Community takes centre stage at West Pilton Park
Finishing touches are being made to the programme for this year’s North Edinburgh Community Festival, taking place at West Pilton Park on May 11.
Now in its third year, the festival is a fun, free to attend family day out for residents of Pilton, Muirhouse, Granton, Drylaw, Davidson Mains, Silverknowes and Wardie.
Set up with the aim of promoting opportunities and creativity, enhancing community cohesion, reducing social isolation and celebrating the diversity of the area, the programme is going from strength to strength, with more than 100 local groups and charities taking part this year to provide workshops, activities and information.
This year’s parade, with the theme of superheroes, is being organised by North Edinburgh Childcare and will leave from their premises at 11.30am.
Moving forward, another key aim of the event is to work with young people in North Edinburgh – encouraging them to take the reigns for future events and festivals.
To this end, more than 600 young people have been invited to take part in the Tinderbox Garage Band Challenge, creating their own new music for the event. The winners will be performing their original tracks on the main stage at the festival.
Music for the festival has been curated by local organisations Tinderbox Collective and Granton Youth’s Mixtape Music Club, with more than 30 acts playing over the afternoon.
On the outdoor stage, performers will include Fischy Music, Ama-zing Harmonies Choir, Heritage Of India Through Dance and Edinburgh Ukrainian choir, while the indoor stage will feature a line up of bands who are part of the North By North West youth music collaboration, designed to showcase the best of Edinburgh’s emerging talent.North Edinburgh Arts, Edinburgh Science Festival and Edinburgh Fringe Festival Society will all be represented.