Reviews & features: Hitlist

Highland Wildlife Park Tour

A trip up North courtesy of the Edinburgh Zoo

Fed up with staring at comedians baring their teeth inside hot rooms? You need some fresh air, my friend. Edinburgh Zoo have very sweetly put on a bus to take parties interested in getting out of Edinburgh (an impulse we can kind of understand, by this…

Wau Wau Sisters' Last Supper bribe The List

With a magnet, thong, tea towel, fridge magnet and hip flask

We received this bribe bounty at the very last minute, so unfortunately didn’t have time to track down a spokesperson from the show, but we think the bribe speaks for itself. The Wau Wau Sisters sent us a bundle including: a pair of pants, a thong, a…

Radio 1 DJ Nick Grimshaw set challenge with Fringe comedy show

Champion of new music finds comedy feet

Radio 1 returns to the Fringe following last year’s Scott Mills The Musical. DJ Nick Grimshaw was set the challenge of writing a one-man show, with five weeks to prepare. Here, he explains the show he’ll perform this week. ‘Don’t get me wrong – I…

Stewart Lee’s Silver Stewbilee!

The stand up will launch his new book at the one-off night

He’s not letting us reviewers in again this year, so we can only assume that he’s doing a mime show in Swedish or something. With this one-off night, he’s launching his excellent new book, a series of musings and full scripts from his last few stand-up…

Jeremy Lion answers questions from kids

The children's entertainer answers the questions that popped into our mailbox

Bumbling children’s entertainer Jeremy Lion has taken time out from being near-permanently soused to explore some pressing environmental issues in his new show. He’s still got time for the kids, however, and was more than happy to answer the questions…

Five hirsute gents tickling our fancies (and chins) this month

Look out for these bearded men at this year's Festivals

Phil Kay Furry Fringe veteran Kay makes no fewer than four fuzzy-faced appearances this year. His kids’ show Gimme Your Left Shoe makes a welcome return; there’s a solo show in the evening called In Tweed; a late-night radio show titled RadioFree; and…

Edinburgh Festivals’ Cavalcade

With floats from all aspects of the Edinburgh Festivals, as well as community groups and commercial ventures and the entire cast of the Edinburgh Military Tattoo, the cavalcade returns to Holyrood Park to kick-start yer official Edinburgh Crazy Season.

Fringe 2010 cabaret offerings are as colourful as ever

Smoke & Mirrors, Alan Cumming and The Crack

From pared down to jazz-hands up, this year’s variety and cabaret offerings are as colourful as ever. Anna Millar meets the makers to find out why we just can’t get enough It’s a certain man who can shimmy from club door whore to straight-talking…

Lady Carol - Malady

We asked the singing, ukelele playing, dark-humorist five questions

This ukelele lady has an inky-black sense of humour, and can turn the sweetest of love songs into a creepy stalker anthem. Just, please, keep her away from bright light and cakes. Five words you’d use to describe your show Sad songs, silly…

Edinburgh Mela 2010

An international and ceremonial start to the Festivals

These days the Mela is just as much of a ceremonial start to Edinburgh’s Festivals as the (often far less exciting) Fringe Cavalcade. This year, alongside Bollywood dance shows, multi-artform companies from China, traditional Sufi music from Rizwan…

Ali McGregor – Jazz Cigarette

A sexy soulful rendition of songs that inspire

It’s a fine woman who can wrap her vocal chords round Ella, Billie and, er, Britney, with suitable pizzazz. This is sexy soulfulness at its finest, with a harp thrown in. Having warmed up with stints in La Clique and Variety-Nite, here she keeps it real…

Camille O’Sullivan – Chameleon

Dramatic re-imagining of Nick Cave, Tom Waits and David Bowie

Not for nothing has this Irish charmer’s raunchy raw set and dramatic performances led to sell-out shows since she first took to the Fringe in 2004. Nick Cave, Tom Waits, Radiohead and David Bowie are all dramatically re-imagined here in showstopping…

Lady Carol – Malady

Comedy singer returns to festival after sell-out shows in Sydney

With her dark vocals and unimaginable covers this intoxicating comedy singer returns to the festival following a sell-out show in Sydney. Expect possibly some of the most enjoyable renditions of Love is a Battlefield and Running up that Hill and you…

Visual Art hitlist

Agnes Martin, Alan Davie, Cerith Wyn Evans with Throbbing Gristle, Lili Reynaud-Dewar, Henry Coombes, Agnes Martin, Dani Marti, Thomas Hirschhorn

Comedy Hitlist

Brendon Burns In years gone by this mouthy Aussie could have started an almighty battle in an empty room. He doesn’t have that problem anymore given the number of dates he’s added to this sold-out run. Pleasance Courtyard, 556 6550, 25–29 Aug…

Kids hitlist

Room on the Broom Julia Donaldson’s popular storybook is transformed into a wonderful stage production by Tall Stories, complete with catchy songs, superb acting and a truly magnificent broom. Five stars. Pleasance Courtyard, 556 6550, until 31…

Hitlist: Books

The best of the literary fest

Suhayl Saadi, Frank Gardner, Steve Toltz, Tobias Hill, Susie Orbach, Mark Millar, Douglas Coupland

Hitlist: Theatre

Our pick of the week's theatre

Faith Healer, The Yalta Game, Afterplay, The Overcoat, Controlled Falling Project, The Hotel, The Tartuffe/The Trial, Trilogy

Hitlist: Visual art

Our pick of visual art for the week

Scottish Paintings: Old Masters to Contemporary. Milestone, The Creative World of Alan Davie, Jane and Louis Wilson: Unfolding the Aryan Papers, The Enlightenments, The Discovery of Spain, Eva Hesse: Studiowork

Fest: Around Town Hitlist

The Best Books, Events and LGBT

The Red Bus Beach Trips, Edinburgh International Festival of Middle Eastern Spirituality and Peace 2009, Big Red Door Festival, Festival of Politics, Votes for Women, Famous Scots Exhibition

Visual Art Hitlist

Our pick of the week's exhibitions

Self-Made Cavalcade, Milestone, Jane and Louise Wilson: Unfolding the Aryan Papers, The Creative World of Alan Davie, The Enlightenments, The Discovery of Spain, Eva Hesse: Studiowork

Theatre Hitlist

As the EIF joins the Fringe, we choose our pick of Festival theatre.

Diaspora, Sea Wall, The Tartuffe, Trilogy, The Hotel, Party, White Tea, Optimism, Faust

Music Hitlist

What to go see this week

GRV three-day music festival, The Juan McLean, Young Fathers and Unicorn Kid, Scotland at Night, St Kilda, Broken Records

Comedy Hitlist

The best comedy from the festival

Pappy’s Fun Club A supersonic jaunt through a ludicrous yet hilarious number of sketches in a mere 60 minutes. Pleasance Courtyard, 556 6550, until 31 Aug (not 17), 7.20pm, £12-£14 (£10.50-£12.50). Hans Teeuwen The Dutch comic-actor breaks…

Music hitlist

The best music from the festival

The Bang Bang Club, David Byrne, Dub Syndicate, The Edge, Rough Cut Nation, Rough Cut Nation, Shooglenifty, The Stranglers, Time(less) Machine