The Edinburgh Minute ⏰ Weekend edition: 30 January - 1 February 2026

👋 Good morning Edinburgh. Another busy Friday edition: all the local news I can find, your community notices and the weekend guide. Thanks again to everyone who sends things in, shares the newsletter or supports it. This newsletter wouldn't exist without you. Here's your weekend Edinburgh Minute...

🌦️ Weekend weather: Wet for much of today and Saturday. Potentially drier but still cloudy on Sunday. Temperatures ranging between 3C and 6C. - The full Met Office forecast is here.

🚉 A big headline in The Scotsman this morning: 'Plans for third Edinburgh tram line on south suburban railway unveiled by council'. A new map of a possible future network shows 12 potential stops including Morningside Road, Newington and an interchange at Cameron Toll. The map also shows a new link from Leith Walk to Meadowbank. - Alastair Dalton, The Scotsman. (This report may have a paywall for some readers. I encourage everyone to pay for journalism if you're able to).

• 'Return of South Suburban line could help Edinburgh finally learn to love its trams' - Scotsman editorial.
• The council said the new map is a 'conceptual representation of what a future integrated multimodal network may look like for Edinburgh'.
• The first comment on the Scotsman report: 'All talk. This is NEVER going to happen.' - Read the report here.

💰 One of the city's largest volunteering projects has announced an immediate pause on new work and intake due to a lack of funding. Currently there are 336 Community Task Force Volunteers registered with Volunteer Edinburgh. They have completed more than 17,500 tasks across the city since the CTV initiative began in 2020. But the charity said it was 'with great sadness' that it was now 'unable to dedicate the staff time the service demands to offer a high quality and personalised response to our users'. - Volunteer Edinburgh published a its service update here.

• ⮑ Long-time volunteer and Minute subscriber John Edward got in touch to say: "I worked for them before, during and after Covid, from hearing aids to donations for Ukraine, from vaccination clinics to gardening and the Queen's lying in state. Haven't managed to do so in recent months. Such a tiny investment to galvanise such a huge amount of voluntary effort."

🎓 Teviot Row House is due to open in March. The announcement came yesterday from the Edinburgh University Students’ Association in this post. The student union building has been shut for redevelopment since 2023. - There are new photos from inside the building here.

📰 Issue 172 of The Leither is out now. Find a copy at MacDonald Road Library, Out of the Blue, Elvis Shakespeare and local pubs. This month’s cover story investigates a literary mystery: the whereabouts of the typewriter George Orwell used to compose Nineteen Eighty-Four. - Read The Leither online here.

💡 'This immersive, hallucinatory show is coming to Edinburgh and it’s one you’ll want on your radar' - Gemma Meek, Quine magazine.

🚲 The monthly Critical Mass family-friendly cycling protest ride focuses on the New Town on Saturday, starting at 2pm in the Meadows. - More details.

📌 Edinburgh Minute Community Noticeboard - news you can use:

Friday:

📌 "Leslie Hills, author of 10 Scotland Street, will speak on the extraordinary history of 28 Queen Street. Broughton History Society, McDonald Road Library, non-members welcome for a small sum. Tea and biscuits 18.00 Talk 18.30." - Thanks to the organisers for sharing this.

📌 "The Royal Yacht Britannia is now welcoming Edinburgh Residents on a 2-for-1 offer, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Queen Elizabeth II. All tickets can be converted into free annual passes." - Thanks to a Minute reader for sharing this.

📌 "Friday 30 January - Tickets are going on sale for The Woolly Good Gathering, Edinburgh's festival of yarn on Friday! Join us for a marketplace full of wonderful woolly vendors and take part in our exciting programme of crafty workshops and talks." - Thanks to The Woolly Good Gathering for sharing this.

The Woolly Good Gathering

The Woolly Good Gathering is a new Edinburgh yarn festival for knitters, crocheters and yarn lovers

Woolly GoodSkip to Content

Saturday:

📌 "For one day only, buy any book and receive a free ticket to The Biba Story: 1964–1975 exhibition at Dovecot Studios. Don’t miss this special offer which is only available on Sat 31st January. Browse in the shop, warm up in the café and explore over 90 tapestries in our free balcony exhibition." - Thanks to Dovecot Studios for sharing this.

📌 "Sat 31st Jan: Looking for something to do this weekend? Why not pop down to the Drill Hall in Leith? As well as our monthly flea market, our brand new riso print exhibition "Scaredy Cat" will be open and you'll be able to get teas, coffees and snacks from the Drill Hall Cafe." - Thanks to Out of the Blue Drill Hall for sharing this.

