The first official month of spring is here! After battling several storms last month, it’s glorious to see the lighter evenings and the emergence of daffodils as a reminder that winter will soon be behind us. The arrival of March brings a host of wonderful events to look forward to so continue reading to find out what’s on in Edinburgh this month.
CITY OF FESTIVALS
The City of Festivals is slowly gearing up for its jampacked summer schedule but in the meantime, here are a few festivals to look out for this month:
Burns & Beyond (from 26th March, St. Giles’ Cathedral)
Unfortunately, celebrations in memory of Scotland’s National Bard, Robert Burns, did not go ahead as planned in January due to restrictions. Thankfully, Burns & Beyond’s live events are scheduled to take place at the end of March and the beginning of April. The events include Michael Pendry’s “Les Colombes” installation at St. Giles’ Cathedral, a solo-acoustic performance from singer and harpist Rachel Newton, a special collaboration between Brìghde Chaimbeul and Aidan O’Rourke as well as a performance by the Choir of St. Giles’ Cathedral.
Wellbeing Weekend (19th & 20th March, Restoration Yard at Dalkeith Country Park)
Begin the season of spring feeling rested, restored and revived. The Restoration Yard has organised a weekend of Yoga, Pilates, Qi Gong, outdoor fitness classes as well as Wellbeing Conversations in The Loft.
Puppet Animation Festival (from 28th March)
The Puppet Animation Festival is the UK’s oldest and largest annual festival for children and their families. The festival presents puppetry, animated film performances and workshops in venues across every corner of Scotland. For the past few years, the festival was unable to tour but this year in-person touring is back! The programme for Puppet Animation Festival 2022 will launch on 1st March.
EVENTS AND ENTERTAINMENT
Whether you’re watching the Six Nations, attending a new art exhibition, visiting the theatre or cheering on those taking part in the Meadows Marathon – there’s never a dull moment in the city. Here are just a few events and exhibitions taking place this month to keep in mind.
Six Nations (until 19th March, Various Pubs Across the City)
Reflections: The Light and Life of John Henry Lorimer (until 20th March, City
Art Centre, Free)
Garvald Edinburgh | From the Ashes (5th-19th March, Custom Lane, Free)
The Meadows Marathon (6th March, The Meadows)
Hairspray: The Musical (14th-19th March, Edinburgh Playhouse, from £21.50)
Van Gogh Alive (from 17th March, Festival Square, £22)
Seven Portraits: Surviving the Holocaust (17th March, Palace of Holyroodhouse)
Masterpieces from Buckingham Palace (25th March, The Queen’s Gallery, £8.50)
Burning Questions with Margaret Atwood (25th March, Usher Hall, £27.50)
Meet Me At The Threshold (26th March, Talbot Rice Gallery, Free)
Michael Pendry’s Les Colombes (From 26th March, St Giles’ Cathedral, Free/£5)
Book of Hours Exhibition (from 31st March, National Museum of Scotland, Free)
SEASONAL EVENTS IN MARCH
March is here and with it comes St Patrick’s Day (17th), the first day of spring (20th), and Mother’s Day (27th). There are a host of ways to celebrate each event in Edinburgh and here are just a few:
Leith Community Growers Tattie Giveaway (5th March, Leith Walk Police Box, Free)
Contemplating growing your own vegetables this year? Pop along to Leith Walk Police Box between 11am-3pm (or until they run out) to grab some seed potatoes. There will be lots of varieties on offer and the suggested donation is £1 for 4 seed potatoes.
St Patrick’s Day Festival (17th March, various locations)
Pubs across Edinburgh will be celebrating St Patrick’s Day. Two pubs to keep in mind are Biddy Mulligans and The Three Sisters who both promise plenty of live music, hearty Irish scran, and a rip-roaring atmosphere!
Mother’s Day Floral Workshop (30th March, Ollie & Ivy, £140 for 2 tickets)
Treat your mum this Mother’s Day to an evening together, learning the art of fresh flower arrangement at Ollie & Ivy’s floral atelier in Morningside.
