Edinburgh Culture Minute 🪩 16 - 22 September 2026
Colony of Artists weekender, Scottish International Storytelling Festival programme, autumn events in the Botanics' Palm Houses, Makerteers opens to creatives + new Edinburgh bookshop map
👋 Hello dear paying subscriber and welcome to your 142nd weekly Culture Minute: a round-up of Edinburgh’s local creative news, arts happenings, events, jobs and opportunities. If I’ve missed anything please get in touch. Thanks as always to everyone who contributes!
👀 Most-viewed links from the previous Edinburgh Culture Minute:
- 🎟️ Tilda Swinton in Man to Man at the Traverse. (Now sold out, returns only)
- 🏰 Summer 2027 Castle Concerts news.
- 🎤 Final tickets for Nish Kumar: 'Angry Humour From a Really Nice Guy' at The Queen's Hall.
- 🎨 Tickets for An Evening with David Shrigley, in conversation with Michael Pedersen.
- 📗 Caitlin Moran coming to Edinburgh to discuss 'How to be Hopeful'.
- 🎨 Free autumn events at National Galleries of Scotland.
🗞️ News
💰 Edinburgh festival leaders have united for 'a last-ditch plea' to city councillors for a 'proportionate' share of the new tourist tax income. - Brian Ferguson, The Herald.
⮑ The council will discuss cultural funding at Thursday's full council meeting. See the agenda here.
Brian Ferguson
🎭 Actor Brian Cox has announced an 'evening of conversation and stories' at The Lyceum on 8 November, including the chance to meet the man himself before the show. Cox was one of the theatre's founding members in 1965. Money raised will help The Lyceum 'to continue to provide standout productions for Edinburgh audiences and create vital employment opportunities for creatives across Scotland.' - More details here.
🏠 This weekend's 21st annual Colony of Artists festival in Abbeyhill will be its biggest ever, with more than 135 artists opening their homes to the public.
⮑ The map and brochure are on the event’s website. It's all free and runs from 11am-6pm on Saturday and Sunday.
⮑ Throwback: I made this video about the event back in 2010 for The Guardian (16 years ago!)
⮑ Even further throwback: Local historian Andy Arthur will give a short talk and film screening during the weekend too. - Details here.
Andy Arthur💃🏰⚓🦌 Threadinburgh 🧵
📝 The 37th annual Scottish International Storytelling Festival programme went live yesterday. From 21–31 October, expect ten days of myths, folklore and stories from Scotland and beyond, exploring this year’s theme: Bird and Beast. - The programme and tickets are here + there's a selection of highlights in Liam Eunson's report for Midlothian View.
🌴 A new series of autumn events has been announced for the newly renovated Palm Houses at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. They include yoga, forest bathing, creative writing among the plants, printmaking, live music and a sound bath. - Find all the new events here.
🏆 Nominations are open for this year’s Creative Edinburgh Awards. You can nominate a colleague, a friend or even yourself. - Get involved here.
📚 Here's a new object of desire: The Edinburgh Bookshop Map. It's printed by Typewronger Books, where you can pick up a copy.
🎟️ Big tickets this week
🎹 Tonight: Renowned fiddler, composer and producer Aidan O’Rourke of Lau will be at Pianodrome Bruntsfield. He's performing with a trio performing as part of Tree Song, an 18-month creative project centred on composing, performing, and sharing new music in an open and collaborative way. - Tickets here + more Pianodrome events here.
🎷 On Friday at the Queen's Hall: Marking 100 years since the birth of sax and jazz legend John Coltrane, the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra will be joined by acclaimed soloist Emma Rawicz for a night of Coltrane-inspired music. - Tickets.
🎸 Death Cab for Cutie play the Corn Exchange on Sunday 20 September, with support from Pool Kids. - Tickets here.
🎸 Jacob Collier will be supported by Sam Amidon at The Queen's Hall on Sunday 20 September. - Tickets.
🥁 Queen songwriter, drummer and singer Roger Taylor is performing at the Usher Hall on Tuesday 22 September. - Tickets.
📗 Caitlin Moran discusses her book 'How To Be Hopeful' (A Year of Attempting to Feel Less Awful About the World) at The Queen's Hall on Tuesday 22 September. The special guest is Mhairi Black. - Tickets.
