The Edinburgh Minute ⏰ Weekend edition: 3 - 5 April 2026

👋 Good morning Edinburgh. In today's weekend edition: All the local news links I can find, your community notices and the weekend guide for paying subscribers. Thanks to all the readers who've sent things in this week, it's been a busy one! The Minute will return as usual on Monday.

🌦️ Weekend weather: It's a calm start but things are forecast to get windy as the weekend progresses. The Met Office has named the fourth storm of the year 'Storm Dave'. Gusts could peak at 60mph, starting around 6pm on Saturday, lasting overnight and calming down on Sunday around midday. Temperatures: a high of 11C on Saturday and a low of 1C on Sunday night and a chilly start on Monday. - The full Met Office forecast is here.

💻 Parents at James Gillespie High school have raised concerns after AI-generated clips involving teachers were shared on social media. - Cara Blackhall & Nicholas Malizia, Edinburgh Live.

🎓 A new video has emerged of protestors directly confronting University of Edinburgh Principal Peter Mathieson. The row happened inside Black Medicine Coffee on Nicolson Street before staff shoved them out. - The video was shared by the Edinburgh University Justice for Palestine Society.

• Yesterday the university said it was investigating 'harassment and personally threatening behaviour by protestors during a work meeting at an off-campus premises'.

🏗️ If you've been near the city centre recently, you'll have probably seen the large KFC advertisement on the former Topshop building (known to some as the RW Forsyth department store) on Princes Street. It's due to become a hotel and meantime it's a giant advert. But conservationists from The Cockburn Association warn that the giant ads are 'eroding' the city's 'architectural beauty'. - Jamie Calder, The National.

Scotland’s architectural gems ‘under threat’ as giant fast-food advert causes outrage

Scotland’s architectural beauty is being “eroded” by huge advertisements that often linger on historic buildings, conservationists have…

The NationalJamie Calder

🚧 Repair works on the two closed bridges on Harrison Road is expected to be complete in September, reports local MP Scott Arthur: "It’s far later than anyone in the community wanted, and the disruption has been huge".

🎓 The University of Edinburgh paid external consultants around £200,000 to run a cost-cutting exercise, reports Garrett Baylor Stell in The Herald. The uni insisted: "Our current financial position is not sustainable".

 🪫 A power cut hit the Easter Road, Meadowbank and Pilrig areas yesterday. - Isla Storie, Edinburgh Live.

📰 The Edinburgh-based Daily Business news website run by journalist Terry Murden has been acquired by Hero Media & Entertainment. - Paul Linford, Hold The Front Page.

🍻 Encore Bars has confirmed that its West Side Rodeo bar is moving in to the Cowgate space formerly occupied by the Legends rock bar, which was shut down last week. It's due to open on Wednesday. - Rose Moncur, The Herald.

🌸 It's been a week of blossom news and here's some more: A collection of new cherry trees is being planted at the Botanics 'to celebrate the friendship between Scotland and Japan.' - Ross Chalmers, Deadline News + Rose Moncur, The Herald.

🍽️ Chef, restaurateur and food writer Yotam Ottolenghi will be discussing his new cook book, Simple Too, at an event hosted by Topping's. It's on 8 September at Ps and Gs Church on York Place and tickets are available here.

Yotam Ottolenghi for Simple Too at Ps and Gs Church

It’s a noisy world out there, so stop, take a minute or two, listen to the soup bubble or the egg crackle... and let simple cooking be your solution. “SIMPLE TOO is an extension of SIMPLE, but the two years I spent working on it also felt like a response to where our lives are right now, in this noisy and bustling world; a world full of options that can sometimes feel distracting or numbing. We wanted to carve out a space that allows people to relax a little more in the kitchen, to use the pantry they’ve already built and the knowledge they already have” - Yotam Ottolenghi For the three million home cooks around the world who loved Ottolenghi SIMPLE, Yotam and his co-author, test kitchen colleague Verena Lochmuller, set themselves the task to further pair down processes and ingredient lists, whilst keeping the vibrant, multi- layered, surprising signature flavours loved throughout the world. Many of the dishes, such as Braised halloumi with tomatoes and beans, or Smoky tomato and feta prawns, are made in one baking tray, with no preparation at all, ready to put on the table in about 30 minutes. They’re for feeding family and friends or just yourselves; classics reimagined the Ottolenghi way using flavour-enhancing ingredients such as za’atar, tahini, harissa and garlic. Bring Yotam Ottolenghi’s innovation to your everyday with 135 new recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert. Every dish has simplicity at its core and can be made in under 30 minutes, cooked in one pot, or prepped ahead. Whatever your barriers to cooking, this book brings you into the kitchen with a promise that even the simplest of meals can be full of flavour and joy. Yotam Ottolenghi is the restaurateur and chef-patron of the nine Ottolenghi delis, as well as the NOPI and ROVI restaurants. He is the author of eleven bestselling and multi-award-winning cookery books. His championing of vegetables, as well as ingredients once seen as ‘exotic’, has led to what some call ‘The Ottolenghi effect’. This is shorthand for the creation of a meal which is full of colour, flavour, bounty and sunshine.

