10 Things to do across Scotland this weekend
Whether you are looking for a fun-filled family day out, a romantic dinner for two, or a bit of music to listen while you relax, Checklist has it covered with our 10 things to do, 10 places to eat and 10 songs of the moment. All you have to do is decide.
1 Gibson Street Gala
Glasgow west end, Sunday This community street festival staged on the northern fringes of Kelvingrove Park is now in its 10th year, with an ever-expanding footprint covering not only Gibson Street but much of the surrounding area as well. One of the first big events of the month-long West End Festival, Gibson Street Gala features an afternoon of traffic-free streets, loads of free activities for children, stalls laden with everything from crafts to home baking plus live music, theatre and dance stages, a sport and fitness zone, and a riverside art market.
http://gibsonstgala.co.uk
2 The Spokesmen
Various venues across Scotland, until July A unique new family show from Glasgow-based theatre company Visible Fictions, promising an outdoor experience with a difference. The concept dictates that audience members use supplied bikes to travel to several new locations as each performance unfolds, so that what begins as a comic play becomes an interactive adventure. Part of the Glasgow 2014 Cultural Programme, the show comes to Almondell Country Park near Livingston this weekend and tours a variety of green spaces until the week before the Commonwealth Games themselves. Tickets are £8, booking in advance only.
visiblefictions.co.uk
3 Summer Fair and Teddy Toddle
Meadowbank Stadium, Edinburgh, Saturday To north-east Edinburgh and the main venue for the last Commonwealth Games to be held in Scotland for this fun, family-friendly day out in aid of the Sick Kids Friends Foundation. Combining a sponsored walk for young children and their favourite teddies with stalls, activities, rides and surprise celebrity guests, the event runs from noon until 4pm. Entry to the Summer Fair is just £1, with sign-up for the 2pm Teddy Toddle costing £5; organisers hope to match last year’s fundraising total of £16,000.
www.edinburghsickkids.org
4 Scottish Fisheries Museum Open Day
Antruther, Fife, Saturday A great chance to find out about story of Scotland’s fishing communities, with free access to the Scottish Fisheries Museum and its extensive collection of historical boats and artefacts. Inspired by Glasgow 2014 and Homecoming Scotland, there will be a range of internationally-themed games, exhibits and activities, including facepainting, children’s art and crafts, and live music. Around Anstruther harbour, there’s also the chance to explore the Museum’s flagship Reaper, tour the local RNLI station, and witness the inauguration of this year’s Fisherlass and Lad.
www.scotfishmuseum.org
5 Aberdeen and North East Beer Festival
Pittodrie Stadium, Aberdeen, today to Saturday The 28th edition of the beer and real ale festival known affectionately as the Great Grampian, this three-day showcase has a huge selection of 100 different milds, stouts, bitters, old ales, specialty beers, barley wines and cask beers – plus a range of traditional ciders and perries to sample. Held at the Richard Donald Stand at Aberdeen FC’s Pittodrie Stadium, admission is £5 (or £3 if you’re a card carrying CAMRA member), which also scores you a free programme and commemorative glass.
aberdeencamra.org.uk/festival
6 Gardening Scotland 2014
Royal Highland Centre, Edinburgh, Friday to Sunday Dazzling floral displays, inspiring show gardens, and one of the UK’s biggest plant sales await at this huge gardening and outdoor lifestyle show. Highlights include The Big Back Garden – part family fun area, part eco-plot – along with a Food Fayre, and hundreds of stalls showcasing everything from tools to garden furniture. There are also RSPB activity tents, and expert talks and demonstrations in the show’s dedicated cookery and gardening theatres. Gardening Scotland is open daily from 10am to 5pm. Tickets for the event are priced at £13-£17, and there is free entry for under-16s.
www.gardeningscotland.com
7 Duke Street Expo Street Festival
Glasgow east end, Saturday Another weekend Glasgow street festival – but as might be expected from an event spearheaded by cult record label Chemikal Underground, the focus here is very much on music, with a series of free performances and DJ sets taking place in shops, cafés, churches, pubs and tattoo parlours along a half-mile stretch of Duke Street. A £15 ticket will also get you into the day’s two main concerts – Admiral Fallow headline the Everlasting Arms Church, followed by King Creosote at Dennistoun New Parish Church.
www.eastendsocial.com
8 3 Harbours Arts Festival
East Lothian, from Saturday Ten miles outside of the capital, the villages of Prestonpans, Cockenzie and Port Seton this weekend host East Lothian’s largest arts festival. Running until next weekend, the Festival primarily showcases the work of local artists, and includes the launch of the Scottish Diaspora Tapestry, designed by Andrew Crummy, responsible for the similarly ambitious Great Tapestry of Scotland. Along with an extensive spin-off programme of live music and community events, this weekend also sees two days of living history and hands-on family activities at Prestongrange Museum.
www.3harbours.co.uk
9 The March to Cultybraggan Camp
Comrie, Sunday More historical re-enactment with this Second World War-inspired day at Cultybraggan, a former military base and internment camp near the village of Comrie in Perthshire. The free event begins with a dramatic re-creation of the march originally made by German prisoners of war to the camp. There will then be an afternoon of activities and entertainment, with vintage vehicles, remote control tanks and food stalls, plus the chance to explore surviving huts and bunkers. A vintage bus service also runs from Comrie throughout the day.
www.facebook.com/cultybraggancamp
10 Ochils Festival
Central Scotland, from Sunday Sunday also sees the start of a monthlong programme of more than 40 free events celebrating the landscape and heritage of the Ochil Hills and Hillfoots Villages in Clackmannanshire and Stirling. Along with guided walks, and outdoor activities, there’s a geo-caching treasure trail in Alva Glen, wild food foraging sessions, and a series of tours of historic local kirkyards. Saturday June 21 also sees Menstrie Castle host Ochils Fest - a family open day with Jacobite re-enactors, puppet shows, art and craft workshops, animal handling, science activities and more. www.ochils.org.uk