Edinburgh Festival Guide

Listings: Free events

Sorted by popularity / rating / date.

From Death to Death and Other Small Tales: Masterpieces from the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art and the D.Daskalopoulos Collection

From Death to Death and Other Small Tales brings together works from the D.Daskalopoulos Collection, one of the most important private collections of modern and contemporary art, with major works from the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art. This innovative exhibition comprises approximately 130 works and creates a…

Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art One, Edinburgh

Tue 21 May

Free / 0131 624 6200

Part of Edinburgh Art Festival.

  • 10:00 – 17:00

Wed 22 May

Free / 0131 624 6200

Part of Edinburgh Art Festival.

  • 10:00 – 17:00

Thu 23 May

Free / 0131 624 6200

Part of Edinburgh Art Festival.

  • 10:00 – 17:00
…and 108 more dates

Jalan Jati (Teak Road)

An exhibition tracing the imagined history of a teak bed found in a Singapore junk shop back to the tree from which it was made, incorporating photographs, prints, collages and an award-winning short film.

Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh

Tue 21 May

John Hope Gateway Centre

Free / 0131 248 2909

  • 10:00 – 18:00

Wed 22 May

John Hope Gateway Centre

Free / 0131 248 2909

  • 10:00 – 18:00

Thu 23 May

John Hope Gateway Centre

Free / 0131 248 2909

  • 10:00 – 18:00
…and 45 more dates

The Vodnjan Collective: Croatia Scotia

The Vodnjan Collective comprises ten artists based in Scotland: Annie Broadley, Hans K Clausen, Paul Clowney, Tessa Clowney, Amanda Egerton-King, Alexander Hamilton, Diana Hoare, Susie Johnston, Susanna Laing and Anna Welsh. To coincide with the admission of Croatia to the European Union in 2013, Croatia Scotia…

Doubtfire Gallery, Edinburgh

Sat 3 Aug

Free / 0131 225 6540

Part of Edinburgh Art Festival.

  • 10:00 – 17:00

Mon 5 Aug

Free / 0131 225 6540

Part of Edinburgh Art Festival.

  • 10:00 – 17:00

Tue 6 Aug

Free / 0131 225 6540

Part of Edinburgh Art Festival.

  • 10:00 – 17:00
…and 22 more dates

Follow the Thread – Dazzle@Dovecot

Dazzle@Dovecot returns for a second consecutive year with an exhibition of over 50 contemporary jewellery designers and silversmiths, and – for the first time in Edinburgh – Dazzle will also be presenting work from a number of international printmakers including Emiko Aida from Japan. Included in the exhibition will be an…

Dovecot Studios, Edinburgh

Fri 2 Aug

Free / 0131 550 3660

Part of Edinburgh Art Festival.

  • 10:30 – 18:30

Sat 3 Aug

Free / 0131 550 3660

Part of Edinburgh Art Festival.

  • 10:30 – 18:30

Sun 4 Aug

Free / 0131 550 3660

Part of Edinburgh Art Festival.

  • 10:30 – 18:30
…and 22 more dates

Peter Liversidge: doppelgänger

Peter Liversidge's exhibition for the festival unpicks the powerful and strange story of Ein Handschuh, a suite of etchings from 1881 by the Austrian Symbolist Max Klinger. Klinger's ten prints tell the story of a lost glove, dropped by a beautiful, rollerskating woman, and picked up by the artist, in whose imagination…

Ingleby Gallery, Edinburgh

Thu 1 Aug

Free / 0131 556 4441

Part of Edinburgh Art Festival.

  • 10:00 – 18:00

Fri 2 Aug

Free / 0131 556 4441

Part of Edinburgh Art Festival.

  • 10:00 – 18:00

Sat 3 Aug

Free / 0131 556 4441

Part of Edinburgh Art Festival.

  • 10:00 – 18:00
…and 52 more dates back to top

21 Revolutions: Two Decades of Changing Minds at Glasgow Women's Library

Glasgow Women’s Library (GWL) is the sole resource of its kind in Scotland. Launched in 1991, the library has amassed a remarkable collection that charts women’s and equalities campaigns, showcasing and conserving the diversity of women’s history and creativity. To mark the library’s 21st birthday in 2012, GWL…

Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh

Sat 20 Jul

Free / 0131 225 6671

Part of Edinburgh Art Festival.

  • 10:00 – 17:00

Sun 21 Jul

Free / 0131 225 6671

Part of Edinburgh Art Festival.

  • 12:00 – 17:00

Mon 22 Jul

Free / 0131 225 6671

Part of Edinburgh Art Festival.

  • 10:00 – 17:00
…and 48 more dates

Alberto Morrocco: Drawing on Life

This exhibition of works by Alberto Morrocco OBE (1917 – 1998) spans the artist’s entire career, from early student drawings and sculptures to paintings and graphics produced in his final years. Many of the works included are being shown for the first time in public and the sheer range of pieces – from classical…

Open Eye Gallery, Edinburgh

Mon 12 Aug

Free / 0131 557 1020

Part of Edinburgh Art Festival.

