The Edinburgh Minute ⏰ Weekend edition: 10 - 12 July 2026
Transport disruption after fire, good news for Leith 'Town of Culture' bid, 25C today ahead of a humid & dreich weekend + Castle Concerts in your weekend guide
👋 Good morning Edinburgh. That was a warm night and the humidity tomorrow night is forecast to hit 99%. More on that in a moment. Here's your weekend Edinburgh Minute...
☀️ Weekend weather: Today's looking similar to yesterday: 25C and sunny. But cloud is expected to roll in around 7pm. Mist is forecast to sit on top of Edinburgh for the weekend, which feels a bit unlikely at the moment but that's what the Met Office is saying and they're the qualified experts!
- Scroll down to the 'humidity' section on the Met Office site (with the location set to Edinburgh) and you'll see it's due to hit 99% tonight. The definition of 'close'.
- What is humidity? Find out in this explainer, which says: "High relative humidity during warm weather makes us feel uncomfortable because sweat doesn’t evaporate easily, hindering the body’s cooling mechanism."
🔥 Once the smoke subsided yesterday, the extent of fire damage to Princes Street's former Debenham's department store became clearer. The roof and top floors of the B-listed building have been completely destroyed, with firefighters saying it remains 'too unsafe to enter'. They were still dampening down hotspots last night. - Matthew Fulton & Calum Loudon, STV News.
📸 Aerial photos show the extent of the damage: Craig Duncan posted his images on Facebook.
⮑ A former director of the Debenhams store said he was 'deeply saddened' by the scenes. It took firefighters 14 hours to put the flames out, reports Callum McCormack in the Evening News.
🚔 Police will continue investigations in collaboration with the Fire and Rescue Service over the weekend.
🚒 The scale of the fire shows the fire service 'can't face any more cuts', according to the Fire Brigades Union Scotland.
- SFRS Deputy Assistant Chief Officer Willie Pollard said: "Their actions helped prevent the spread of fire to neighbouring buildings and significantly reduced the wider impact of this incident." - Donald Erskine in The Herald.
⮑ The Edinburgh World Heritage conservation body said it was 'deeply saddened and concerned', in a statement, adding: "No action should be taken until an urgent investigation has taken place to look into why the fire took place and if there was adequate supervision on site. EWH calls for the damaged listed building to be fully restored if possible. At the very least, the façade should be retained, rebuilt, or recreated with the original materials and construction methods."
- 'Historic Victorian 'treasures' feared lost in major fire at former Edinburgh Debenhams' - Rachel Fergusson, Evening News.
⮑ Building owner Criterion Capital, which has permission to build a hotel on the site, said: "This building is an important and historic part of Edinburgh’s city centre, and we continue to liaise with the emergency services and relevant authorities." - More details via Kris Gourlay, Edinburgh Live, whose team ran a good live-blog throughout yesterday.
🚎 City centre transport remains disrupted, with closures on sections of Princes Street, Rose Street and Rose Street South Lane. Re-opened: Castle Street, Frederick Street and Rose Street North Lane. - Get live travel updates from Lothian Buses here and Edinburgh Trams here.
- 'Edinburgh braced for Friday disruption after Princes Street inferno' - Danyel VanReenen & Ethan Davies, in Edinburgh Live.
⚓️ Leith's 2028 'Town of Culture' bid has made the shortlist of 15 towns selected from almost 400 entries. - Find out more about the bid on Instagram + on the wider competition in this report by Phyllis Stephen, Deadline News.
"From the very beginning, we felt strongly that this had to be about more than a competition. Whatever the outcome, we wanted this to be the start of something special; new partnerships, fresh ambitions and a shared sense of what we can achieve together. We are thrilled that the judges have also seen that potential in Leith." - Susie Gray and Jenny Mungall, Bid Directors for Leith 2028.
🏥 Four teenagers have been charged after reports that a 'large group of intruders' broke in to the former Liberton Hospital building on Wednesday. - Jacob Farr, Edinburgh Live.
🗳️ Corstorphine & Gyle Community Council is calling for new members to join, after a spate of resignations means it now has only two members. - Ross Chalmers, Deadline News.
🎭 Oscar-winning actor Tilda Swinton will return to the Traverse theatre stage for the first time in more than 30 years. - Brian Ferguson, The Herald + Thom Dibdin, All Edinburgh Theatre.
📌 Edinburgh Minute Community Noticeboard - news you can use:
🔥 EWH respond to the fire on Princes Street today - 'Edinburgh World Heritage was deeply saddened & concerned to wake up to the news that the B-listed former Debenhams department store on Princes Street has been seriously damaged by fire. We trust that all those responding to the fire have stayed safe.' - More details here, shared by Barbara Alexander, Edinburgh World Heritage.
🎨 Wild Fungarium - Botanical Watercolour Workshop with Sara Boccaccini Meadows - 'Join us for a botanical watercolour workshop with award winning illustrator, Sara Boccaccini Meadows. Experiment with a variety of techniques to create a collection of watercolour botanical studies inspired by nature. Friday, 24th July, 6.30pm' - More details here, shared by Wild Fungarium.
Wild Fungarium
🚶♂️ Ambling Adventures - Come join our Old Town walking group! - 'Join us as we walk alternating Old Town park routes on Thursday mornings! Meet outside the Parliament at 10:20am for a 10:30 set off. All welcome, but no dogs except service dogs please. Email Rowena at wellbeing@eotdt.org before coming along!' - More details here, shared by Rowena, Edinburgh Old Town Development Trust.
