Culture
Forget the Caledonian cringe and just love Scotland
Why can’t we Scots shrug off that Caledonian Cringe and simply accept how much the rest of the world loves Scottishness? I’ve been living in Scotland for a few years now, ever since I met the Scottish crime writer Craig Robertson at the Left Coast Crime Conference in Colorado, and when I’m back in the…
Read MoreBurn your boats at Up Helly Aa
Held each January to celebrate Shetland’s rich Viking heritage, the fiery Up Helly Aa festival is a truly remarkable sight. Originating in the 1880s, Up Helly Aa is a community fire festival which takes place in Lerwick, on the last Tuesday in January. It is believed that the name, Up Helly Aa is derived from…
Read More16th century castle needs volunteers for the summer
A Scots castle is looking for volunteers to help boost visitors’ experiences of the historic building Thirlestane Castle, in Lauder, is one of the oldest and finest inhabited castles in Scotland. This summer they are extending their opening days so visitors can tour the 16th-century castle seven days a week. In order to do this…
Read MoreNational Library of Scotland prepares new gallery
A Scottish design agency has secured a new project to design a new gallery for the National Library of Scotland. The gallery will showcase, for the first time, the very best from the Library’s vast collections of material which have shaped and documented Scotland’s cultural identity. Edinburgh-based Studio MB will oversee the exhibition development, digital…
Read MoreUpturn in interest for Burns Night searches online
Interest in Burns Night has grown internationally over the past four years. Ahead of Burns Night this Saturday trusted data provider SEMrush has released new research illustrating that global interest in the national celebration is soaring. SEMrush analysed Google Search volumes from January 2016 and January 2019 Global Google searches for Burns Night and its…
Read MoreTyrannosaurs arrive in Scotland for a four month stay
The most comprehensive exhibition ever mounted on tyrannosaurs makes its only European appearance as it opens at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh tomorrow (Thursday, 23 January). Tyrannosaurs explores the most feared and revered of all dinosaurs, bringing the latest palaeontological discoveries to life and challenging preconceptions about these ferocious predators. The exhibition features…
Read MoreMore to SPECTRA than the light fantastic
The return of SPECTRA, Scotland’s Festival of Light, to Aberdeen’s city centre in February this year has been met with huge excitement. With a line-up of acclaimed UK and international artists which marks it out among light festivals in Scotland the free to enjoy, though provoking, hugely fun and perfect for people of all ages…
Read MoreSir David Attenborough to speak at Scots charity dinner
Musician Nicola Benedetti will perform at the Hunter Foundation’s charity dinner with Sir David Attenborough and 80s Scottish pop sensations Hue and Cry next month. The award-winning classical violinist from Ayrshire started learning to play the violin at just four years of age and at 16 she won the BBC’s Young Musician of the Year…
Read MoreWeekend highlights from Celtic Connections
Europe’s largest winter music festival, Celtic Connections, is continuing in Glasgow. Running until 2 February, the festival sees over 2,000 musicians from all over the world sharing their love for music at one-off gigs and the unique collaborations the Festival is known for. Some of this weekend’s highlights include: Ana Moura and Moishe’s Bagel, 24…
Read MoreAn Inspector Calls at a Scottish theatre this spring
JB Priestley’s classic thriller An Inspector Calls is coming to Scotland this year. PW Productions will bring the full cast of the UK and Ireland tour of Stephen Daldry’s seminal production to Glasgow’s Theatre Royal from Tuesday 24 – Saturday 29 March. Written at the end of the Second World War and set before the…
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