LITERARY EVENTS IN MARCH
Edinburgh is known for its rich literary history with many well-known authors calling the city home for a period of time. Both new and second-hand independent bookshops are an integral part of the city and several host regular literary events, here are a selection:
Topping & Company (2 Blenheim Place)
Edinburgh’s largest independent bookshop, Topping & Company, will be hosting just under a dozen authors in March including Susan Stokes-Chapman with her debut novel “Pandora” (10th), James Oswald with the new book in his brilliant Inspector McLean series “All That Lives” (14th), and Olga Wojtas will close the month with her latest book “Miss Blaine’s Prefect and the Weird Sisters” (30th). Click the link to peruse the full list.
Lighthouse Bookshop (43-45 W Nicolson Street)
Lighthouse Bookshop has arranged five interesting literary events for February including ‘Me & White Supremacy: The Young Adult Edition and Other Fruit’ (Online, 10th February), ‘Blueberries: A Night with Ellena Savage’ (10th February), and ‘Women In Translation: Fragments of Sappho’ (21st February).
Lighthouse Bookshop (43-45 W Nicolson Street)
Lighthouse Bookshop is hosting two book clubs this March including “The Future Generations Book Group: Clade” (Online, 14th) and “Women In Translation: The Last One” (21st) as well as an evening with Hannah Lavery who will discuss her new book “Blood Salt Spring” (19th).
Blackwell’s Bookshop (53-62 South Bridge)
Blackwell’s Bookshop will begin the month with their monthly book quiz (7th) and go on to host Financial Times columnist and Editor-in-Chief of MoneyWeek, Merryn Somerset Webb, who will discuss her new book “Share Power” (15th); Claire Askew and C. S. Robertson will talk about their brand-new crime thrillers “A Matter of Time” and “The Undiscovered Deaths of Grace McGill” (16th); and an online event where you’ll meet the experts behind the “Very Short Introduction” series (24th).
Portobello Bookshop (46 Portobello High Street)
Lastly, Portobello Bookshop is hosting three literary events this month including an online event with Nataliya Deleva & Jessica Au who will be discussing their new novels, “Arrival” and “Cold Enough for Snow” (8th); an evening with Julia Armfield to celebrate the publication of her debut novel, “Our Wives Under the Sea” (15th); and Tom de Freston will be chatting about his book “Wreck: Géricault’s Raft and the Art of Being Lost at Sea” (22nd).
MARKETS IN MARCH
Edinburgh is fortunate to have a variety of weekly neighbourhood markets to visit plus a few one-off or speciality markets.
Grassmarket Market (every Saturday, from 10am-5pm) A weekly market offering freshly baked goods, seasonal produce, and local craftwork.
Leith Market (every Saturday, Dock Place, from 10am-5pm) Sitting beside the Shore, Leith’s weekly market hosts predominantly food stalls as well as a few local makers.
Stockbridge Market (every Sunday, Saunders Street, from 10am-5pm) Stockbridge is one of Edinburgh’s busiest markets selling a range of street food and lifestyle products.
Edinburgh Farmers’ Market (every Saturday, Castle Terrace, from 9am-2pm) Drop by Edinburgh Farmers’ Market to browse seasonal produce such as fruit, vegetables, locally sourced game, and more.
The Pitt Street Food Market (every Friday-Sunday, Pitt Street) This hugely popular street food market is back and will be hosting a range of street food traders with live music.
Support the Maker Market (6th March, Bellfield Portobello, £1.50) Support the Maker will be hosting their Spring Market at Bellfield Portobello. The market will showcase a beautiful selection of locally curated handmade products, ranging from baking, home wear, jewellery, art, accessories & textiles.
B’s Vintage Market (13th March, The Out of the Blue Drill Hall) B’s Vintage Market is a gathering of over 20 amazing vintage fashion traders from across the UK! Drill Hall will be filled with individual pop-up shops selling vintage clothing, bags, shoes, accessories, jewellery and homewares from the 1920s to the 2000s.
WORKSHOPS IN MARCH
Edinburgh is filled with a host of creative individuals and if you’d like to learn from them and discover a new hobby or hone a skill, here are just a few suggestions to inspire you:
EDINBURGH WELCOMES
Last, but not least, there’s always a host of businesses opening their doors for the first time in Edinburgh. Here are a few which have opened in February and will be opening in March. Why not pop along and welcome them!