Topping & Company Booksellers

📌 Edinburgh Minute Community Noticeboard - news you can use:

☀️ More Community-Based Solar Panels: 32 Installed at Lauriston Farm - 'Great to see LifeCare posting about these in issue 879 - Lauriston Farm has also just installed our own solar panels in the farm's market garden thanks to funding from the Scottish Government’s Community and Renewable Energy Scheme (CARES)' - More details here, shared by Kate MacDougall, Edinburgh Agroecology Co-op.

🌼 Botanics Easter Trail - back in bloom - 'The Botanics' annual Easter Trail returns this week, offering young visitors the chance to explore the Garden in a colourful seasonal adventure. Running from Friday April 3 to Sunday April 12, there is a sweet treat at the end of the Trail.' - More details here, shared by Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh.

Botanics Easter Trail - back in bloom

RBGE

🍽️ Private dining project áRD brings curated dining experiences to your kitchen - 'àRD is a new Edinburgh-based private dining project which has launched this spring. Led by chef Arran Rex, menus are guided by season, setting and a story to tell you over the dining table. DM to book, & design a menu that suits you & your guests!' - More details here, shared by a Minute reader.

🎉 Festival of Europe Scotland 2026 Programme Launched - With Something for Everyone! - 'Festival of Europe Scotland has unveiled its 2026 programme. Taking place from 7-17 May, it features talks, film screenings, conferences, walking tours, fairs, art, music, dance performances, quizzes and workshops. Events are free or low cost.' - More details here, shared by Festival of Europe Scotland.

🤰 New Pre and Post Natal Fitness Classes - 'Edinburgh Leisure are launching our new Active Mums classes - Pre Natal Strong and Post Natal Strong - next week! We are also delighted to offer our Active Mums Membership, offering discounted access to those in receipt of select benefits.' - More details here, shared by Sara Kemp (Community Development Officer), Edinburgh Leisure. (See a video from one of the sessions here)

Active Mums - Prenatal and Postnatal Support and Classes for Mothers

A programme of health and fitness classes connecting Mums in the community,

Edinburgh LeisureEdinburgh Leisure

🪩 [FREE] Good Friday Boogie: Bifa and The Juice
Today, Fri 03 April - 'Bifa and the Juice join PoL residents for an evening of house and Italo in the unique and industrial setting of The Port of Leith Distillery. Bank holiday weekend antics at the world's tallest whisky distillery.'
7pm to 12am | Port of Leith Distillery, EH6 6JH | FREE - More details on RA, shared by a Minute reader.

🎷 LINDY HOP HEAVEN with Tom Gordon's Kansas City 7, at Edinburgh Jazz 'n Jive
Today, Fri 03 April - 'This week, Tom Gordon's Kansas City 7 brings the swing! Perfect for Lindy Hoppers, but jazz fans and dancers of all styles are welcome. Great music, big floor, and even better vibes. See you there!'
8pm to 11pm | Heriots Rugby Club, EH3 5QN | £12.00 & £15.00 - More details here, shared by Edinburgh Jazz 'n Jive Club.

🛝 The Easter holidays are here and there's no shortage of family-friendly things to do this weekend in Gayle's Guide, including free kids' crafternoons on Saturday and Sunday at The Pitt in Granton. There's much more, have a read:

Gayle’s Guide ✨ 2nd April 26

Issue 94 - Loads of fun for the Easter holidays!

Gayle's GuideGayle’s Guide

📆 What else is on this weekend in town? The next bit is for paying subscribers only…