Edinburgh Festival Guide

Listings: September

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Virgin Money Fireworks Concert (Ross Theatre)

Join the city of Edinburgh in a celebration of summer festivals, inspirational music and breathtaking pyrotechnics as the Virgin Money Fireworks Concert brings the Edinburgh International Festival to a resplendent conclusion. Set against the magnificent backdrop of Edinburgh’s iconic Castle, the evening brings together…

Ross Theatre Bandstand, Edinburgh

Sun 1 Sep

£27.50 / 0131 473 2000

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

Sun 1 Sep

Free / 0131 624 6200

Part of Edinburgh Art Festival.

  • 10:00 – 17:00

Mon 2 Sep

Free / 0131 624 6200

Part of Edinburgh Art Festival.

  • 10:00 – 17:00

Tue 3 Sep

Free / 0131 624 6200

Part of Edinburgh Art Festival.

  • 10:00 – 17:00
…and 5 more dates

Leonardo da Vinci: The Mechanics of Man

He is renowned as one of the finest artists of the Renaissance – but Leonardo da Vinci was also one of the greatest anatomists the world has ever seen. Leonardo da Vinci: The Mechanics of Man explores the artist’s groundbreaking work in anatomy. His studies of the human body are presented alongside state-of-the-art modern…

The Queen's Gallery, Edinburgh

Sun 1 Sep

£5.70–£6.25 (£3.15) / 0131 473 2000

Jupiter Artland

The celebrated outdoor sculpture park opens its doors for the fourth summer season with works on show by Anya Gallacio, Andy Goldsworthy, Henry Castle, Antony Gormley, Ian Hamilton Finlay, Charles Jencks, Anish Kapoor, Cornelia Parker and others.

Jupiter Artland, Wilkieston

Sun 1 Sep

£8.50 (ages 6–16 £4.50; Family £23.50–£31.50; Seniors £6; Students £4.50; under 6s & disabled badge holders free) / 01506 889900

  • 10:00 – 17:00

Thu 5 Sep

£8.50 (ages 6–16 £4.50; Family £23.50–£31.50; Seniors £6; Students £4.50; under 6s & disabled badge holders free) / 01506 889900

  • 10:00 – 17:00

Fri 6 Sep

£8.50 (ages 6–16 £4.50; Family £23.50–£31.50; Seniors £6; Students £4.50; under 6s & disabled badge holders free) / 01506 889900

  • 10:00 – 17:00
…and 6 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

Sun 1 Sep

Free / 0300 123 6789

Part of Edinburgh Art Festival.

  • 10:00 – 17:00

Mon 2 Sep

Free / 0300 123 6789

Part of Edinburgh Art Festival.

  • 10:00 – 17:00

Tue 3 Sep

Free / 0300 123 6789

Part of Edinburgh Art Festival.

  • 10:00 – 17:00
…and 5 more dates back to top

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

Mon 2 Sep

Free / 0131 558 1200

Part of Edinburgh Art Festival.

  • 10:00 – 18:00

Tue 3 Sep

Free / 0131 558 1200

Part of Edinburgh Art Festival.

  • 10:00 – 18:00

Wed 4 Sep

Free / 0131 558 1200

Part of Edinburgh Art Festival.

  • 10:00 – 18:00

Gabriel Orozco

Major exhibition of work by the Mexican artist, taking his painting The Eye of Go as a starting point, and featuring a series of large works on acetate which have never before been exhibited. Orozco is concerned not so much with what art should be but why it exists at all, and his practice never stands still – he'll cite…

Fruitmarket Gallery, Edinburgh

Sun 1 Sep

Free / 0131 225 2383

Part of Edinburgh Art Festival.

  • 12:00 – 17:00

Mon 2 Sep

Free / 0131 225 2383

Part of Edinburgh Art Festival.

  • 11:00 – 18:00

Tue 3 Sep

Free / 0131 225 2383

Part of Edinburgh Art Festival.

  • 11:00 – 18:00
…and 27 more dates

Sam Durant: Scaffold

Scaffold is an arresting, immense and powerful wooden structure by the Los Angeles-based, American artist Sam Durant. The first installation in a new programme of temporarily sited sculptures, Durant's work is placed within a new orchard amidst Jupiter’s 60 acres of landscape. Scaffold will command outstanding views of…

Jupiter Artland, Wilkieston

Sun 1 Sep

£8.50 (£4.50) / 01506 889900

Part of Edinburgh Art Festival.

