Portobello by Peter Simpson

Portobello

Three miles east of the city centre, Portobello is ideal if you want a break from the wet medieval stone of the Old Town. It all centres on the beach – a two-mile stretch that’s not always great for swimming, but perfect for lounging about with a book and a coffee. The beachfront promenade is a lively mix of food, drinks, amusement arcades, families, dogs and cyclists (so keep your head on a swivel). There’s also a healthy high street dotted with indie shops and eateries, and some very good pubs for when the rain inevitably comes on.

Down on the beach you’ll find a pastel pink outpost of Civerinos Slice, serving up slices so big that the wind might genuinely take them out of your hands. Just next door is The Little Chartroom on the Prom, who bring flashes of restaurant flair to their beachfront trailer. Incredible flavour and texture combinations abound, with an inventive and exciting menu that changes every few weeks but focuses on seasonal veg and meat, as well as a healthy amount of seafood and what we’ll call ‘lovely charred things’. One of the best dining experiences anywhere in the city, regardless of how much sand you’ll get in your mouth. Weekends bring the Little Green Van to the beach, serving up takeaway espresso by Edinburgh roasteries, and The Espy is a great beachfront bar for a pint and a gaze out to the water. Over on the High Street, The Skylark and the Portobello Tap serve up tasty drinks in relaxed settings, while recent newcomer Tanifiki is the place to relax with a coffee. There are branches of the oft-mentioned Twelve Triangles and Bross Bagels if you’re in the mood for pastry/holed bread, and, because it’s the seaside, we need to shout out one of the city’s best chip shops. St Andrews Takeaway, we salute you.

Photo: Alice Meikle Bross Bagels fiction, and regularly hosts readings and events in-person and online. If you’re feeling a bit peckish, Aemilia’s homemade fresh pasta was a big hit of the 2020 lockdown; they regularly sell out early at their new permanent home at the other end of the High Street, so get down early if you’re keen for some ravioli. Looking for a memento of your trip that you can drink on the train home? Beer Zoo is one of the city’s very best bottle shops, with incredibly knowledgeable staff and a wide selection that includes beers and spirits from a host of local breweries and distilleries. And if you want a bit of a break from the sand and the waves, look out for the latest from Art Walk Porty, which has in recent years grown from an annual celebration of the area’s artists into a multi-faceted programme of events and residencies. Their Art Houses event (4-12 Sep) will offer local artists the chance to open up their studios, homes and gardens, while AWP’s ongoing Assemble programme continues until October 2021. The Porty Light Box is a decommissioned phone box on the corner of Bellfield Street and the High Street that’s been taken on as a gallery space for the local community; it’s well worth swinging by and seeing what’s in the windows.

Photo: Tallah Brash

Things to Do

If after reading that first paragraph you’ve realised you don’t have any beach-friendly reading material with you, don’t panic! The Portobello Bookshop is here to help! The independent bookshop, which opened in 2019, has a bit of everything from local indie magazines to genre-busting

Takeaway pint from The Espy

Bass Rock, North Berwick

Getting There, and Going Further Afield

One of the best ways to get to Portobello from the city is by cycling. Just Eat Bikes are £1.50 for an hour, with a drop-off point at the north end of the promenade. Pay through the app, pick up your bike from one of the stations on The Meadows, head towards the police station at Sciennes, then it’s off-street cycle paths the rest of the way. Alternatively, use Lothian Buses to get there – the 21 goes from Leith, the 26 from Princes St or the West End, the 42 from the New Town or the 49 from the Southside. £1.80 each way, pay using contactless, wear a mask on board. If you *do* fancy a swim, the beaches of East Lothian are closer than you might think. In fact, the 124 EastCoastBus from the city centre passes through Porty on its way to Gullane and North Berwick. The former is home to a beautiful, sprawling sandy beach with some of the best water quality around; the latter is a charming seaside town with the sea to paddle in, shops to peruse, and a large hill (Berwick Law) to climb should the mood take you. It’s around 75 minutes from central Edinburgh to Gullane, then another quarter-hour to North Berwick; you can also get to North Berwick in 35 minutes via hourly Scotrail trains from Waverley. The water at the nearby Yellowcraig Beach is great for wild swimming, while the best waves around can be found at Dunbar, a hub of activity for surfers, paddleboarders and other wetsuited enthusiasts. It’s around half an hour on the train with either Scotrail or CrossCountry.

Daytripping

Once you’ve explored the centre, venture outside the city limits to find beaches, mountains and the cities and towns of Scotland within easy reach

Words: Laurie Presswood

From its location in the heart of the lowlands, Edinburgh is perfectly placed as a starting point for day trips across Scotland. For those seeking shorter journey times, the Lothians are the natural place to start. Musselburgh sits just to the east of the city, and is reachable on foot in 40 minutes from nearby Portobello, or in ten minutes on the train from Edinburgh Waverley. From there you can enjoy walks on the beach, ice-creams in hand – or lucky visitors in August can get tickets to see Grid Iron’s Doppler, an outdoor, site-specific adaptation of the best-selling Norwegian novel. The production is running for the duration of the Fringe in the woods of Newhailes House, and tickets are £15. To the west of Edinburgh City Council’s domain, you can find Cramond and South Queensferry. Cramond (visited by Maggie Smith for clandestine rendezvous in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie) is the gateway to tidal Cramond Island, accessed by a causeway. Text CRAMOND to 81400

Photo: Emily Crawford

Rosslyn Chapel

for daily details of safe crossing times from the RNLI. The village itself is a half hour bus ride away from the city centre on the number 43 – stay on a while longer and you’ll reach South Queensferry, which houses the southern half of three enormous bridges. Stand underneath the Forth Bridge feeling small, and quake in your little boots every time a train rumbles along above you, or have dinner and drinks on the seashore. South Queensferry is also accessible via a 17-minute train to nearby Dalmeny, plus five minutes of walking – an adult’s day

Photo: Esteban

Photo: Sean Paul Kinnear

Pentlands

return will set you back £4.90. South of the city, the Pentland Hills play host to a 100km network of marked paths for those who have brought their hillwalking boots. With such a variety of routes to choose from, there’s a walk for everyone, regardless of your fitness level. Alternatively, for a gentler walk, get the 37 bus direct from Princes Street to Roslin Glen Country Park – a large expanse of ancient woodland that is just over an hour away from the city centre. It’s also home to Rosslyn Chapel, made famous by The Da Vinci Code. In the centre of Scotland lies Stirling, the old capital. Stirling is just a 40-minute train journey from Edinburgh, and is built around what we will, perhaps controversially, name ‘Scotland’s Best Castle’. Take the tour, and be invited to sit on a reconstruction of the King’s throne, or stand on the battlements and look out over miles of historic battlefields as the wind whips through your hair. The bright lights of Glasgow are also within striking distance of the capital – go museum-tripping or shopping during the day, and drinking and dancing later on. The journey is only 50 minutes by train, and off-peak day return tickets are £13.70. Be careful if you’re in a rush, though – there are two possible routes to Glasgow, and one takes twice as long. These slower trains are usually headed for Glasgow Central – if speed is what you’re after, look for Glasgow Queen Street. Either way, always check the arrival time of your train and compare with the two coming after it – you might find that a later train will get you in sooner. Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum boasts a selection of art and natural history exhibits, while the Riverside Museum, designed by Zaha Hadid, pays tribute to Glasgow’s shipbuilding past and is home to the transport museum. On the opposite bank of the Clyde, Glasgow Science Centre offers fun educational activities alongside a planetarium and IMAX cinema. If you want to learn more about Scotland’s history, and are keen to explore beyond the city boundaries, David Livingstone Birthplace in Blantyre attempts a balanced examination of the life of the Scottish explorer. Its exhibits present Livingstone against the backdrop of Victorian-era Scotland, and uses him as a vehicle through which to educate about Scotland’s industrial past as well as its role in colonialism. Moving further south still, New Lanark, one of