🎸 James Walsh (Starsailor) & Ben Ottewell (Gomez) will be playing at The Voodoo Rooms on Wednesday 23 September. - Tickets.
🎤 Fringe hit MC Hammersmith is back at Monkey Barrel Comedy on Tuesday 29 September for 'an explosive improvised comedy show based entirely on audience suggestions'. - Tickets.
🎤 Telly funnyman Jon Richardson has announced a show ('The Teenage Diaries of a Stand-Up Comedian') at the Assembly Roxy on 18 October. - Tickets.
🎭 What's on Edinburgh's stages this week?
Here's Thom Dibdin of All Edinburgh Theatre:
It's a week of big musicals with the arrival of Annie and SIX The Musical, together with a wee tour of Private Peaceful and a whole clutch of locally produced scratch theatre.
Biggies first. That Annie at the Playhouse with Claire Sweeney as Miss Hannigan (ends Sun: tickets) is a musical goes without saying, although our reviewer also praised its storytelling, while noting it is something of a "★★★★☆ Belter" thanks to rather muddy sound design.
Equally strong support for Six, The Musical at the Festival Theatre (ends Sat 26 Sept: tickets) which Hugh said is "★★★★☆ Energetic", while noting that, despite the title, it is more like a concert than a musical. But in a good way. And thoroughly crowd-pleasing to boot.
Theatre-wise, Simon Reade adapts Michael Morpurgo in the tour of Private Peaceful at the Lyceum (Thur-Sat: tickets). This is the WW1-set one-person tour de force, as Tommo looks back over the events which shaped his life and carried him through the horrors of trench warfare.
The rest is a full-on frenzy of local scratch theatre. Its returns only for Page2Stage in Traverse 2 (tonight: tickets), with extracts from four plays, which will be critiqued by an industry panel. P2S returns to Trav 1 in two months (Wed 25 Nov: tickets).
The Tandem Collective celebrate a decade of scratch nights with Tandem at 10, also at the Traverse. This Sat (1pm: tickets) the Tandem producers have a free workshop for emerging writers. While next week (Sat 26: tickets) is an actual scratch night.
And finally down at Leith Depot (Mon 21: tickets) PenPal Production have their latest Drama @ The Depot night of six instant short plays by local writers, with this month's theme the Seven Deadly Sins. Get there early for the home baking!
And that is your lot. Full details of these and all future productions (big shout for Rocky Horror at the Bedlam next week) are on Æ's listings pages, all linked here.
📌 Edinburgh Culture Minute Community Noticeboard
📖 Scottish International Storytelling Festival (21-31 Oct) launches this year's programme - 'Scotland’s finest storytellers join storytellers from Türkiye, Italy, Ireland, Canada and England, to explore the rich relationship between storytelling and the natural world through this year’s theme Bird and Beast.' - More details here, shared by Scottish International Storytelling Festival.
🌊 The Carrying Stream | Caroline Finlay & Frances Law - 'This exhibition explores people, place, landscape and myth. Inspired by Hamish Henderson’s ‘carrying stream’, it reveals how traditional culture flows and changes on the surface, while deeper currents of myth and lore persist across generations.' - More details here, shared by Ian Farmer, Upright Gallery.
🎤 Phoenix For a Night aka "One & Done" session with the Phoenix Choir!
Sun 20 September - 'Do something different this Sunday and join the Phoenix Choir for a One & Done session at La Belle Angele! Grab a drink, learn a whole song in one night, and discover how quickly a room full of strangers can sound AMAZING. No experience necessary!'
7pm to 10pm | La Belle Angele · Old Town | £10 - More details here, shared by The Phoenix Choir.
🎨 Art Exhibition - Architecture, Learning, Imagining - sales proceeds to Edinburgh Direct Aid [Until 28 Oct]
Mon 21 September - 'Selling exhibition of paintings, all proceeds to Edinburgh Direct Aid International.'
10.30am to 2pm | Edinburgh New Town Church · New Town | FREE - More details here, shared by a Minute reader.
🎻 Edinburgh Studio Orchestra [Every Monday]
Mon 28 September - 'This orchestra is unique as we don't give public concerts. We rehearse pieces for a month then change. We particularly welcome strings, trumpet and trombone players. No auditions, please simply turn up and say hello. Please check our Facebook page.'
