HERALD CHECKLIST
Guide to fun-filled family days out
1 Big Burns Supper
Various venues, Dumfries, today until January 28 Scotland’s landmark Burns celebration brings a hugely eclectic and diverse programme of top artists and performers to the town in a modern celebration of Scotland’s National Bard, bringing people together through culture and community.
The packed programme features performances from some of the biggest names in music, cabaret and comedy, including Hope and Social, comedian Bill Bailey, performer Camille O’Sullivan, French comedian Marcel Lucont, Scottish songwriter Eddi Reader, Mercury Prize winner Badly Drawn Boy and iconic Scottish pop band, Les McKeown’s Bay City Rollers. Get ready for a Burns celebration unlike any other on the planet.
Prices vary. Head to bigburnssupper.com for more information.
2 Celtic Connections
Various venues, Glasgow, today until February 4 Glasgow’s annual folk, roots and world music festival is back to celebrate Celtic music and its connections to cultures across the globe.
More than 2,000 musicians from around the world will descend on Scotland’s biggest city, bringing it to life for 18 days of concerts, ceilidhs, talks, art exhibitions, workshops, and free events. Tonight’s opening gala at the Royal Concert Hall features a panoply of artists who have featured prominently over the years, while tomorrow sees the entertaining walking tours kick off.
Enjoy The National Whisky Festival on Saturday and the Late Night Sessions at Drygate on Sunday.
Head to celticconnections.com to see the programme and prices.
3 Burns Unbound
National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh, Sunday
Celebrate the poetry and legacy of Robert Burns with this minifestival’s packed programme of creative activities and performances.
Learn to ceilidh dance, enjoy live music and discover some braw Burns poetry. Wee ones can sign up for “Traditional tunes for Tiny People” and discover Scots tales in the storybook corner.
Older ones can join a poetry workshop with the awardwinning Loud Poets who will also be performing live sets of modern spoken word.
Event is free and drop-in from 11am to 4pm. Visit nms.ac.uk/ burns to know more.
4 Miss Saigon
Edinburgh Festival Theatre, until February 17
This acclaimed new production of the legendary musical kicks off its UK tour in Scotland.
With a company of 60, this epic production is set in the last days of the Vietnam War. Kim, just 17, is forced to work in a Saigon bar run by a notorious character, known as the Engineer.
There she meets and falls in love with an American GI named Chris but they are torn apart by the fall of Saigon.
For three years, Kim goes on an epic journey of survival to find her way back to Chris, who has no idea he’s fathered a son. Tickets are priced between £19 and £65, plus booking fee. Buy at edtheatres.com/misssaigon.
5 Strathpuffer 24
Torrachilty Forest, Contin, Saturday and Sunday Established in 2005 in what was to be a one-off local event, more than a decade later, “The ‘Puffer” has become a national event with legendary status.
Freezing temperatures, 17 hours of darkness, miles of gruelling terrain, a brutal mix of ice, wind, hail, mud and snow and maybe even a glorious winter sunrise make this mountain bike endurance event one not to be missed. Visit strathpuffer.co.uk for more information.
6 BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
His Majesty’s Theatre, Aberdeen, Saturday and Sunday
Amidst all the myths and mysteries that surround the writing of Tchaikovsky’s final masterpiece, Pathétique, Martyn Brabbins will open this concert in an altogether more languid world of Debussy’s Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune.
In between, there’s beauty, clarity and timeless grace in the first great piano concerto by Mozart, featuring a soloist who os only slightly older than the composer was when he wrote it, Arthur Jussen.
The concert will be recorded for future broadcast on BBC Radio 3.
Tickets cost between £16 and
£24, plus booking fee. Can be purchased at aberdeenperformingarts.com.
7 Simon Kempston
Wighton Heritage Centre, Dundee, Saturday
Described by the Sunday Herald as “one of Scotland’s best songwriters,” the Edinburgh-based, awardwinning singer and leading acoustic fingerstyle guitarist’s work is steeped in the traditions of folk, celtic and blues.
Having released his new instrumental guitar album “Onwards She Travels,” Kempston is embarking on a Europe-wide tour, kicking off in Dundee.
Tickets are £5. Head to simonkempston.co.uk to know more.
8 Burns Supper
WEST on the Green, Glasgow, Saturday
Enjoy a hearty three-course meal including haggis, neeps and tatties, a complementary nip of whisky, followed by a Ceilidh dance.
A group of well-known and well loved Scottish performers will be brought together by acclaimed director Tony Cownie to deliver an evening of quality musical and dramatic performance.
There will also be the opportunity to win top prizes at a raffle and auction.
A night not-to-be-missed and funds raised will help the Clyde Fisherman Trust.
Tickets cost £35 and can be purchased at clydefishermenstrust.com.
9 Birthplace of Scotland’s Flag
John Gray Centre Museum, Haddington, until January 30 Learn about the story of St Andrew and the Saltire in this fascinating exhibition which explores the battle at Athelstaneford and the adoption of Andrew as patron saint.
Learn about Pilgrim routes to North Berwick, admire pilgrim badges and moulds, see a coin of Constantine and explore links to Roman Emperor Constantine I.
See johngraycentre.org to know more.
10 India Street Bazaar
Glasgow School of Art, until February 1
Celebrating slow fashion and exploring the complex relationships of
Scotland’s manufacturing past, this exhibition compares Scotland’s lost textile industry and India’s thriving crafts, taking the history of the former Turkey Red Industry as a starting point.
Design curator Katy West invites designers from India and Scotland to explore the Turkey Red archives, and respond aesthetically, and with hindsight, to the fabrics, their colours, patterns and motifs.
To close the project, West will be hosting a public lecture on January 31. Indiastreetbazaar.net