Photo: Kelvingrove Art Gallery

Kelvingrove Art Gallery

Scotland’s six UNESCO World Heritage Sites, is an 18th-century mill-village of striking proportions. It’s accessible via local coach from Lanark bus station, or direct from Glasgow’s Buchanan Street bus station – details for both services can be retrieved by calling Stuart’s Coaches on 01555 773533. Newcomers to Edinburgh might find themselves wondering what that expanse of land across the water is? That’s the Kingdom of Fife. With huge stretches of beautiful coastline, the charming fishing villages of Fife’s East Neuk are well worth a visit – but to do the trip justice a car is advisable. Further North, you can visit historic St Andrews via a train to Leuchars followed by a connecting bus – fear not, the journey might sound a tad complicated but it shouldn’t take you more than an hour and a half. If you’re satisfied admiring Fife’s picturesque landscapes through the window of a motor vehicle, then a day trip to Dundee might be in order. Travel from St Andrew’s Square with Ember, the first all-electric intercity bus, or get the train in a little over an hour, to approach the city over the river and take in the full splendour of this jewel of the Tay as it was meant to be seen – from the water. The most striking feature of Dundee’s waterfront is undoubtedly the V&A – Scotland’s first design museum – and with the RRS Discovery and Jannettas ice cream on either side, you could spend an entire day out in Dundee without having to travel more than 500 metres from the train station. Alternatively, for a proper expedition into the city, grab some fish and chips and head for the top of the Dundee Law hill (fish and chips optional).

Dundee

Great Exhibitions

Edinburgh is well served with art galleries yearround, and particularly in August when Edinburgh Art Festival arrives with a programme of exhibitions and special artist commissions, many of which have permanently contributed to the city’s topography

Words: Rosamund West

Before you even get to the galleries, remnants of past Edinburgh Art Festival commissions can be found across the city centre. Martin Creed’s marble staircase links South Bridge and Market St, Graham Fagen’s vibrant neons illuminate the Calton Road underpass at the foot of Jacob’s Ladder, and the shifting colours of Calum Innes’s work light up the bridge behind Waverley. In the Old Town, Fruitmarket (45 Market St) have recently reopened following an extensive refurbishment, extending their exhibitions and events space into the former nightclub next door. They launch the space with sculptures 2001-2021, a pastel-hued retrospective of Karla Black (7 Jul-24 Oct), whose playful experimentation and subversion of material tropes interacts perfectly with the airy gallery spaces.

Opposite, the multi-level City Art Centre (2 Market St) is hosting exhibitions of Ian Hamilton Finlay, Donald Smith and Charles H Mackie. Around the corner, Stills (23 Cockburn St) is the city’s centre for photography. They will present a series of work by Sekai Machache, The Divine Sky (until 18 Sep), which utilises allegory and performance to tell a complicated history.

Image: Courtesy of the artist

The Divine Sky, 2020, Sekai Machache Tapestry studio and craft hub Dovecot (10 Infirmary St) has a retrospective of one of the greatest unrecognised pop artists, Archie Brennan: Tapestry Goes Pop! (until 30 Aug) as well as annual jewellery survey show Dazzle. In Edinburgh University’s Old College, Talbot Rice Gallery present group show, The Normal (until 29 Aug), a vivid reflection of life in the pandemic. Working with EAF, they have commissioned a new sound installation by Emeka Ogboh, Song of the Union (until 29 Aug) a response to the ongoing theatre surrounding our departure from the EU which will be presented in the Burns Monument (1759 Regent Road).

Cologne and Modern Art, London Image: Courtesy Galerie Gisela Capitain,

Looking Glass number 16, 2021, Karla Black

A core part of the EAF programme is Platform (until 29 Aug), which showcases the work of four early-career artists. This year you will find work by Jessica Higgins, Danny Pagarani, Kirsty Russell and Isabella Widger in the Institut Français Ecosse (W Parliament Sq). In a new initiative for the Art Festival, Glasgow-based Tako Taal has been invited to collaborate as an Associate Artist, creating and commissioning work responding to the themes – including representation, resistance, civil rights – of Isaac Julien’s new work Lessons of the Hour.

In Fountainbridge, Edinburgh Printmakers (1 Dundee St) is a workshop and exhibition space. For August, they present work by celebrated Indian artist and researcher Sonia Mehra Chawla following a series of intensive residencies in Scotland.

Up Calton Hill, Collective resides in a former observatory with unparalleled views across the city. You can see a new site-specific textile commission by Christian Newby (until 29 Aug), plus a cross-media installation by Alison Scott (until 19 Sep), a graduate of their emergent artist-supporting Satellites programme, in the Hillside space.

On Queen St, the Scottish National Portrait Gallery presents Ruined (until 14 Nov), an exhibition of work developed by young Scots interacting with the nation’s history and works from the galleries’ collections. They will also host A Portrait Without Likeness (until 9 Jan 2022), a new series of paintings from Alison Watt made in response to the work of celebrated 18th century portrait artist Allan Ramsay.

In the New Town, in the converted Glasite Meeting House, Ingleby (33 Barony St) are showing Music of the Spheres, the first exhibition devoted to Frank Walter’s small circular ‘spool’ paintings (until 25 Sep). Nearby Dundas St is home to a number of more traditional commercial galleries. A highlight is The Scottish Gallery (16 Dundas St), which presents an extensive exhibition of the work of Joan Eardley (until 28 Aug), on the occasion of her centenary. Beyond the New Town, in the centre of the Botanics, Inverleith House shows work tying together its scientific surroundings with contemporary art. For summer 2021, former Turner nominee Christine Borland presents a multidisciplinary collection exploring the life cycle of flax, as part of the gallery’s Climate House programme.

At the top of Leith Walk, Ltd Ink Corporation (77 Brunswick St) is an independent arts organisation that facilitates exhibitions and events in the Old Ambulance Depot. They’ve recently launched a bimonthly Sunday market too. In Newhaven, Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop (21 Hawthornvale) is a working studio system with an extensive exhibitions and education programme. This August, they present a co-commission of Irish artist Sean Lynch, Tak Tent O’Time Ere Time Be Tint, which casts a spotlight on Edinburgh’s public artworks and monuments.

The National Galleries of Scotland Modern One (75 Belford Rd) and Modern Two (73 Belford Rd) are set in grand former schools to the west of the city centre. In One, they present Isaac Julien’s major new ten-screen film work, Lessons of the Hour (until 31 Aug), a poetic meditation on the life of Frederick Douglass. Two is hosting Ray Harryhausen, Titan of Cinema (until 20 Feb 2022), a blockbuster show of the special effects master.