7.30pm to 9.30pm | German Speaking Congregation · Marchmont & Meadows | First term free! - More details here, shared by David Wilson, Edinburgh Studio Orchestra.
✉️ Edinburgh Handwriting Pen Pal - 'Are you new to The Edinburgh Minute or Edinburgh? Than you might not know that you can make friends old style...by writing a letter! Check the link below and have fun!' - More details here, shared by Sara.
🤝 This week’s local creative jobs and opportunities. Find your future here...
📚 Lavender Menace Queer Books Archive, based at St Margaret's House, is hiring a General Manager. Salary: £38,000 pro-rata, part time (24 hours per week). Deadline: 22 September. - Apply here.
🎨 Applications are open for Makerteers: a six-month venture-building programme designed specifically for ambitious makers, designers, inventors and entrepreneurs. It's supported by the Scottish Government’s Ecosystem Fund, with 20 fully funded places in Edinburgh, aiming to help folks turn creative ideas into sustainable businesses. It's fully funded and free. Deadline: 1 October. - Apply here.
- Co-Founder Ryder Meggitt says on LinkedIn: "We're looking for simply three things: passion, potential and ambition."
- There is a launch event on Thursday 24 September between 6pm - 9pm. - More details here.
📸 Stills: Centre for Photography on Cockburn Street is hiring a Visitor Assistant. Pay: £13.45 per hour. Part time, fixed term to March 2028. Deadline: 5 October. - Apply here.
💻 Commissions of £8,000–£12,000 are available to around seven people to create 'curious and unexpected work that challenges, complicates and reimagines responsible AI'. Winning works are to be presented at the Edinburgh festivals next year. The commissions are funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and delivered by BRAID UK in partnership with Inspace Design Informatics, University of Edinburgh. Deadline: 2 November. - More details here.
🖼️ Curator-Producer (Parental Leave Cover) - 'EAF is looking for a Curator-Producer (Parental Leave Cover) who will join EAF to deliver a confirmed programme of exhibitions, events, and performances for the EAF27 programme. Further information, including how to apply, available on EAF site! (Deadline: 04 Oct)' - More details here, shared by Edinburgh Art Festival.
🟨 Five roles with the Edinburgh International Festival are newly advertised.
- Community Connections Manager (maternity cover). Deadline: 25 September.
- Philanthropy Manager. Deadline: 28 September.
- Digital Officer. Deadline: 5 October.
- Social Media and Content Manager. Deadline: 5 October.
- Website and Email Manager. Deadline: 5 October.
👍 STILL OPEN ↴
🎨 Independent Arts Projects is hiring four Sensory Artists. Salary: £32,000 (£19,200 pro rata) for three days per week (21 hours per week) for 15 months from November this year and January 2028. It can be an employed fixed-term contract or freelance. Deadline: 21 September. - Apply here.
🧪 Edinburgh Science, organisers of the annual Science Festival, are recruiting a Finance & HR Manager. Salary: £36,000 – £40,000 per annum FTE (£21,600 – £24,000 for 0.6 FTE). Deadline: 20 September. - Apply here.
📚 The Open Book charity based in Morningside is looking for a part time Resources Assistant 'to support the provision of reading materials for use in Open Book groups'. Pay: £15/ph. Deadline: 21 September. - Apply here.
🎭 The Royal Lyceum Theatre is hiring a new Director of Producing. Salary: £55,000. Deadline: 22 September. - Apply here.
🎭 The Traverse Theatre is looking for an 'experienced and proactive' Senior Communications Officer. - Salary: £30k-£32k. Deadline: 28 September. - Apply here.
📚 Edinburgh International Book Festival is looking for a new Director of Programming. From the description: "They are responsible for translating the Festival’s overall creative vision and thematic framing into an ambitious, distinctive and coherent programme, and for leading the team, partnerships, resources and processes required to deliver it." - Salary: £50k. Deadline: 24 September. - Apply here.
👀 Find more local roles on the Creative Edinburgh jobs & opps board.
💌 Thanks to everyone who contributed to the 142nd edition of The Edinburgh Culture Minute. Thank you for reading and subscribing. Please share this email to help it reach more people who want to have a good time!