www.list.co.uk/aroundtown
of Education, 225 Scotland Street, 287 0500. Designer Laura Murray leads a one- day course in silver-plated wire jewellery making. At the end of the day, you can take home what you make and wear it with pride. Dr Sketchy’s Anti-Art Class Sun 18 Jul, 4–7pm. £7 (£5). The Arches, 253 Argyle Street, 565 1000. Burlesque art class with a relaxed atmosphere, music, drinks and interesting models. Vocal Jazz Workshops Mon 19–Thu 22 Jul, 10am–5pm. £400 (£375). St Andrews in the Square, 1 St Andrews Square, 01368 866895. Four-day jazz workshop with Liane Carrol, Sophie Bancroft and Brian Kellock. Only 12 places, so booking essential. Experience essential.
Edinburgh Activities & Events ✽✽ Edinburgh International Magic Festival Until Sun 11 Jul, times vary. Prices vary. Various Venues, 473 2000. A brand new festival. That’s magic. Literally. See Hitlist, and picture, right. Breakfast Tour Fri 9 Jul, 7–10.30am. £18 (members £15). Edinburgh Zoo, Corstorphine Road, 314 0350. An exclusive tour of the zoo before the gates are opened to the public, followed by a Scottish breakfast. Booking essential. Edinburgh Ceilidhs Fri 9 Jul, 8pm. £6–£10. Roxy Art House, 2 Roxburgh Place, 339 5374. Traditional fun with ceilidh bands and a piper, and some international folk dances to complement the Scottish classics. FREE Kings and Queens of the Royal Park Sun 11 Jul, noon–3pm. Holyrood Park, Holyrood Lodge, 652 8150. Take a walk in the park with Kings and Queens of the past and learn how each of them left their mark on the park’s landscape. Booking essential. Whimsical Tales of Eroticism Sun 11 Jul, 6pm. £15. Ghillie Dhu, 2 Rutland Place, 222 9930. Storyteller Wendy Woolfson spins some cheeky tales while you enjoy a two-course dinner and a cocktail. FREE Amble Around Arthur Mon 12 & 19 Jul, 1–2.30pm. Holyrood Park, Holyrood Lodge, 652 8150. A guided walk with park rangers exploring the fascinating wildlife on the hill, its turbulent past as a volcanic plug, and the traces left behind by past inhabitants. Booking essential. FREE Arthur’s Adventure Wed 14 Jul & 21 Jul, 1–4pm. Holyrood Park, Holyrood Lodge, 652 8150. A challenging walk over some of the tougher routes around Holyrood Park and Arthur’s Seat. Get expert help from the rangers and hear about the history, geography and wildlife of this special piece of Edinburgh. Booking essential. Storytelling Cafe: Magic and Mystery Wed 14 Jul, 7pm. £4. Scottish Storytelling Centre, 43–45 High Street, 556 9579. Wendy Woolfson weaves some enthralling tales. A Ceilidh for Amnesty Fri 16 Jul, 7.30pm. £9 (£7). St Bride’s Centre, 10 Orwell Terrace, 346 1405. The Edinburgh St Marks Amnesty International Group returns with another ceilidh in aid of Amnesty International. With prizes and home baking available. Women at War Sat 17 & Sun 18 Jul, 9.45am–4pm. Included in Castle admission: £14 (£11.20; children £7.50; under 5s free). National War Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh Castle, 225 4413. Find out about women’s contributions to the war effort, from driving ambulances to manning search lights. FREE Royal Pursuits Sun 18 Jul, 10am–4pm. Holyrood Park, Holyrood Lodge, 652 8150. Relax like a royal with all manner of traditional activities in Holyrood Park, from coursing with whippets and Scottish deerhound to archery and falconry.
8pm. £4 (£2). Ghillie Dhu, 2 Scottish Modified Car Show Sun 18 Jul, 10am–5pm. £8.25–£16. Royal Highland Centre, Ingliston, 335 6200. Fast cars, demos and stalls featuring Terry Grant (The Ultimate Stunt Show), motorcycle stunts, the Maxpower Top 50 Cars and Go-Karting by Kartstart. Cachín Cachán Cachunga! Tue 20 Jul, 7.30pm. £3(£2). The Street, 2 Picardy Place, 556 4272. See preview, page 33. FREE Clever Colonisers Wed 21–Tue 27 Jul, 10am–6pm. Royal Botanic Garden, 20a Inverleith Row, 552 7171. Find out how grasslands become woodlands with the Garden Rangers. Under 16s must be accompanied. ✽✽ Planet of the Apps Wed 21 Jul, Rutland Place, 222 9930. Writers’ Bloc presents a technology-themed session of spoken word entertainment. See Hitlist. Pilates Thu 22 Jul, 9.30am, 10.30am & 11.30am. £80 (members £76). Royal Botanic Garden, 20a Inverleith Row, 248 2937. The first session in a ten-week course in the relaxing setting of the Botanics. Improve your posture, help prevent back pain (from all that gardening) and improve core strength. Level 1: 11.30am–12.30am, Level 2: 9.30am–10.30am, Level 3: 10.30am–11.30am. Animal Talks Thu 22 Jul, 7.30–9pm. £6 (members £4). Edinburgh Zoo, Corstorphine Road, 334 9171. Join the penguin experts to learn about the latest news among the Kings, Emperors and Gentoos of Edinburgh.