On the outskirts of the city, Jupiter Artland (Bonnington House, Wilkieston) has evolved into a fantastical art park, as their regular commissions from internationally-renowned visual artists add new layers of discovery each year. This year they have added a new cartoon animation work by Rachel Maclean to the permanent collection. For EAF, they present RESET by Turner co-winner Alberta Whittle (until 31 Oct), a new film work created at the height of lockdown with an array of multidisciplinary accomplices.

Usher Hall

A Potted Guide to Edinburgh’s Music History

From Nirvana playing a pub open mic night to award-winning grassroots venues, we look at just some of Edinburgh’s live music highlights from the 1960s to now

Words: Tallah Brash

In Edinburgh we’ve always been overshadowed by our friends in the west when it comes to our music scene; in 2008 Glasgow was even named a UNESCO City of Music. So while it’s hard to argue a case for Edinburgh over Glasgow, Edinburgh’s music scene is still worth celebrating. And despite the MANY venue closures over the years, the memories live on; Edinburgh has a great deal of fight in her and there’s always something new on the horizon.

The recent expansion of the Fruitmarket (45 Market St) was once the site of live music venue Electric Circus, where artists like Emeli Sandé, Michael Kiwanuka, The 1975 and CHVRCHES – who played their first ever show there under the moniker Shark Week – cut their teeth. Before that, as Buster Browns, in 1983 The Fall played for only a £3 cover charge.

Under its Cavendish Ballroom guise, ATIK (3 West Tollcross) – recently featured in T2

Trainspotting – hosted bands such as Pink Floyd, The Clash, Patti Smith and Siouxsie and the Banshees in the 60s and 70s. And when the nearby Odeon (118 Lothian Rd) was the ABC Cinema, it welcomed Beatlemania to the city when the Liverpool band played there in 1964, while two years later Davie Jones and the Manish Boys (aka David Bowie) and Bob Dylan graced its stage.

Bowie also played the old Empire Theatre – now the Festival Theatre (13-29 Nicolson St) – in the 70s following a short stint actually living round the corner on Drummond Street. The 2,900 capacity Usher Hall (Lothian Rd) also welcomed Bowie in the late 60s, and over the last six decades has hosted everyone from The Rolling Stones and Chuck Berry to The xx and Jon Hopkins.

But it’s in the city’s more underground and grassroots scene where the stories come to life. The old Calton Studios venue (Studio 24 in its final years before demolition) hosted Nirvana in 1990 and 1991. However, the most famous Nirvana/Edinburgh story has to be when frontman Kurt Cobain and drummer Dave Grohl (whose band Foo Fighters have since headlined Murrayfield Stadium) played an open mic night in The Southern Bar (22-26 South Clerk St), still there today if you want to pop in for a pint.

Best known for its theatre, since the mid-70s the Edinburgh Playhouse (18-22 Greenside Pl) has hosted everyone from Queen and Tina Turner to St. Vincent. But in the 80s, deep within its walls you’d find Nite Club, with wild programming that included everyone from Orange Juice and the Eurythmics to Suicide, Simple Minds, Bauhaus and The Damned. Skip forward a few decades and in 2019 the 100 capacity Sneaky Pete’s (73 Cowgate) won the UK-wide award for best Grassroots Music Venue: Spirit of the Scene, the miniscule sweatbox having hosted everyone from Future Islands to Edinburgh’s own Young Fathers (before they won the Mercury Prize for their 2014 record Dead) over the years. See, we told you Edinburgh was good!

As restrictions start to ease, venues across the city are gearing up to welcome back bands, fans and promoters alike, from grassroots venues like Sneaky Pete’s, Henry’s Cellar Bar (16A Morrison St) and Leith Depot (138-140 Leith Walk), to midsized venues like Summerhall (1 Summerhall), The Mash House (37 Guthrie St), La Belle Angele (11 Hastie’s Close), The Liquid Room (9C Victoria St), The Bongo Club (66 Cowgate), The Caves (8-10 Niddry St), The Voodoo Rooms (19a West Register St), and auditoriums like Usher Hall, The Queen’s Hall (85-89 Clerk St) and Leith Theatre (28-30 Ferry Rd). The past year and a half has been a gut punch to the music industry, but Edinburgh venues have worked tirelessly throughout to ensure they remain in a post-pandemic world. Visit them if you can. Who knows, you might even see the next big thing.

There’s more to Edinburgh than The Proclaimers’ Sunshine on Leith, so check out our playlist of local bands, past and present on Spotify – search for ‘There's more to Edinburgh than The Proclaimers’ or scan the below code.

Photo: Kate Johnston

Skinny Pelembe live at Sneaky Pete's

Movie Magic

Edinburgh International Film Festival returns to its original August slot with an eye-catching opening film starring Nicolas Cage, two much-anticipated musicals and plenty of classics

Words: Jamie Dunn

The COVID-19 pandemic has been tragic and awful and a right pain in the arse. But there is one silver lining for Edinburgh film fans: the Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF) has been forced to return to its traditional August slot and joins the city’s other festivals celebrating arts and culture with a week of film screenings and events, both indoors and outdoors.

The 74th edition of EIFF promises to kick off in wild style with the Nicolas Cage drama Pig, which sees the game-for-anything actor play a reclusive former chef who lives deep in an Oregon forest with only his beloved truffle pig for company. When the hog is stolen, Cage goes on a rampage through Portland’s foodie underworld to retrieve her. So it’s basically John Wick meets Babe, and it sounds like a very fun way for the long-running festival to make its return.

Similarly loopy should be Annette, a magnificently over-the-top rock opera combining the visual invention of genius French filmmaker Leos Carax (Holy Motors) with the experimental pop music of Sparks. If that’s not enough to recommend Annette, it stars Adam Driver and Marion Cotillard. Singing and dancing fans will also want to snap up tickets for the eagerly-awaited film adaptation of Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, the much-loved stage musical about a 16-year-old Sheffield lad who dreams of becoming a drag queen. We’re told that Jamie Campbell, on whose life the musical is based, will present the screening alongside his mother, Margaret.

We’re looking forward to the UK premiere of The Beta Test, Jim Cummings’ Hollywood satire following a talent agent who gets wrapped up in a sex and murder plot. More dark humour should be found in the outrageous Norwegian comedy Ninjababy, which centres on a fun-loving young woman who finds her hedonistic lifestyle in jeopardy when she discovers she’s six months pregnant. Mandibles, meanwhile, sounds bananas. It’s from the warped mind of Quentin Dupieux (Rubber, Deerskin) and concerns two bumbling ne’er-do-wells on a caper that involves them trying to domesticate a giant housefly.

The documentary game at EIFF also looks strong this year. Rebel Dykes promises a rousing celebration of London’s rebel dyke subculture of the 1980s while Fathom takes us into the deep, examining the lives of humpback whales and their use of songs as a way of social communication. Animation fans are also catered for by epic anime fantasy The Deer King and British animation Absolute Denial, an imaginative sci-fi following a computer geek who tries to build the world’s smartest computer and quickly regrets it.