  • 10:00 – 17:00

Thu 5 Sep

£8.50 (£4.50) / 01506 889900

Part of Edinburgh Art Festival.

  • 10:00 – 17:00

Fri 6 Sep

£8.50 (£4.50) / 01506 889900

Part of Edinburgh Art Festival.

  • 10:00 – 17:00
…and 6 more dates

Sarah Kenchington: Wind Pipes for Edinburgh

Sarah Kenchington builds her mechanical instruments from discarded materials. Bicycle spokes, typewriters, the inner tubes of tractor tyres are combined to create unique musical machines which emit a discordant array of moans, squeaks and chimes. Kenchington’s work offers a contemporary manifestation of a long history of…

Trinity Apse Church Nave, Edinburgh

Sun 1 Sep

Free

Part of Edinburgh Art Festival.

  • 10:00 – 17:00

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

Sun 1 Sep

Free / 0131 225 6671

Part of Edinburgh Art Festival.

  • 12:00 – 17:00

Mon 2 Sep

Free / 0131 225 6671

Part of Edinburgh Art Festival.

  • 10:00 – 17:00

Tue 3 Sep

Free / 0131 225 6671

Part of Edinburgh Art Festival.

  • 10:00 – 17:00
…and 5 more dates back to top

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 2 Sep

Free / 0131 557 1020

Part of Edinburgh Art Festival.

  • 10:00 – 18:00

Tue 3 Sep

Free / 0131 557 1020

Part of Edinburgh Art Festival.

  • 10:00 – 18:00

Wed 4 Sep

Free / 0131 557 1020

Part of Edinburgh Art Festival.

  • 10:00 – 18:00

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

Sun 1 Sep

Free / 0131 622 6200

Part of Edinburgh Art Festival.

  • 11:00 – 18:00

Mon 2 Sep

Free / 0131 622 6200

Part of Edinburgh Art Festival.

  • 11:00 – 18:00

Tue 3 Sep

Free / 0131 622 6200

Part of Edinburgh Art Festival.

  • 11:00 – 18:00
…and 27 more dates

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

Sun 1 Sep

Free / 0131 558 5400

Part of Edinburgh Art Festival.

  • 12:00 – 18:00

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

Sun 1 Sep

Free / 0131 225 6671

Part of Edinburgh Art Festival.

  • 12:00 – 17:00

Mon 2 Sep

Free / 0131 225 6671

Part of Edinburgh Art Festival.

  • 10:00 – 17:00

Tue 3 Sep

Free / 0131 225 6671

Part of Edinburgh Art Festival.

  • 10:00 – 17:00
…and 5 more dates

Coming into Fashion: A Century of Photography at Condé Nast

Condé Nast Publications produce some of the most famous titles in the magazine world, including Vogue, Vanity Fair and the New Yorker. It should come as no surprise that they also pioneered fashion photography, employing such legendary photographers as Cecil Beaton, Erwin Blumenfeld, David Bailey, Helmut Newton, Corinne…

City Art Centre, Edinburgh

Sun 1 Sep

£5 (£3.50) / 0131 529 3993

Part of Edinburgh Art Festival.

  • 12:00 – 17:00

Mon 2 Sep

£5 (£3.50) / 0131 529 3993

Part of Edinburgh Art Festival.

  • 10:00 – 17:00

Tue 3 Sep

£5 (£3.50) / 0131 529 3993

Part of Edinburgh Art Festival.

  • 10:00 – 17:00
…and 5 more dates 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

Sun 1 Sep

Free / 0131 529 3993

Part of Edinburgh Art Festival.

  • 12:00 – 17:00

Mon 2 Sep

Free / 0131 529 3993

Part of Edinburgh Art Festival.

  • 10:00 – 17:00

Tue 3 Sep

Free / 0131 529 3993

Part of Edinburgh Art Festival.

  • 10:00 – 17:00
…and 26 more dates

Edinburgh – A Tale of Two Towns

Saints & Sinners Walking Tours' stroll around the two distinct personalities of the City of Edinburgh.

Outside Greyfriar's Bobby Bar, Edinburgh

Sun 1 Sep

£10 (£8) / 07803 475688

Dovecot Studios, Edinburgh

Mon 2 Sep

Free / 0131 550 3660

Part of Edinburgh Art Festival.

  • 10:30 – 17:30

Tue 3 Sep

Free / 0131 550 3660

Part of Edinburgh Art Festival.

  • 10:30 – 17:30

Wed 4 Sep

Free / 0131 550 3660

Part of Edinburgh Art Festival.