  • 10:00 – 18:00

Tue 13 Aug

Free / 0131 557 1020

Part of Edinburgh Art Festival.

  • 10:00 – 18:00

Wed 14 Aug

Free / 0131 557 1020

Part of Edinburgh Art Festival.

  • 10:00 – 18:00
…and 18 more dates

Amazing Amber

Amber is beautiful as well as fascinating. It consists of fossilised tree resin, and since resin in liquid form is sticky, and amber is transparent, this means that insects, animals and plant material sometimes get trapped in it and are preserved intact, giving us a glimpse of life millions of years ago. The whole process…

National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh

Tue 21 May

Free / 0300 123 6789

Part of Edinburgh Art Festival.

  • 10:00 – 17:00

Wed 22 May

Free / 0300 123 6789

Part of Edinburgh Art Festival.

  • 10:00 – 17:00

Thu 23 May

Free / 0300 123 6789

Part of Edinburgh Art Festival.

  • 10:00 – 17:00
…and 108 more dates

Ana Maria Pacheco: Memória Roubada

Translated literally, Ana Maria Pacheco's title Memória Roubada means 'stolen memories'. At the heart of this exhibition are two sculptural works characteristic of both Pacheco's practice and her personal and political concerns about the exercise of power. Displayed facing one another, each work is a wooden cupboard…

St Albert's Catholic Chaplaincy, Edinburgh

Thu 1 Aug

Free / 0131 650 0900

Part of Edinburgh Art Festival.

  • 11:00 – 17:00

Fri 2 Aug

Free / 0131 650 0900

Part of Edinburgh Art Festival.

  • 11:00 – 17:00

Mon 5 Aug

Free / 0131 650 0900

Part of Edinburgh Art Festival.

  • 11:00 – 17:00
…and 19 more dates

Ângela Ferreira: Political Cameras

For her first solo exhibition in a public gallery in the UK, Ângela Ferreira presents her renowned project Political Cameras (For Mozambique series) from 2011 alongside a new commission which will reference the legacy of David Livingstone's life and work, and the relationship between Africa and Europe from colonial days…

Stills, Edinburgh

Fri 2 Aug

Free / 0131 622 6200

Part of Edinburgh Art Festival.

  • 11:00 – 18:00

Sat 3 Aug

Free / 0131 622 6200

Part of Edinburgh Art Festival.

  • 11:00 – 18:00

Sun 4 Aug

Free / 0131 622 6200

Part of Edinburgh Art Festival.

  • 11:00 – 18:00
…and 84 more dates back to top

Artist guided walk: Lines Lost

Join artist Stuart McAdam for a guided walk along the Innocent Railway Path, the route of the capital’s first railway line which was closed in 1968, and learn about his nomadic journeys and walking as a methodology for art production. His latest project, part of a residency at Deveron Arts, is based around the infamous…

The Innocent Railway Path, Edinburgh

Thu 1 Aug

Free

Part of Edinburgh Art Festival.

  • 13:15 – 17:30

Artist Talk: Ângela Ferreira

Ângela Ferreira discusses her exhibition Political Cameras with curator Filipa Oliveria.

Stills, Edinburgh

Fri 2 Aug

Free / 0131 622 6200

Part of Edinburgh Art Festival.

  • 11:00 – 12:00

Bobby Niven: Palm of the Hand

This exhibition of new work by Bobby Niven brings together anthropomorphic sculptures with more solemn, abstract structures, finding humour in the tension between animate and inert forms. Made from mud, sprayed concrete and carved wood, Niven’s sculptures act as plinths for found objects and artifacts which they…

Old Ambulance Depot, Edinburgh

Thu 1 Aug

Free / 0131 558 5400

Part of Edinburgh Art Festival.

  • 12:00 – 18:00

Fri 2 Aug

Free / 0131 558 5400

Part of Edinburgh Art Festival.

  • 12:00 – 18:00

Sat 3 Aug

Free / 0131 558 5400

Part of Edinburgh Art Festival.

  • 12:00 – 18:00
…and 25 more dates

Cest Gelabert Conversation

Choreographer and solo performer Gerhart Bonher on the making of Im (Goldenen) Schnitt I.

Edinburgh Festival Theatre

Sun 18 Aug

Free / 0131 473 2000

Part of Dance Odysseys.

Collectors' Choice

This exhibition will examine the motivations, processes and benefits of collecting contemporary art through displaying works owned by a wide variety of participating collectors: from first-time buyers to corporates, and from family collections to those held by national institutions. The artists whose works are…

Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh

Sat 20 Jul

Free / 0131 225 6671

Part of Edinburgh Art Festival.

  • 10:00 – 17:00

Sun 21 Jul

Free / 0131 225 6671

Part of Edinburgh Art Festival.