📌 "Sat 31 January - Paint & Sip with us this weekend. All materials (including bubbles!) are provided. You'll come away with your own canvas painting of a gorgeous coastal sunset. £25 per person, or included in our intro offer: 7 days for £29." - Thanks to Marpole Retreats for sharing this.

📌 "Ceramicist Matt Hamer will be having a pop-up at Leith Makers on Leith Walk on Saturday and Sunday (31st-1st) selling fun, quirky and colourful ceramics." - Thanks to ceramicist Matt for sharing this.

📌 "Heart of Newhaven: Free Family Soup Lunch Club. Join us - Saturday 31st January 12 noon. This week minestrone or broccoli and cheese. Enjoy a warm bowl of soup and friendly company. Open to all – families, neighbours, and community members welcome!" - Thanks to Roger at Heart of Newhaven for sharing this.

📌 “Saturday 31st January at Summerhall - CATALYST: Art as Activism, a series of 4 solo exhibitions by artists whose work advocates for social, political, environmental, or cultural change, opens at Summerhall, alongside free artist workshops. Open Wed - Sun (11am - 5pm) until 29th March.” - Thanks to Summerhall Arts for sharing this.

🔊 On Saturday La Belle Angele hosts Edinburgh Dub Club with Mungo's Hi-Fi Soundsystem, featuring Aziza Jaye. - Tickets via the venue.

A couple of rave revival events:

📌 “On Saturday 31 January, Edinburgh’s Pitt Market hosts the return of Sound System Legacies’ day rave. Leith will welcome some of the biggest acts in bass music, alongside local talent playing Jungle, DnB, Hardcore and plenty more!” - Thanks to a kind subscriber for sharing this. - There are more details on the SSL Instagram.

📌 “Saturday: Tierhaus is a new clubnight in the Summerhall's Dissection Room, inspired by the communal spirit of 90s rave culture. Expect soulful, groovy house in the one of the city’s most striking event spaces. Headlined by ex Death in Vegas member Steve Hellier, with support from Kieran Tahir and others.” - Thanks to the organiser for sharing this.

Sunday:

📌 "Sunday 1 Feb - Edinburgh Highland Reel and Strathspey Society and friends will get your toes tapping and maybe even bring a tear to your eye with a programme of fiddle music and Scottish songs. Early afternoon fun in the Queen’s Hall." - Thanks to 'a proud EHRSS supporter' for sharing this.

📌 "Sunday 1 February, Sensory Sunday at Camera Obscura & World of Illusions. An adapted hour with reduced visitor numbers, softer sounds, and adjustments. It offers a more relaxed experience for neurodivergent individuals and others who benefit from a quieter visit." - Thanks to Camera Obscura for sharing this.

📌 "From Saturday 31 January - The immersive experience Enlightenment by EONARIUM is coming to the McEwan Hall, where visitors will be enveloped in stunning visuals and soundscapes inspired by Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons. Tickets are available via Fever's app and website." - Thanks to Fever for sharing this.

📌 "Sunday 1st February: Linoprint Tote Bags - come away with your own design and bag. A fun, creative and incredibly relaxing way to spend a Sunday. £25 per person, or included in our intro offer - 7 days for £29. All materials included." - Thanks to Marpole Retreats for sharing this.

📌 "Could you spare 15 minutes to brighten Corstorphine & Clermiston? Corstorphine in Bloom are speaking to the city council and Edinburgh Zoo about a flower safari but it needs local people to show support. All five parks are involved and you can find out more at corstoprhineinbloom.com" - Thanks to Friends of St Margaret's Park for sharing this.

Corstorphine in Bloom

Bringing Colour and Community Together

Corstorphine in BloomCorstorphine in Bloom

📌 "Monday 2nd February - Textile Conservation at the University of Glasgow - a student perspective talk by Sarah Flores Rodriguez and Lucy Guthrie. 7pm at Edinburgh's Augustine United Church, arrive 6.30pm for tea, coffee and biscuits." - Thanks to Costume Society Scotland for sharing this.

📌 "Thursday 5 February - Saturday 7 February 2026: The iconic Murrayfield Ice Rink hosts Great Britain’s men’s team on Scottish ice for the first time since the 1990s. GB, Poland, Ukraine and Slovenia faceoff in the IIHF European Cup of Nations, with two‑game day tickets from £20 (£12 concessions/u16s)." - Thanks to Ice Hockey UK for sharing this.

🛝 There are lots of family-friendly things to do this weekend and beyond in the brand new edition of Gayle's Guide, including: giants at the museum, a preview of Manipulate Festival, stop motion workshops and more...

Gayle’s Guide ✨ 29th Jan 26

Issue 86 - Giants at the museum, Manipulate Festival, stop motion workshops and much more…

Gayle's GuideGayle’s Guide

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