As well as these laundry fresh films there are a handful of classics in the programme. Any chance to see Joseph Losey’s The Servant (1963) and Federico Fellini’s La Strada (1954) on the big screen should be taken. We recommend you also snap up tickets for EIFF’s rare screenings of Renato Castellani’s Two Cents Worth of Hope (1952) and Leo Penn’s A Man Called Adam (1966).

Away from the above screenings at EIFF’s HQ at Filmhouse, you’ll find plenty more older films on the menu at Film Fest in the City, EIFF’s annual outdoor screenings at St Andrew Square. The line-up includes showings of the original Star Wars trilogy, Hollywood classics like Singing in the Rain, E.T. and The Wizard of Oz, and cult movies like The Rocky Horror Picture Show and the Scottish comedy Restless Natives.

The festival will come to a close with Billy Crystal’s buddy comedy Here Today. The legendary star of When Harry Met Sally… and City Slickers also takes the lead, playing a veteran comedy writer who forms an unlikely friendship with a New York singer, played by comic firecracker Tiffany Haddish. And let’s face it, after the year and a half we’ve had, we could all do with a laugh.

EIFF runs 18-25 Aug

Film Fest in the City runs 19-25

For more info and tickets, head to: edfilmfest.org.uk

Advertising Feature Clementine Bogg-Hargroves on Skank

Actor, director and writer Clementine Bogg-Hargroves brings her debut play, Skank, to Edinburgh Fringe on a wave of rave reviews. She tells us about discovering her voice as an actor and writer, and describes her perfect day at The Fringe

Interview: Jamie Dunn

When Clementine BoggHargroves brings Skank, her debut one-woman play, to the Fringe, it’ll be something of a homecoming. The Leigh-based performer studied Arabic at the University of Edinburgh and lived in most corners of the city during her time here. It was only after uni, though, that Bogg-Hargroves fully embraced a career in theatre. But living back in her hometown of Skipton, Yorkshire, didn’t offer many opportunities. “I was doing a lot of am-dram,” she recalls, “a lot of very sexist, boring, four hour plays where you were like, ‘When is this gonna end?’” It was at this point she began to discover more contemporary voices in theatre and decided to put on her own shows. First, there was a performance of Clara Brennan’s blistering monologue Spine at Hettie’s, the tiny cafe in Skipton at which she was working. Then a more ambitious performance of Nick Payne’s Constellations at Skipton Town Hall. “I started to realise there was this whole bunch of stuff out there by people who were writing about now,” she says. “That’s when I decided to apply to drama school.” Bogg-Hargroves finally wrote Skank after experiencing the worst year of her life. “Once I finished drama school I felt very lost and ended up in a pit of depression and anxiety. Then that got worse, because I had a smear test and well... let’s just say, the results of that made it into the show.” Once she recovered from this double-whammy of physical and mental trauma, she started to put pen to paper on a comedydrama that explores the life of Kate, a 20-something who – like Bogg-Hargroves – is attempting to make sense of the world around her while also trying to keep her inner anxieties under control. The results have garnered comparisons to Phoebe WallerBridge’s Fleabag. It certainly sounds similarly soul-searching: “I think Skank is basically just my existential crisis of ‘Why am I here?’ ‘What is the point?’” admits Bogg-Hargroves.

Pleasance Courtyard, 17-29 Aug (not 23 Aug), 4.45pm

Clementine Bogg-Hargroves

Clementine Bogg-Hargroves’ perfect day at the Edinburgh Fringe:

Yoga at Meadowlark (43 Argyle Pl) “Meadowlark kept me alive during uni. I’m not joking: they got me through the stress of fourth year.”

Breakfast at The Treehouse Cafe (44 Leven St) “This is just a beautiful little spot. Their scrambled eggs are unreal.”

A show at the Pleasance Courtyard (60 Pleasance) “Obviously it’s a great place to just hang out, but please consider seeing Skank while you’re there.”

Dinner at Mosque Kitchen (50 Potterrow) “I always go for their saag aloo.“

Drinks at Brass Monkey (14 Drummond St) “I love their cinema room, where you can lounge like an emperor.”

Fringe The Shows Must Go On

Taking place in the capital each August, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe is the biggest arts festival in the world. This year's lack of rehearsal time means it's a much smaller programme than usual, but we're still excited to see it return

Words: Tallah Brash

In pre-pandemic times the Fringe would welcome an obscene number of performers to the city each year, with the number of shows getting close to 4,000 in recent years. Consequently, combined with tourists, it’s been said that Edinburgh’s 500,000 population almost doubles in size each August, which obviously won’t be the case this year.

As well as packing in people each August, the number of venues also increases at an alarming rate, with everywhere from university buildings and dingy basements to pop-up yurts in back alleys and upside-down inflatable purple cows being transformed into a multitude of performance spaces. Anything goes. And as an eternal resident of this fine city it’s exciting to watch it transform each year and a thrill when the first alien structures start appearing. Last year was the first time since 1947 that the Edinburgh Fringe didn’t happen. The city looked sad and deflated, like a balloon with a slow puncture. We’ve therefore been counting down the days until its return, and while 2021 might not look or feel like the Fringe we’re used to, we’re so happy to have it back.

Running from 6 to 30 August, this year’s Edinburgh Fringe is expectedly a stripped-back affair with a mere fraction of the shows we’re used to welcoming each year. While Pleasance venues are usually awash with famous faces, and comedians galore, this year’s programme is looking rather thin on the ground with a smattering of shows across theatre and comedy, including a run from

Fringe veteran Mark Watson at Pleasance Courtyard (60 Pleasance; Venue 33). You'll also find a handful of Pleasance shows at EICC (150 Morrison St; Venue 150), which has spent most of this year as a COVID vaccination centre. Another usual big hitter, Assembly have only a few shows split between their Assembly George Square Gardens (George Square; Venue 3) and Assembly Roxy (2 Roxburgh Pl; Venue 139) venues, with theatre, dance, burlesque and cabaret fans catered for.

With Fringe shows of yesteryear more often than not taking place in poorly ventilated rooms, some of them actual caves (no, really!), in 2021 outdoor spaces are key, with performances taking place this year at venues like Tynecastle Park (McLeod St; Venue 547) and Traverse @ Silverknowes Beach (Venue 286). Four of the regular big promoters – Gilded Balloon, Zoo Venues, Traverse Theatre and Dance base – have also come together to create open-air hub MultiStory (Castle Terrace; Venue 195) where the NCP car park on Castle Terrace will be transformed this August. Alongside food and drink stalls, expect to find local drag queen mainstays like Alice Rabbit as well as some big names in stand-up like Jason Byrne. You’ll also find Byrne at the Edinburgh Corn Exchange (10-11 Newmarket Rd; Venue 249) this month, where other well-known Fringe regulars can be found.

We’re delighted to see yearround live music venue and arts space Summerhall (1 Summerhall Pl; Venue 26) make its grand return this August too with a blended programme of online, ondemand and in-person performances. While it won’t be the usual bustling hangout we’re used to, with performance spaces in every direction, their Secret Courtyard space (not such a secret now you know about it) will be populated by a mix of theatre as well as some of Scotland’s most talented musicians. The Stand Comedy Club (5 York Pl; Venue 12) is a Scottish institution, and lynchpin of the year-round comedy scene. Their Fringe programme usually expands out of their basement space to open up venues in the surrounding area, presenting some of the most respected names on the comedy circuit. Meanwhile, Monkey Barrel Comedy (9-11 Blair St; Venue 515) have pulled out all the stops with their 2021 programme, managing to book the kind of names we’re used to seeing in much bigger venues (see: Fern Brady, Josie Long, John-Luke Roberts, Ahir Shah, Olga Koch to name a few).

