🪩 Edinburgh Culture Minute: 18 - 24 Dec 2024
Last chance Ross Bandstand consultation, subscribers supporting artists, festive film fortnight + EHFM seeks aspiring radio presenters
Welcome to the 71st edition of the Culture Minute, a weekly round-up of Edinburgh’s local creative news, events, jobs and opportunities.
If I’ve missed anything please get in touch.
The most-viewed links from last week’s Edinburgh Culture Minute:
- 🎻 ‘Phil Cunningham's Christmas Songbook - The hot ticket of the season.’
- 🎭 The Lyceum is recruiting new board members.
- ✍️ Edinburgh 900 Libraries bookmark competition.
🎪 ‘The intensification of commercial events’ at the Ross Bandstand should be stopped according to local heritage watchdog The Cockburn Association.
⮑ Currently, the maximum number of major events allowed at the bandstand and gardens is four per year. The council wants to add a fifth major event in May. - The council gives its view here.
⮑ The Cockburn today published its response to the council’s public consultation on the future use of West Princes Street Gardens.
⮑ The online consultation closes on Friday this week. You can get involved here.
🎭 A dedicated team of volunteers working to revive Leith Theatre will open the doors to the public for a tour of the venue on Thursday. - Eventbrite.
🏆 A comprehensive booklet capturing all of last month’s 2024 Creative Edinburgh Awards winners is now online here.
⮑ Organisers said: “It was a beautiful gathering, bringing together over 300 talented individuals from many backgrounds and walks of life. The atmosphere was electric and the joy of a shared purpose was palpable. It was a night of unity and solidarity, where creatives took centre stage and were celebrated for their talent and resilience.”
⮑ Personal note: Big thanks to YOU, the generous paying subscribers of The Edinburgh Minute, who helped me sponsor an award this year. It was a significant four-figure sum (aka a couple of months rent or a chunk of savings for a deposit) but knowing how tough things are right now for local artists made this decision easy. I am proud to put money where my mouth is and support the arts in this way. So thanks again for supporting this newsletter and in turn, supporting and boosting up local creatives. It’s a virtuous circle.
🎵 Jane Ann Purdy and Douglas Robertson, producers of the Soundhouse Winter Festival, say they are keen to hold the festival again next year. Their first ever five-day winter event saw sell-out shows at the Traverse Theatre earlier this month. The audience mostly comprised of locals (73% from the capital, 21% from the rest of Scotland). - More details in North Edinburgh News.
📚 The Porty Bookshop team have shared a ‘sneaky peek’ at the events they’ve got planned for 2025, including Kirsty Logan with Josie Long and Emily P. Webber with Val McDermid. - More details.
📗 The Lighthouse Books team have shared their end-of-year favourites, organised by topic: nature and environmentalism, writers of colour on history, resistance & anti-racism, LGBTQ+ fiction and LGBTQ+ non-fiction.
📙 Leith Walk’s Argonaut Books has its last spoken word night of the year on Monday. All proceeds raised on the night will go towards Empty Kitchens, Full Hearts. - More details
📘 Still looking for a festive gift? Bring an Ian Rankin book to The Oxford Bar on Saturday between 2pm and 4pm to get it signed by the author himself.