Sport ✽✽ The Rat Run Fri 16 Jul, 7pm. £10 in advance; £15 on the day. Princes Street Gardens, 020 3195 0185. ‘Run-in- your-work-clothes’ version of the urban adventure run that takes place over the coming weekend. This after-work version is accompanied by an ‘Office Party’ and you can do it in your real work clothes or indulge those fantasies about what you want to be when you grow up. See Hitlist.
✽✽ Rat Race Sat 17 & Sun 18 Jul, noon. £35–£99. Princes Street
Gardens, 020 3195 0185. Make the city of Edinburgh your playground for a weekend in this physical and mental challenge adventure. Teams of two or three run, climb, mountain bike, abseil and kayak across the urban landscape. See www.ratraceadventure.com for more information, and see Hitlist. FREE Scottish Open Sat 17 & Sun 18 Jul, 9.30am. Meadows Croquet Club, Melville Drive, 0845 250 4394. Discover the nailbiting world of top-flight competitive croquet as the country’s best players of this most genteel of games compete for the Scottish Open trophy. Pants in the Park Sun 18 Jul, 10am. £5 (children free). Holyrood Park, www.pantsinthepark.org. Prostate UK’s 5km charity fun run in which runners compete with decorative pants on show (Superman style, naturally).
Talks FREE ‘Great is the Sun, and Wide he Goes’: Images of Summer Fri 9 Jul, 12.45–1.30pm. National Gallery of Scotland: Hawthornden Lecture Theatre, The Mound, 624 6200. Art historian Dr Patricia Andrew explores various depictions of summer. FREE Hard of Hearing Tour: Christen Kobke Sun 11 Jul, 11am–noon. National Gallery Complex, The Mound, 624 6560. Tessa Asquith- Lamb takes a free tour of the exhibition with portable loops. Booking essential. FREE From Newhaven to Bedlam and Back Mon 12 Jul, 12.45–1.30pm. National Gallery of Scotland: Hawthornden Lecture Theatre, The Mound, 624 6200. Early Victorian artist Richard Dadd was one of the best in his field but like any 19th-century artist worth his mettle, he went mad and spent much of his life in a mental institution. He was treated by Scottish psychiatrist
Around Town
Edinburgh International Magic Festival Edinburgh’s first festival of the dark ‘n’ sparkly arts of conjuring, mind-messing and, er, producing rabbits from hats. There’s quite a complex programme: workshops in Derren Brownesque trickery, a series of films about magicians running at the Filmhouse, that bloke from The Real Hustle showing you how to nick stuff, and, excitingly, a magician’s battle, which we imagine to be something like that bit from The Lord of the Rings with Gandalf, Christopher Lee and all those flashing lights. Bish bash bosh! Not a lovely Debbie McGee in sight though, sadly . . . See www.magicfest.co.uk for full listings. ■ Various venues, Edinburgh, until Sun 11 Jul.
Alexander Morison, who encouraged Dadd to continue to work. Nicholas Tromans explores the relationship between the two. FREE Lee Miller and Roland Penrose, Two Surrealist Artists Mon 12 Jul, 12.45pm. National Gallery of Scotland: Hawthornden Lecture Theatre, The Mound, 624 6200. Antony Penrose, son of the photographer Lee Miller and painter and writer Roland Penrose, gives an account of his childhood home – a hub of artistic activity where one might bump into Picasso, Joan Miro, Max Ernst and others. FREE Edinburgh Fortean Society Tue 13 Jul, 8.30pm. The Bongo Club, Moray House, 37 Holyrood Road, 558 7604. Gordon Rutter talks on ‘A History of Spirit Photography’. FREE Edinburgh Skeptics Thu 15 Jul, 8pm. The Bongo Club, Moray House, 37 Holyrood Road, 558 7604. A talk from Kenneth Humphreys, author of Jesus Never Existed. Edinburgh Zombie Club Presents a British Horror All-Dayer Sun 18 Jul, noon. £5. The Banshee Labyrinth, 29–35 Niddry Street, 558 8209. Descend into Edinburgh’s dark bowels for a day of 60s and 70s British horror, with a talk and Q&A from veteran director Norman J Warren (4pm). Email tickets@edinburghzombieclub.com to book your place. FREE Tales of Alhambra and Moorish Spain Sun 18 Jul, 2–4pm. Central Library, George IV Bridge, 529 5636. A presentation by Professor Tariq Muneer on the exotic world of the
Alhambra and Moorish Spain. FREE A Danish Enlightenment? Understanding the Golden Age in Danish Painting Tue 20 Jul, 12.45–1.30pm. National Gallery of Scotland: Hawthornden Lecture Theatre, The Mound, 624 6200. Dr Jonathan Blackwood identifies the era’s defining characteristics, including the work of Christen Kobke, in the first of three lectures. Good Housekeeping: Looking After Your Precious Things Wed 21 Jul, 10.30am. £8. Lauriston Castle, 2a Cramond Road South, 529 3963. A few tips from Lauriston’s Senior Conservation Officer on how best to look after old artefacts. With refreshments and a tour. Booking essential. Workshops FREE The Drawing Room Thu 8 Jul, 5.30–6.45pm. Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, 75 Belford Road, 624 6410. Monthly experimental drawing sessions inspired by works in the collection, each led by a contemporary artist. All materials are provided. Advance booking essential. Botanical and Nature Photography Mon 12 Jul–Fri 16 Jul, 10am–4pm. £160 (members £144). Royal Botanic Garden, 20a Inverleith Row, 248 2937. If your nature photos consist of a headless plant or an animal-shaped blur, this could be the course for you. Five days of learning how to use a high-end camera to capture the great outdoors, with lectures and practical tuition. Price includes lunch. Booking essential.
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