Elsewhere, you’ll also find Fringe shows this year at Underbelly George Square Gardens and Bristo Square, TheSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall, Symposium Hall and Triplex, The Hive, Scottish Storytelling Centre, Institut Français Ecosse, Leith Arches, Theatre Big Top (Festival Square; Venue 189), and for free shows, head to Laughing Horse venues like Counting House, 32 Below, Free Sisters and the Hanover Tap.

For more information about this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe head to: edfringe.com

Sounds of the Summer

After over a year of empty stages, the Edinburgh International Festival is back with a bumper programme of music, theatre and performance

Words: Jamie Dunn

Photo: Dan Medhurst

Moses Boyd

Oh, how we’ve missed the electricity and communal thrill of live performance. Of course, after more than a year off, the city’s culture fans have gone hell for leather at the Edinburgh International Festival tickets, with some events now Photo: Fraser Taylor sold out – but here are some excellent options that were still available at time of writing. First up, two recent Scottish Album of the Year Award-winners and Skinny favourites: Anna Meredith (Fri 20 Aug) and Kathryn Joseph (Sun 8 Aug). Meredith helped open EIF back in 2018 with the stunning audiovisual piece Five

Nadine Shah Telegrams, and the composer will be back again this year to perform music from her second album, FIBS. Meanwhile, Joseph will provide beautiful ballads from her debut Bones You Have Thrown Me and Blood I’ve Spilled and its follow-up, From When I Wake the Want Is. Two more Scottish acts to look out for are ambient composer Erland Cooper (Sun 15 Aug) and Edinburgh multi-arts collective Neu! Reekie! (Thu 12 Aug).

You’ll find more uber talented female voices on the bill with the soulful Laura Mvula (Sun 29 Aug), who’ll be bringing her brand of 80s new wave-inspired dance-pop, indie folk trio The Staves (Tue 10 Aug), and Nadine Shah (Wed 18 Aug), who’ll perform tracks from her fourth album, Kitchen Sink, in Scotland for the first time. Malian actress, musician and social activist Fatoumata Diawara (Fri 27 Aug) will be tackling ‘the pain of emigration, the struggles of African women and life under the rule of religious fundamentalists’ with her first EIF performance.

Electronic producer Sam Shepherd aka Floating Points, will bring his euphoric live show (Sat 14 Aug) as will Canadian electronic artist Caribou (Sat 28 Aug), while modern UK jazz is well-

Photo: Dan Medhurst Photo: Sequoia Ziff

The Staves

Fatoumata Diawara represented with gigs from Kokoroko (Thu 26 Aug), Moses Boyd (Tue 17 Aug) and The Comet is Coming (Wed 25 Aug). All of the above shows are at Edinburgh International Festival’s new pop-up pavilion at Edinburgh Park, with most starting at 8.30pm and running for about 75 minutes.

There are no support acts, the gigs are all seated, and you’ll be alongside members of your household bubble.

Edinburgh Park is about half an hour west of the city centre; get the 2, 22 or 36

Lothian bus, hop on a tram heading towards the airport, or get a train from Waverley or

Haymarket to Edinburgh Park rail station.

As ever, EIF will also be bringing some of the UK’s great orchestras to town. The opening Photo: Gem Harris night show will see the BBC Symphony Orchestra premiere Anna Clyne’s new work PIVOT (Sat 7 Aug), while the Royal Scottish National Orchestra performs Mendelssohn’s A

Midsummer Night’s Dream (Wed 11 Aug) and showcases

Argentinian cellist Sol Gabetta (Mon 16 Aug).

The Scottish Chamber Orchestra – under Kazushi Ono – presents Ravel, Prokofiev and two Japanese pieces inspired by the beauty of the natural world (Sat 28 Aug), with the Chineke! Orchestra (Tue 17 Aug), the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (Mon 9 Aug) and the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra (Sun 15 Aug) also set to perform.

These orchestral performances take place at Edinburgh Academy Junior School, just down the road from the Botanic Gardens in Inverleith. Most of the orchestras are putting on two shows on their performance days – one at 6pm, and a second at 8.30pm. It’s an easy walk from the city centre (although not as easy on the way back, on account of being uphill all the way), or get the bus (8, 14, 21, 23 or 27).

The Write Stuff

Cosy up for some great readings and literary chats at the Book Festival's new venue, the Edinburgh College of Art, where a typically stellar mix of Scottish and international authors will be celebrating the written word

Words: Peter Simpson

Of the August festivals, the Edinburgh International Book Festival is usually the chilled-out one. Think old boys having naps in deckchairs, children running around with picture books, and intellectual conversations in hushed and surprisingly plush tents.

For 2021, the Book Festival has moved to the campus of Edinburgh College of Art at Lauriston Place (just where the Old Town, Tollcross and the Southside meet on our map), and it should offer a similar sense of calm. There’s a festival-run bookshop set for the ECA’s Old Fire Station building, an outdoor big screen in the quad which will screen selected talks, a cafe and bar, and plenty of room for relaxing between events.

This year’s festival (14-30 Aug) is very much a hybrid of online and offline. There are 250 events lined up, with limited in-person tickets available for a chunk of the programme. Around half of this year’s authors will be appearing in person, with the rest beaming in online, and every event is available to stream with Pay-What-You-Can ticketing. The full programme is available now at edbookfest. co.uk; here are a few highlights to get you started.

New Scottish Writers and Filmmakers

Photo: Robin Farquhar-Thomson One standout is the Reading Scotland series, pairing Scottish filmmakers and authors. Helen McClory discusses her stunning new gothic novel Bitterhall, alongside a debut screening of a short film to accompany the book by Scottish filmmaker and longtime friend of The Skinny, Bryan M Ferguson (Thu 19 Aug, 5.30pm). James Price – another great of Scottish short filmmaking – presents a new film to accompany The Young Team by Graeme Armstrong (Mon 23

Photo: Robin Mair

More highlights...

Aug, 5.30pm), with shorts by Anthony Baxter, Niamh McKeown, Jamie Crewe and Alison Piper also commissioned by the festival.

Inspired by the Book Festival’s Citizen community workshops, the aforementioned Armstrong joins Poor author Caleb Femi and Luckenbooth author Jenni Fagan to discuss what home, environment and community will mean in a post-pandemic world in Take Your Place (Sat 14 Aug, 1pm).

In a similar vein, One City: A Just Capital? (Mon 23 Aug, 11.30am) revisits the One City short story project – which aimed to help tackle poverty and social exclusion in Edinburgh – ahead of a new updated volume next year. Nadine Aisha Jassat, Sara Sheridan and Anne Hamilton are joined by Irvine Welsh, Ian Rankin and Alexander McCall Smith to discuss the project, the divisions within the capital, and ways to resolve them.

