephen St P45
Winekraft 6 Brandon Ter P44
VENUES
Assembly Checkpoint
3 Bristo Pl P79
Assembly @ Dance Base 14-16 GrassmarketP79; 85
Assembly George Square
George Sq P73
Assembly Hall Mound Pl P79; 80
Assembly Rooms
54 George St P61
Assembly Roxy
2 Roxburgh Pl P75
Bannermans
212 Cowgate P58
Banshee Labyrinth
29-35 Niddry St P58
The Biscuit Factory
4-6 Anderson Pl P15
The Bongo Club
66 Cowgate P58
Cabaret Voltaire
36-38 Blair St P58
Cameo Cinema
38 Home St P81
Castle Terrace Car Park
Castle Ter P68-85
The Caves
8-10 Niddry St S P82
Dance Base
14-16 GrassmarketP79; 85
Edinburgh Castle Castlehill P61
Edinburgh Futures
Institute
1 Lauriston Pl P82
Edinburgh Playhouse
18-22 Calton Sq P61
Gilded Balloon Patter
Hoose
3 Chambers St P70; 76; 85
Greyfriar's Bobby
George IV Bridge P50
The Hub
Top of the Royal Mile P77
The Jazz Bar
1a Chambers St P58
Just the Tonic Nucleus
138-140 Pleasance P70
La Belle Angele
11 Hastie's Cl P58
Legends 71 Cowgate P58
Leith Arches
6 Manderston St P14
Leith Depot 138-142 Leith Walk P58
Leith FAB Cricket Club
1 Leith Links P58
The Liquid Room 9C Victoria St P61
Lost In Leith
82 Commercial St P58
The Lyceum
30b Grindlay St P75
The Mash House
37 Guthrie St P58
Monkey Barrel Comedy 9-12 Blair St P73
Murrayfield Stadium Roseburn St P61
National Museum of Scotland Chambers St P70; 77
O2 Academy Edinburgh 11 New Market Rd P61
Pleasance Courtyard
60 Pleasance P70; 76; 80; 85
Pleasance Dome
5/2 Bristo Pl P80
Pleasance @ EICC 150 Morrison St P68-85
The Queen's Hall 85-59 Clerk St P61
The Royal Highland Centre Ingliston P61
Sneaky Pete's 73 Cowgate P58
theSpace @ Surgeons' Hall
Nicolson St P80
The Stand Comedy Club 5 York Pl P73
The Storytelling Centre 43-45 High St P76
Summerhall 1 Summerhall P58
Traverse Theatre
10 Cambridge St P73; 75
Underbelly Circus Hub
The Meadows P79
Underbelly Cowgate
66 Cowgate P73; 76
Underbelly Bristo Square
Teviot Pl P73; 76
Underbelly George Square
George Sq P71
Usher Hall
Lothian Rd P61
Voodoo Rooms
19a West Register St P58
ZOO Southside
117 Nicolson St P76; 80
VISITOR ATTRACTIONS
Blackness Castle
Blackness, Linlithgow P50
Camera Obscura & World of Illusions
549 Castlehill P49
Commonwealth Pool
21 Dalkeith Rd P51
Craigmillar Castle
Craigmillar Castle Rd P50
Deep Sea World
North Queensferry P51
Dynamic Earth
Holyrood Rd P49; 50
Edinburgh Castle
Castlehill P48
Edinburgh Zoo
134 Corstorphine Rd P51
Forth Rail Bridge
South Queensferry P50
Greyfriar's Kirkyard
Greyfriar's Pl P49
Holyrood Palace
Canongate P51
Mary King's Close
2 Warriston Cl P49; 51
Modern Belford Rd P49; 55
National
The Mound P49; 55
National Museum of Scotland Chamber St P49
Photo: Cameron Gibson
Waters of Leith
EDINBURGH’S ZOO
There’s more to Edinburgh than Greyfriars Bobby
You’ve all heard of the faithful terrier who sat by his owner’s grave for 14 years, but here are some of Edinburgh’s other famous animal residents
Wojtek
The most badass animal on our list, Wojtek was a brown bear from Iran who was adopted by the Polish army and joined them in their fight against Benito Mussolini’s Italy during World War II. Wojtek spent his well-earned post-army retirement in Edinburgh Zoo, and you’ll find a bronze statue of him, by sculptor Alan Herriot, in Princes Street Gardens.
Nils Olav
Major General Sir Nils Olav III, Baron of the Bouvet Islands, is a king penguin who resides in Edinburgh Zoo. He’s the only penguin with a knighthood, and is the colonel-in-chief of the Norwegian King’s Guard.
Dolly the Sheep
As the first cloned mammal ever to be created from an adult cell, Dolly’s birth was a huge scientific achievement for Scotland. You can see her on display in The National Museum.
Graveyard of Heroic Dogs
Greyfriars Bobby isn’t the only dog to be honoured in Auld Reekie. Within the grounds of Edinburgh Castle you’ll find an adorable pet cemetery where canine members of our armed forces are buried.
Two Naughty Elephants
An elephant, who was brought to Scotland from Sri Lanka in 1838 by the 78th Highlanders regiment, used to
live in Edinburgh Castle, and reports are he developed a taste for beer. The animal’s toes are now displayed in the National War Museum within the Castle. This wasn’t Edinburgh’s first elephant resident, though. In the early 18th century, an elephant used to live in an Old Town flat, much to the chagrin of the bakery downstairs, who had to contend with an unreasonable amount of elephant dung.
Bass Rock Gannets
The Bass Rock, off the coast of North Berwick, is home to the world’s largest colony of Northern gannets. Pay them a visit on a boat trip from North Berwick Harbour.
Seal Spotting on the Firth of Forth
The Firth of Forth is teeming with seals, and you’ll find hundreds of them chilling on Inchkeith Island, which you can visit on a tour aboard the Maid of the Forth, which also takes in the Forth’s three famous bridges: the Queensferry Crossing, the Forth Road Bridge and the Forth Rail Bridge.
Unicorns Everywhere
The unicorn is Scotland’s national animal and boy do we shout about it. You’ll find images of these mythical equines on statues and murals in parks, streets and historic buildings all over this fair city. Keep an eye out!