⭐ Storytellers Wanted! - 'The Story Sessions is back on July 17th, and we're looking for tellers to come and share a story on the theme: Origin Stories. Everyone is welcome, you don't need to be a seasoned storyteller to join. Email soapboxforcreatives@gmail.com for more!' - More details here, shared by Ellie, Soapbox.
📚 Analyzing Learner Journey on Online Education Platforms - 'For my MSc dissertation, I'm looking for participants aged 25–35 who have taken online courses to upskill for professional or personal reasons. I'm exploring the learner journey from course discovery to completion or dropout through short interviews. (Deadline: 20 Jul)' - More details here, shared by Batul Mamaji.
🏥 Free physio assessment days in Leith - 'Free physio assessments for anyone considering our Thrive rehab classes small-group sessions for people managing long-term conditions or rebuilding after injury. No GP referral needed, and 10% of places are free for those in financial difficulty.' - More details here, shared by Stuart Maytham, Health By Science Ltd.
📷 Mastering the Frame: Photography Course
Today, Fri 10 July - 'The perfect introduction to photography for anyone looking to improve their picture-taking skills. Sam will support students to learn how to extract professional-quality images from a smartphone.'
1.30pm to 4pm | Birchwood Art Studio · Slateford - More details here, shared by Raphie.
🖼️ Jannette MacDonald | ma bit yer bit
Today, Fri 10 July - 'Join us for the opening of ma bit yer bit, a solo exhibition by photographer and printmaker Jannette MacDonald. Exhibition Continues: 13 July - 28 August 2026, Monday to Friday 09:30 - 16:30'
5pm to 7pm | Leith School of Art · Leith | FREE - More details here, shared by Leith School of Art.
🎉 Insider Tattoos 'X'
Today, Fri 10 July - ''X' is a celebration of @insidertattoo 10th Anniversary with large collaboration works by @jasoncorbett @chell.tattoo @jackpeppiette @wesvaughntattoo @marleycessford @vik.b.tattoo @shirleypettigrewtattoos All are welcome from 6pm!'
6pm to 10pm | Custom House Leith · Leith | FREE - More details here, shared by a Minute reader.
🎷 The Argyle Rhythm Aces at Edinburgh Jazz 'n Jive
Today, Fri 10 July - 'This Friday, 10 July, the Argyle Rhythm Aces will play at the Edinburgh Jazz 'n Jive Club! They are a roster of traditional Jazz lovers, looking to entertain you with a mix of danceable Hot Jazz and Ragtime favourites from the 1920s and 1930s.'
8pm to 11pm | Heriot's Rugby Club · Inverleith | £12.00 & £15.00 - More details here, shared by Edinburgh Jazz 'n Jive Club.
📚 Dovecot Summer Sale
Tomorrow, Sat 11 July - 'Treat your shelf to a curated selection of discounted art and design books at our Dovecot Summer Sale and get a FREE titcket to our upcoming exhibition, Costume Couture: Sixty Years of Cosprop with every book purchased and more!'
10am to 5pm | Dovecot Studios · Old Town | FREE - More details here, shared by Dovecot Studios.
💃 Shake Your Soul: The Yoga of Dance - A Joyful Movement Class for All Bodies
Tomorrow, Sat 11 July - 'Shake Your Soul is an empowering movement class set to world music. It is appropriate for all genders and levels of fitness. All proceeds go to St James, an inclusive Christian church and community hub in Leith.'
4.30pm to 5.30pm | St James Scottish Episcopal Church · Leith | £0-15 - More details here, shared by St James Scottish Episcopal Church.
🎶 Play Nice presents Dovetailed with Faith Eliott and Quitter
Sun 12 July - 'The DEBUT Edinburgh show for Dovetailed, the new collaborative project of Kim Grant (Raveloe) and Simon Liddell (Frightened Rabbit). They will be joined by songwriter and visual artist Faith Eliott, and lo-fi indie extraordinaire Quitter.'
7pm to 10pm | Home Bar · Tollcross | £11 ADV/£13 OTD - More details here, shared by Play Nice.
🏛️ Southside Community Council Meeting and AGM
Mon 13 July - 'Come to our Annual General Meeting to hear what the community council has been up to, and to get involved if you'd like to. We'll be joined by Montagu Evans LLP who will present the plans for the former Scottish Widows building on Dalkeith Road.'
6pm to 8pm | Nelson Hall Community Centre · Southside | FREE - More details here, shared by Alessandro Fusco.
🤍 Grief support meet-up - Let's Talk About Loss [Monthly]
Sun 19 July - 'Join us for a coffee and a chat at our next grief support meet-up! Let's Talk About Loss is a charity that aims at helping young adults aged 18 to 35 going through bereavement. For more information, visit our website or instagram page.'
5pm to 6.30pm | Specific venue will be shared to attendees by email · Haymarket & Dalry | FREE - More details here, shared by Let's Talk About Loss.
🎨 National Galleries of Scotland Tour
Mon 27 July - 'With her extensive knowledge of 19th/20th century Scottish art and her personal history with two of the artists on display, Suzanne will guide you through the Scottish collection highlighting some of her favourite works.'
10am to 12.30pm | National Galleries Scotland: Portrait · New Town | £30 - More details here, shared by Raphie.
🛝 Plenty of family-friendly things to do this weekend and beyond in Gayle's Guide, including: Swimming at Lost Shore, Zog in the theatre, new messy play classes in Polwarth and more...
Gayle’s Guide