Edinburgh International Book Festival

LGBTQIA+ stories

We’re delighted to be sponsoring Torrey Peters’ appearance at the Book Festival. She’ll be dialling in from home to discuss her groundbreaking, Womens’ Prize for Fictionnominated debut novel, Detransition, Baby, which explores the intertangled personal lives and relationships of three women, trans and cis (Sat 14 Aug, 5.30pm). Peters’ event is part of the Pride and Prejudice strand, highlighting LGBTQIA+ voices from across literature and the arts. Annihilation author Jeff VanderMeer discusses his new climate crisis thriller Hummingbird Salamander (Sat 21 Aug, 8.15pm); Nobel Prize winner Kazuo Ishiguro talks through his latest, Klara and the Sun (Sun 29 Aug, 7pm); Alan Warner delves into Kitchenly 434, his English country house satire (Thu 19 Aug, 11.15am); and The Skinny contributor Eilidh Akilade leads a discussion on Afrofuturism presented by the Scottish BAME Writers Network (Sat 21 Aug, 1pm).

Edinburgh International Book Festival 2021, Edinburgh College of Art, Lauriston Place, 14-30 Aug

edbookfest.co.uk

Further highlights from the strand include a discussion on dialects between Harry Josephine Giles and Duck Feet author Ely Percy (Wed 18 Aug, 4pm); theatremaker Travis Alabanza in conversation with Shon Faye, journalist and author of The Transgender Issue, on the need to move beyond toxic narratives and transphobia (Sat 28 Aug, 5.15pm); and a ‘PostApocalyptic Cabaret’ by Aberdeen performance night Hysteria, curated by Mae Diansangu and Hanna Louise (Sat 28 Aug, 8.30pm).

Books

Abbeyhill A Tollcross, Bruntsfield, Morningside TBM Gorgie, Dalry, Fountainbridge GDF Leith L New Town NT Old Town OT Portobello P Southside S Stockbridge, Canonmills SC West End WE

Art Shops

Doodles 27 Marchmont Cres TBM Edinburgh Art Shop 129 Lauriston Pl TBM Flamingosaurus Rex 22 Bruntsfield Pl TBM Greyfriars Art Shop 1 Greyfriars OT Red Door Gallery 42 Victoria St OT The Leith Collective Ocean Terminal L

Bars

Abode 229 Leith Walk L Athletic Arms 1 Angle Park Ter GDF Bannermans 212 Cowgate OT Banshee Labyrinth 29-35 Niddry St OT Bellfield Brewery Taproom 46 Stanley Pl A Bennets 8 Leven St TBM Bow Bar 80 W Bow OT Bramble 16A Queen St NT Brass Monkey 14 Drummond St S Cafe Royal 19 West Register St NT Carriers Quarters 42 Bernard St L CC Blooms 23 Greenside Pl A City Cafe 19 Blair St OT Clark’s Bar 142 Dundas St SC Cloisters 26 Brougham St TBM Dagda 93 Buccleuch St S Deacon Brodies 435 Lawnmarket OT Decanter 183 Bruntsfield Pl TBM Devil’s Advocate 9 Advocate’s Cl OT Dragonfly 52 West Port OT Dreadnought 72 N Fort St L Good Brothers Wine Bar 4-6 Dean St SC Hectors 47-49 Deanhaugh St SC Hey Palu 49 Bread St WE Innis and Gunn 81 Lothian Rd WE Jolly Botanist 256 Morrison St WE Joseph Pearce 23 Elm Row A Kay’s Bar 39 Jamaica St NT Leith Depot 138-140 Leith Walk L Little Rascal 113D St John’s Rd GDF Lucky Liquor Co 39a Queen St NT Nauticus 142 Duke St L Nightcap 3 York Pl NT One Canonmills 1 Canonmills SC OX184 184-186 Cowgate OT Panda & Sons 79 Queen St NT Paolozzi Restaurant & Bar 59-61 Forrest Rd S Paradise Palms 41 Lothian St S Pickles 60 Broughton St NT Port O’ Leith 58 Constitution St L Portobello Tap 87 Portobello High St P Rooftop 51 2 Freer Gait GDF Safari Lounge 21 Cadzow Pl A Salt Horse 57-61 Blackfriars St OT Smith & Gertrude 26 Hamilton Pl SC Smoke & Mirrors 159 Constitution St L Sneaky Pete’s 73 Cowgate OT St Vincent 11 St Vincent St SC Stockbridge Tap 2-6 Raeburn Pl SC Teuchters 26 William St WE Teuchters Landing 1c Dock Pl L The Abbotsford 3-5 Rose St NT The Antiquary 72-78 St Stephen St SC The Auld Hoose 23 St Leonards St S The Bailie 2-4 St Stephen St SC The Biscuit Factory 4-6 Anderson Pl L The Black Rose Tavern 49 Rose St NT The Blackbird 37 Leven St TBM The Blue Blazer 2 Spittal St WE The Caley Sample Room 42 Angle Park Ter GDF The Cumberland 1-3 Cumberland St NT The Dog House 18 Clerk St S The Espy 62 Bath St P The Fountain 131 Dundee St GDF The Hanging Bat 133 Lothian Road WE The Last Word Saloon 44 St Stephen St SC The Lioness of Leith 21 Duke St L The Mousetrap 180 Leith Walk L The Outhouse 12a Broughton St Lane NT The Royal Dick 1 Summerhall Pl S The Sheep Heid Inn 43 The Causeway A The Skylark 243 Portobello High St P The Street 2b Picardy Pl NT The Tourmalet 25 Buchanan St A The Ventoux 2 Brougham St TBM The Waverley Bar 3-5 St Mary’s St OT The Windsor 45 Elm Row A Under the Stairs 3A Merchant St OT

Bookshops

Armchair Books 72-74 West Port OT Edinburgh Books 145 West Port WE Ginger and Pickles 51 St Stephen St SC Golden Hare 68 St Stephen St SC Lighthouse Books 43 W Nicolson St S Oxfam Books 25 Raeburn Pl SC The Edinburgh Bookshop 219 Bruntsfield Pl TBM The Portobello Bookshop 46 Portobello High St P Tills Bookshop 1 Hope Park Cres S Typewronger Books 4a Haddington Pl A

Cafes

Artisan Roast 138 Bruntsfield Pl TBM Artisan Roast 57 Broughton St NT Artisan Roast 100a Raeburn Pl SC

Bearded Baker 46 Rodney St SC Brew’d 4 Spittal St WE Cafe Gallo 96 Raeburn Pl SC Cairngorm Coffee 1 Melville Pl WE Cairngorm Coffee 41a Frederick St NT Considerit 3 Sciennes S Cowan & Sons 33 Raeburn Pl SC Cult Espresso 104 Buccleuch St S Domenico’s 30 Sandport St L Don’t Tell Mama 64 Home St TBM Fortitude 3c York Pl NT Fortitude 66 Hamilton Pl SC Grams Hamilton Pl SC Hata 5 Rodney St SC Hideout Cafe 40-42 Queen Charlotte St L Hula 94A Fountainbridge GDF Hula Cafe and Juice Bar 103 West Bow OT Kilimanjaro Coffee 104 Nicolson St S KONJ Cafe 67 Home St TBM La Barantine 27b Raeburn Pl SC Little Fitzroy 46 Easter Rd A Lovecrumbs 155 West Port WE Lowdown Coffee 40 George St NT Machina Espresso 2 Brougham Pl TBM Milk @ Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop 21 Hawthornvale L Nice Times Bakery 147 Morrison St WE Procaffeination 4 St Mary’s St OT Room and Rumours 25 East Market Street Arch OT Seven Neighbourhood Cafe 7 Home St TBM Söderberg 3 Deanhaugh St SC Tanifiki 44 Portobello High St P Tasty Buns 67 Bread St WE The Milkman 7, 52 Cockburn St OT The Pastry Section 86 Raeburn Pl SC Thomas J Walls 35 Forrest Rd S Union Brew Lab 6 S College St S Wellington Coffee 33a George St NT Williams and Johnson 1 Customs Wharf L

