May (hopefully) marks the beginning of warmer and longer days in the city, but if we do see some spring showers this month, check out our favourite happenings going on in the city. For the culture vultures, there are some great multi-art festivals to sink your teeth into, for those in search of something a bit more lively, our drinks section is for you, and our Lifestyle section includes some fantastic events focused on how you live your life.
Keep up to date with everything new happening in the city on the Hidden Edinburgh Facebook Group
Culture
Festival of Museums, 18th-20th May
This three day museum festival taking place across the whole of Scotland is a total bonanza celebrating the best of the country’s museums. With family events, special talks and tours, exclusive openings and exhibitions, music and dance shows, food and drink offerings, theatre and storytelling, creative make & do events PLUS special after-hours gatherings, there are goings-on for all ages and interests. To find out more about the specific events taking place in Edinburgh, visit their website:
Hidden Door Festival, 25th May – 3rd June
This not-for-profit festival has been running since 2014 and has grown considerable in size and reputation since. The festival aims to open unused urban spaces and transform them into platforms for emerging artists, musicians, theatre and film makers, and poets to perform and showcase their work. The festival returns this year to the old Leith Theatre for ten days of music, visual art, theatre, film, dance and more. An added bonus to this year’s programme is the abandoned State Cinema building nearby the Leith Theatre, which the organisation have opened up as an additional venue for some exciting happenings! Keep an eye out for other events happening around the city too!
Lifestyle
Life & Style Edinburgh, The Royal Society of Edinburgh, 5th-6th May
Spend your weekend in a truly stylish manner at Life & Style Edinburgh 2018. A whole host of beauty and fashion activities will be taking place including a fashion show featuring local brands, trend talks, express beauty treatments and workshops as well as exclusive discounts and one-off master classes for guests. For the best Edinburgh has to offer in fashion, health and beauty. Local businesses taking part include The East India Company, Snapdragon, Badger & Co, and Element plus many more. Interior design, food and drink and more, grab your tickets to the most on-trend event in the city. Did we mention the first 500 ticket holders receive an exclusive goody bag too? What are you waiting for?
National Co-Working Day Event (part of the CanDo Festival), Various Venues, 8th May
To celebrate the wonders of working in open, creative and collaborative spaces, CanDo Fest are encouraging you to change the place you work and try somewhere new with their National Co-Working Day. Co-working spaces across Scotland will be open all day on the 8th May for anyone to pop in and use the spaces for free. In the evening, Custom Lane in Leith will be open from 6.30pm with live music, inspiring talking, interactive local whisky and gin tasting, and free beer from Brewgooder’s draught beer trailer. To take part, simply register and download the app via their website:
Edinburgh Yoga Festival, Serenity Café and other various Venues, 11th -19th May
With an abundance of quality yoga studios in the city, it makes sense for there to be a festival celebrating this popular well-being activity. The festival brings together teacher, students, studios and communities to encourage people to keep moving, breathing and well. All profits raised from the festival will go back to Edinburgh community yoga outreach projects. The weekend line up of events is jam-packed and features some of your favourite practitioners and studios. If you are feeling up to it, fill up your whole weekend with stretching, meditating and vinyasa.
Drinks
Whisky Stramash, Surgeon’s Hall, 19th-20th May
Aimed at challenging old-fashioned perspectives of the national drink, The Whisky Stramash showcases over 200 different drinks from around the world. The whiskies will be on offer to be sampled along with some fun participatory ‘experiences’ for some guests too. This is an inclusive event although there will be goodies on offer to purchase too of course. New to whisky? No need to panic. There will be plenty of experts on hand to answer any questions and guide you through the wonderful world of whisky! There is also a food area at the event for when you get a wee bit peckish – sampling all those whiskies will be hard work!
www.thewhiskystramash.com/2017/index.php#event
Edinburgh Craft Beer Festival, The Biscuit Factory, 25th- 27th May
A world-class line up of breweries, headline music acts and some of Scotland’s best street food vendors suggest that the Edinburgh Craft Beer Festival will be quite the weekend! Over the May Bank Holiday Weekend the industrial warehouses and yards of The Biscuit Factory will be taken over for one of the most buzzing events of the Spring. Don’t expect any normal fusty beer festival here! Once you have purchased your ticket you are free to peruse the different breweries and beers without worries of tokens and queues. Music acts signed up for this year include Mogwai, Two Door Cinema Club, Metronomy and Don Letts. This one isn’t to be missed!
www.edinburghcraftbeerfestival.co.uk