  • 12:00 – 17:00

Mon 22 Jul

Free / 0131 225 6671

Part of Edinburgh Art Festival.

  • 10:00 – 17:00
…and 48 more dates back to top

Contemporary Classics Conversation

Christopher Hampson and Jane Pritchard, Curator of Dance at the V&A, inž conversation.

Edinburgh Festival Theatre

Sat 17 Aug

Free / 0131 473 2000

Part of Dance Odysseys.

Curators Talk

Curators from the Nam June Paik Art Center, Tate and Talbot Rice Gallery discuss the work and legacy of Nam June Paik.

Talbot Rice Gallery, Edinburgh

Sat 10 Aug

Free / 0131 473 2000

Dance Odysseys Discussion

An overview of this unique weekend of dance, chaired by Scottish Ballet’s Artistic Director Christopher Hampson.

Edinburgh Festival Theatre

Fri 16 Aug

Free / 0131 473 2000

Part of Dance Odysseys.

Dance on Film Talk

Curator of Dance Odysseys films Nele Hertling shares her thoughts on dance on celluloid.

Edinburgh Festival Theatre

Mon 19 Aug

Free / 0131 473 2000

Part of Dance Odysseys.

Discussion: Lines Lost

Artist Stuart McAdam and Claudia Zeiske, Director of Deveron Arts, will lead a discussion with a panel of experts about the relationship between art and walking, and the history of the railways in Scotland. This event is the culmination of a guided walk that McAdam will lead earlier in the afternoon along the Innocent…

Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh

Thu 1 Aug

Free / 0131 225 6671

Part of Edinburgh Art Festival.

  • 16:00 – 17:30
back to top

Dressed to Kill: Fashion, Costume and Dress in Scottish Art

Dressed to Kill showcases how Scottish artists have captured fashion, costume and dress over the years, from the late 17th century to the present day. The exhibition includes portrayals of a whole range of different types of costume, from mundane everyday working clothes to the most elaborate fashionable dress. There is…

City Art Centre, Edinburgh

Sat 15 Jun

Free / 0131 529 3993

Part of Edinburgh Art Festival.

  • 10:00 – 17:00

Sun 16 Jun

Free / 0131 529 3993

Part of Edinburgh Art Festival.

  • 12:00 – 17:00

Mon 17 Jun

Free / 0131 529 3993

Part of Edinburgh Art Festival.

  • 10:00 – 17:00
…and 104 more dates

Edinburgh Book Fringe

The Edinburgh Book Fringe takes place in Word Power Books and brings together writers and activists from around the world for a host of daily events of readings and discussions, all of which are free.

Word Power Bookshop, Edinburgh

Fri 9 Aug

Times vary / Free / 0131 662 9112

Sat 10 Aug

Times vary / Free / 0131 662 9112

Sun 11 Aug

Times vary / Free / 0131 662 9112

…and 12 more dates

Elizabeth Blackadder: Works on Paper

Displaying new works on paper, this is the first exhibition of Dame Elizabeth Blackadder’s work since the retrospective at The National Galleries of Scotland in 2010, and includes delicate studies of leaves, fruit and other organic objects.

The Scottish Gallery, Edinburgh

Fri 2 Aug

Free / 0131 558 1200

Part of Edinburgh Art Festival.

  • 10:00 – 18:00

Sat 3 Aug

Free / 0131 558 1200

Part of Edinburgh Art Festival.

  • 10:00 – 16:00

Mon 5 Aug

Free / 0131 558 1200

Part of Edinburgh Art Festival.

  • 10:00 – 18:00
…and 26 more dates

Exhibition Preview: This Land

The opening of This Land, which presents a beautifully alternative view of the Scottish landscape through works by artists with a diverse range of practices, including Henry Coombes, Andy Holden, Hannah Imlach, Michael Reisch and Iain Sarjeant. Initially located for the festival beside the City Art Centre, The…

Travelling Gallery, Edinburgh

Thu 22 Aug

Free / 0131 529 3930

Part of Edinburgh Art Festival.

  • 17:30 – 19:30

Follow the Thread – Artist Rugs: Dovecot's Contemporary Rug Collection

Pioneers in tapestry and rug making for over a 100 years, Dovecot Studios presents an exhibition of hand-tufted rugs created in collaboration with well known contemporary artists. These graphic and vibrant works uniquely showcase the colour blending and design skills of Dovecot’s artist weavers and rug-tufters working…

Dovecot Studios, Edinburgh

Fri 2 Aug

Free / 0131 550 3660

Part of Edinburgh Art Festival.

  • 10:30 – 18:30

Sat 3 Aug

Free / 0131 550 3660

Part of Edinburgh Art Festival.

  • 10:30 – 18:30

Sun 4 Aug

Free / 0131 550 3660

Part of Edinburgh Art Festival.

  • 10:30 – 18:30
…and 39 more dates back to top