  • 10:30 – 17:30
…and 9 more dates

Follow the Thread – Fleece to Fibre: The Making of the Large Tree Group Tapestry

Exhibition tracing the transposition of Victoria Crowe's 1975 painting Large Tree Group into a major new tapestry.

Dovecot Studios, Edinburgh

Mon 2 Sep

Free / 0131 550 3660

Part of Edinburgh Art Festival.

  • 10:30 – 17:30

Tue 3 Sep

Free / 0131 550 3660

Part of Edinburgh Art Festival.

  • 10:30 – 17:30

Wed 4 Sep

Free / 0131 550 3660

Part of Edinburgh Art Festival.

  • 10:30 – 17:30
…and 9 more dates

Game Changer

Bringing together works by Rachel Adams, Jacob Dahlgren, Nilbar Güres and Haroon Mirza, this exhibition considers materials, space, physicality and body image within the context of the sporting arena. The show is situated in Meadowbank Sports Centre, the main athletics venue for the 1970 and 1986 Commonwealth Games in…

Meadowbank Sports Centre, Edinburgh

Sun 1 Sep

Free / 0131 661 5351

Part of Edinburgh Art Festival.

  • 10:00 – 18:00
back to top

Ilana Halperin: The Library

New work by New York-born artist Halperin, who is interested in the relationship between geological time and human experience. She's the first contemporary artist to receive an Artist's Fellowship at the NMS, and this exhibition features found objects, minerals, artworks created by natural processes and a 1.3-ton…

National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh

Sun 1 Sep

Free / 0300 123 6789

Part of Edinburgh Art Festival.

  • 10:00 – 17:00

Mon 2 Sep

Free / 0300 123 6789

Part of Edinburgh Art Festival.

  • 10:00 – 17:00

Tue 3 Sep

Free / 0300 123 6789

Part of Edinburgh Art Festival.

  • 10:00 – 17:00
…and 26 more dates

Jeremy Deller and Alan Kane

In the year he represents the UK at the Venice Biennale, Jeremy Deller and his long-standing collaborator, Alan Kane will exhibit at Jupiter Artland. Since their early collaborative show at the infamous London nightclub Stringfellow’s in 1995 to ‘Folk Archive’ (2007), their acclaimed and unique celebration of British…

Jupiter Artland, Wilkieston

Sun 1 Sep

£8.50 (£4.50) / 01506 889900

Part of Edinburgh Art Festival.

  • 10:00 – 17:00

Thu 5 Sep

£8.50 (£4.50) / 01506 889900

Part of Edinburgh Art Festival.

  • 10:00 – 17:00

Fri 6 Sep

£8.50 (£4.50) / 01506 889900

Part of Edinburgh Art Festival.

  • 10:00 – 17:00
…and 6 more dates

Katri Walker: An Equilibrium Not of This World

Scottish artist Katri Walker is attracting increasing attention for her multi channel audio-visual installations which are equally at home in the worlds of contemporary art, portraiture and documentary film-making. North West, presented by Peacock Visual Arts at the 2011 Edinburgh Art Festival drew on the landscape of…

Edinburgh College of Art

Sun 1 Sep

Free / 0131 221 6000

Part of Edinburgh Art Festival.

  • 10:00 – 17:00

Lovely Sky (Participatory Imagineering)

For the duration of the festival, artist Lucy Pawlak will adopt the role of Producer for a narrative feature film. The resulting work will be designed and directed in collaboration with a writing team of imagineers and advisors made up of visitors to the gallery and invited experts. Through constant brainstorming, hot…

Rhubaba Gallery & Studio, Edinburgh

Sun 1 Sep

Free

Part of Edinburgh Art Festival.

  • 12:00 – 18:00

Man Ray Portraits

Presented in collaboration with the National Portrait Gallery in London, Man Ray Portraits is the first major museum retrospective of this highly influential artist’s photographic portraits and features over 100 works from his career in America and Paris, dating from 1916 to 1968. The exhibition demonstrates Man Ray’s…

Scottish National Portrait Gallery, Edinburgh

Sun 1 Sep

£7 (£5) / 0131 624 6200

Part of Edinburgh Art Festival.

  • 10:00 – 17:00

Mon 2 Sep

£7 (£5) / 0131 624 6200

Part of Edinburgh Art Festival.

  • 10:00 – 17:00

Tue 3 Sep

£7 (£5) / 0131 624 6200

Part of Edinburgh Art Festival.

  • 10:00 – 17:00
…and 19 more dates back to top