Cinemas

Cameo Cinema 38 Home St TBM Dominion Cinema 18 Newbattle Ter TBM Filmhouse 88 Lothian Rd WE Grassmarket Community Picture House 86 Candlemaker Row OT

Clothes Shops

Godiva 9 West Port OT W. Armstrong & Son 81-83 Grassmarket OT W. Armstrong & Son 14 Teviot Pl, 64 Clerk St S Pieute 19 Candlemaker Row OT

Food and Drink Shops

Aemilia 186 Portobello High St P Akdeniz Mediterranean Supermarket 82-90 Leith Walk L Beer Zoo 219 Portobello High St P Beets 49 Bernard St L Bon Vivant’s Companion 51 Thistle St NT Cornelius 18 Easter Rd A Crombies 97 Broughton St NT Drinkmonger 11 Bruntsfield Pl TBM EasyEche Foods Limited 131 Great Jct St L Edwin and Irwyn 416 Morningside Rd TBM George Mewes 3 Dean Park St SC Great Grog Bottle Shop 2 Dalkeith Rd S I.J. Mellis 330 Morningside Rd TBM I.J. Mellis 6 Bakers Pl SC Jordan Valley 8 Nicolson St S Las Delicias 47 Great Jct St L Lupe Pintos 24 Leven St TBM PCY Oriental 199-201 Leith Walk L Real Foods 37 Broughton St NT NT Sauce 23 Candlemaker Row OT SPRY Wines 1 Haddington Pl A The Beer Cave 43 Dalry Rd GDF The Beerhive 24 Rodney St SC Valvona + Crolla 19 Elm Row A Villeneuve Wines 49a Broughton St NT Vino 30 Broughton St NT Vino 26 NW Circus Pl SC Winekraft 6 Brandon Terr SC

Galleries

Burns Monument 1759 Regent Rd OT City Art Centre 2 Market St OT Collective Calton Hill A Dovecot Studios 10 Infirmary St S Edinburgh Printmakers 1 Dundee St GDF Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop 21 Hawthornvale L Fruitmarket 45 Market St OT Ingleby Gallery 33 Barony St NT Institut Français Ecosse W Parliament Sq OT Inverleith House Arboretum Pl SC Jupiter Artland Bonnington House, Wilkieston n/a Ltd Ink Corporation 77 Brunswick St A National Galleries of Scotland The Mound NT National Galleries of Scotland Modern One & Two 73, 75 Belford Rd WE Royal Scottish Academy The Mound NT Scottish National Portrait Gallery 1 Queen St NT Stills 23 Cockburn St OT Surgeons’ Hall Nicolson St S Talbot Rice Gallery South Bridge S The Scottish Gallery 16 Dundas St NT

Gift Shops

An Independent Zebra 88-92 Raeburn Pl SC Black Moon Botanica 50 Candlemaker Row OT Caoba 56 Raeburn Pl SC Curiouser and Curiouser 106 Bruntsfield Pl TBM MYSA 31 Cockburn St OT Paper Tiger 53 Lothian Rd, 6a Stafford St WE Pie in the Sky 47 Cockburn St OT

Company Bakery 5 Devon Pl WE Edinburgh Farmers’ Market NCP Car Park, Castle Ter OT Grassmarket Saturday Market Grassmarket OT INK Market 77 Brunswick St A Leith Arches 6 Manderston St L Leith Market Dock Pl L Stockbridge Market Saunders St SC The Pitt 137 Pitt St L

On-the-go

Bross Bagels 177 Portobello High St P Cafe Piccante 19 Broughton St NT Civerinos Prom Slice 47 Figgate Ln P Crolla’s 1 The Shore L Dough 172 Rose St NT Greek Artisan Pastries 32 Portobello High St P Little Collingwood 10 Haymarket Ter WE Little Green Van Portobello Beach Promenade P Mary’s Milk Bar 19 Grassmarket OT MOO Pie Gelato 26 St Mary’s St OT Ola Kala 202 Morrison St WE Orinoco Latin Street Food 281 Leith Walk L Piemaker 38 South Bridge OT Polentoni 38 Easter Rd A Preachers Patisserie 24 Lady Lawson St WE Sicilian Pastry Shop 14 Albert St A St Andrews Takeaway 280 Portobello High St P Storries 279 Leith Walk L The Baked Potato Shop 56 Cockburn St OT The Fishmarket 23A Pier Pl L Twelve Triangles 22 Easter Rd A Twelve Triangles 300 Portobello High St P

Plants and Homeware

Duncan & Reid Antiques 5 Tanfield SC Grow Urban 92 Grove St GDF Shelter 104 Raeburn Pl SC Snapdragon 146 Bruntsfield Pl TBM The Bethany Shop 46 Hamilton Pl SC

Record Shops

Assai Records 1 Grindlay St WE Elvis Shakespeare 347 Leith Walk L FOPP 3-15 Rose St NT Good Vibes Records and Books 151 Constitution St L Greenhouse Records 10 Barclay Ter TBM Ilium 100 Marchmont Cres TBM Oxfam Music 64 Raeburn Pl SC Underground Solu’shn 9 Cockburn St OT Vinyl Villains 5 Elm Row A Voxbox 21 St Stephen St SC

