SUMMER SUMMER FESTIVALS FESTIVALS
FESTIVAL OF MUSEUMS
PERTH FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS COTTIER CHAMBER PROJECT
The Tayside arts festival celebrates 45 years with both contemporary music, from KT Tunstall, The Unthanks and Manran, and classical offerings, from The John Wilson Orchestra and Scottish Opera’s Pop-Up Opera Roadshow. There’s also comedy, contemporary Scottish art and kids events. Thu 19–Sun 29 May. Intimate performances at this chamber music festival include Mr McFall’s Chamber, Brass Lab and Red Note Ensemble, as well as host groups Daniel’s Beard and High Heart Dance Company, while the Grosvenor cinema screens archive footage of lavish productions. Glasgow, Fri 5–Fri 26 Jun.
Feed your brain this summer at the Scotland-wide Festival of Museums, taking place in more than 70 museums and galleries across the country. Events include Museum Lates at the National Museum of Scotland (pictured) and a ceilidh at the Tall Ship at Riverside. Fri 13–Sun 15 May.
WEST END FESTIVAL Each year the West End of Glasgow is taken over by local arts groups, organisations and artists, creating one of the city’s biggest cultural events. Now 21 years old, the festival has plans to expand beyond previous years, losing the popular Byres Road parade but gaining hundreds of new activities. Glasgow, Fri 3–Sun 26 Jun.
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GLASGOW SCIENCE FESTIVAL GRRRL CON
This year sees a bumper birthday programme to celebrate a decade of showcasing the contribution Glasgow makes to the worlds of science, technology, engineering, maths and medicine. Non-traditional venues play host to exhibitions, hands-on experiments and comedy. Thu 9–Sun 19 Jun. Organised by women’s writing champs For Book’s Sake and Write Like a Grrrl, the i rst ever Grrrl Con happens this summer. The line-up features Scotland’s new makar Jackie Kay, The Gracekeepers writer Kirsty Logan (pictured) and historical novelist Lucy Ribchester (see preview, page 60). Scottish Storytelling Centre, Edinburgh, Sat 11 & Sun 12 Jun.
EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
REFUGEE FESTIVAL More important this year than ever, Refugee Festival Scotland is organised by the Scottish Refugee Council and celebrates the contributions made by refugees to the country’s culture and communities. The 12-day event features scores of music, visual art, i lm, and family activities. Tue 14–Sun 26 Jun.
T IN THE PARK This year’s T in the Park line-up is great, no doubt about that, but one band rising like a phoenix stands head and shoulders above the rest. Following the announced return from self-imposed, myth-making retirement, fans of LCD Soundsystem prayed the second coming would include an appearance at their festival of choice. We can count ourselves lucky. Dismiss them as ‘that hipster band’ at your peril; anyone lucky enough to have seen LCD live will tell you, they throw one helluva show. The sooner they Shut Up and Play the Hits, the better. • Strathallan Castle, Perthshire, Fri 8–Sun 10 Jul. Celebrating its 70th year, the full programme isn’t announced until Wed 25 May, but we already know that this year’s country focus is Finland. Plus, on the back of their sold-out live score of Back to the Future in 2015, the RSNO lend their orchestral talents to a screening of Spielberg’s ET this year. Wed 15–Sun 26 Jun.
22 THE LIST 7 Apr–2 Jun 2016