Restaurants

Alby’s 8 Portland Ter L B&D’s Kitchen 214 Dalry Rd GDF Bell’s Diner 7 St Stephen St SC Bodega 14 Albert Pl A Bread Meats Bread 92 Lothian Rd WE Bubba Q 209-213 High St OT Bundits 48-52 Constitution St L Chez Jules 109 Hanover St NT Civerinos 5 Hunter Sq OT Civerinos Slice 49 Forrest Rd S Desi Pakwan 61 Leith Walk L Down the Hatch 13 Antigua St A Dumplings of China 60 Home St TBM El Cartel 15 Teviot Pl S El Cartel 64 Thistle St NT Erbil 55 W Nicolson St S Fhior 36 Broughton St NT Fishers in the City 58 Thistle St NT Hakataya 122 Rose St Lane NT Hanam’s 3 Johnston Terrace OT Harajuku Kitchen 10 Gillespie Pl TBM Harmonium 7-11 East London St NT Kenji 42 St Stephen St SC Kim’s Bulgogi 11 St Stephen St SC Kim’s Mini Meals 5 Buccleuch St S Korean BBQ 3 Tarvit St TBM Locanda de Gusti 102 Dalry Rd GDF Maki & Ramen 97 Fountainbridge GDF Mother India’s Cafe 3 Infirmary St OT Nile Valley Cafe 6 Chapel St S Nok’s Kitchen 8 Gloucester St SC Noto 47a Thistle St NT Novapizza 42 Howe St SC Omar Khayyam 1 Grosvenor St WE On Bap 57 Clerk St S Ong Gie 22a Brougham St TBM Origano Pizza 236 Leith Walk L Peanut Press 24 Brougham St TBM Pizzeria 1926 85 Dalry Rd GDF Razzo Pizza Napoletana 59 Great Jct St L Sister Bao 32 S Clerk St S Slurp at the Kirk 44 Candlemaker Row OT STACK 42 Dalmeny St L Superico 83 Hanover St NT Taco Libre 3 Shandwick Pl WE Taxidi 6 Brougham St TBM Taza in Town 69 Bread St WE Thailander 25 Brougham St TBM The Gardener’s Cottage 1 London Rd A The Little Chartroom 30 Albert Pl A The Little Chartroom on the Prom 49 Figgate Ln P The Mosque Kitchen 50 Potterrow S The Outsider 15 George IV Bridge OT The Pantry 1 NW Circus Pl SC The Shawarma House 119 Nicolson St S The Smiddy BBQ 22 Dunedin St SC Three Birds 3 Viewforth TBM Timberyard 10 Lady Lawson St WE Ting Thai Caravan

8 Teviot Pl S Ting Thai Caravan 55 Lothian Rd WE Vietnam House 1 Grove St WE Viva Mexico 41 Cockburn St OT Wine & Peach 91 Dalry Rd GDF Wing Sing Inn 147 Dundee St GDF Wings 5-7 Old Fishmarket Cl OT Xiangbala Hotpot 63 Dalry Rd GDF Yamato 11 Lochrin Ter TBM

Venues: August Festivals

Assembly George Square Gardens George Sq S Assembly Roxy 2 Roxburgh Pl S Edinburgh Corn Exchange 11 New Market Rd GDF EIBF @ Edinburgh College of Art 74 Lauriston Pl TBM EIF @ Edinburgh Park Lochside Way GDF EIF @ Junior School, Edinburgh Academy 42 Henderson Row SC EIF @ Old College Quad, University of Edinburgh South Bridge S Festival Theatre 13 Nicolson St S Filmhouse 88 Lothian Rd WE Film Fest in the City St Andrew Sq NT Laughing Horse @ 32 Below 32b W Nicolson St S Laughing Horse @ Counting House 34 W Nicolson St S Laughing Horse @ Free Sisters The Three Sisters, 139 Cowgate OT Laughing Horse @ Hanover Tap 112 Hanover St NT Monkey Barrel 9-11 Blair St OT MultiStory NCP Car Park, Castle Ter OT Pleasance Courtyard 60 Pleasance S Pleasance @ EICC 150 Morrison St WE Scottish Storytelling Centre 43-45 High St OT Summerhall 1 Summerhall Pl S Theatre Big Top Festival Sq WE TheSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall Nicolson St S TheSpace @ Symposium Hall Hill Sq S TheSpace Triplex 19 Hill Pl S The Hive 15-17 Niddry St OT The Stand Comedy Club 5 York Pl NT Traverse @ Silverknowes Silverknowes n/a Tynecastle Park McLeod St GDF Underbelly @ Bristo Square Bristo Pl S Underbelly @ George Square Gardens George Sq S

Venues: Comedy Clubs

Monkey Barrel 9-11 Blair St OT The Stand Comedy Club 5 York Pl NT

Venues: Live Music & Nightclubs

Bannermans 212 Cowgate OT Cabaret Voltaire 36-38 Blair St OT Edinburgh Corn Exchange 11 New Market Rd GDF Henry’s Cellar Bar 16A Morrison St WE La Belle Angele 11 Hastie’s Cl OT Leith Depot 138-140 Leith Walk L Leith Theatre 28-30 Ferry Rd L Liquid Room 9C Victoria St OT Queen’s Hall 85 Clerk St S Sneaky Pete’s 73 Cowgate OT Stramash 207 Cowgate OT Subway 69 Cowgate OT Summerhall 1 Summerhall Pl S The Caves 8-10 Niddry St S OT The Hive 15-17 Niddry St OT The Mash House 37 Guthrie St OT Usher Hall Lothian Rd WE Whistlebinkies 4-6 South Bridge OT

Venues: Theatre & Dance

Dance Base 14-16 Grassmarket OT Edinburgh Playhouse 18-22 Greenside Pl A EICC 150 Morrison St WE Festival Theatre 13 Nicolson St S King’s Theatre 2 Leven St TBM The Lyceum 30b Grindlay St WE Traverse Theatre 10 Cambridge St WE

Visitor Attractions

Canongate Kirk 153 Canongate OT Castlehill Castlehill OT Dynamic Earth Holyrood Rd OT Edinburgh Castle Castlehill OT Edinburgh Dungeon 31 Market St OT Edinburgh Gin Distillery 1a Rutland Pl WE Edinburgh Zoo 134 Corstorphine Rd GDF Greyfriars Kirk and Greyfriars Bobby Candlemaker Row OT Love Gorgie Farm 51 Gorgie Rd GDF Museum of Childhood 42 High St OT National Museum of Scotland Chambers St S Palace of Holyroodhouse Canongate OT Princes Street Gardens Princes St NT Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh Arboretum Pl SC Royal Yacht Britannia Ocean Dr L Scotch Whisky Experience The Royal Mile OT Scottish Parliament Canongate OT Scottish Storytelling Centre 43-45 High St OT St Giles Cathedral High St OT The Real Mary King’s Close High St OT Volcano Falls 130 Dundee St GDF

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10 11 12

13 14

15 16

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19

24 20 21

22 23

25 26

27 18

Compiled by George Sully

Across 1. Irvine Welsh's most famous novel (13) 8. Escape – break (7) 9. Harajuku Kitchen is known for this cuisine (5) 10. Mistakes – a band from Glasgow on

Mogwai's Rock Action Records (6) 12. Boundary (4) 15. Author (d.2006) of The Prime of Miss Jean

Brodie (6,5) 19. Take (transport) (4) 20. Shape (6) 24. Major Scottish river joining the North Sea on the east coast (5) 25. Off work, often for holidays (2,5) 27. Landmark celebrating Sir Walter in Princes

St Gardens (5,8)

Turn to page 4 for the solutions Down 1. Notified that your social media profile is linked in a photo (6) 2. Player (5) 3. ___ Town, the fancy northern part of

Edinburgh (3) 4. Remunerates (4) 5. Scottish outdoor and camping gear shop (4) 6. Someone within a group (privy to secret information) (7) 7. Steers (6) 11. The most expected type of weather during the Edinburgh festivals (4) 13. ___ Town, the medieval part of Edinburgh's city centre (3) 14. Vast – grand (4) 16. Experience (7) 17. Small rented farms – allotments (6) 18. 44 Scotland ___, a novel by Alexander

McCall Smith (6) 21. Rental agreement (5) 22. Sharpen (4) 23. Name of a chocolate company based out of

Summerhall (4) 26. Folk band comprising Aidan O'Rourke, Kris

Drever and Martin Green (3)