AROUND TOWN

^{Beltane Fire Festival}

Breathing new life into an ancient Iron Age Celtic ritual, the Beltane Fire Festival (Sunday 30 April) marks the birth of summer. This Edinburgh staple blurs the lines between audience and performer and is filled with fire-play, acrobats, drummers, dancers, clowns and musicians.

Celebrating Scots language and contemporary Scottish culture, the Soutar Festival Of Words (Friday 28 – Sunday 30 April) boasts a fantastic programme of readings, performance and conversations with writers, poets and storytellers in venues across Perth. There’ll be plenty of fun for all the family.

Commune with nature and get your hands on some new reading material with a trip to Books At The Botanics (Saturday 29 April – Monday 1 May), a monthly book fair nestled in the beautiful surroundings of Glasgow Botanic Gardens. Secondhand, vintage and antiquarian books will be available, alongside prints, maps and more.

MUSIC

^{Picture: Ebru Yildiz / Rihannon Giddens and Francesco Turrisi}

Check out the very best in traditional music when Edinburgh Tradfest (Friday 28 April – Monday 8 May) returns this weekend. Featuring music, film, storytelling, lectures and workshops, it’s headlined by Grammy-winner Rhiannon Giddens, who is appearing with her musical, and life, partner Francesco Turrisi. Read our interview with her for April’s issue.

Marking 25 years of dancing till you drop, Dundee Dance Event (Sunday 30 April) is back. Showcasing DJs and artists from across Scotland, it takes place at 28 venues around the city, including closing party hosts Fat Sam’s, and features house, techno, trance and old skool.

He’s something of a guilty pleasure but Vancouver crooner Michael Bublé (Thursday 27 & Friday 28 April) will be swinging by Glasgow’s OVO Hydro this week, treating audiences to the smooth sounds of his latest hit album, Higher, as well as a selection of his greatest hits.

STAGE

^{Kevin Hart}

You’ve seen him in films like Ride Along and Central Intelligence and now the motor-mouthed comic will be telling audiences all about his life as a Hollywood star when he brings his globe-trotting stand-up show, Kevin Hart: Reality Check (Saturday 29 April), to Glasgow’s OVO Hydro this weekend.

Eve Ensler’s seminal play The Vagina Monologues (until Saturday 29 April) gets a makeover in this new version from Dundee Rep. Directed by Irene Macdougall, it once again takes a breathtakingly honest look at sexuality and liberation, with laughter and tears guaranteed.

If you’re looking for something more kid-friendly, the theatrical spectacular Jurassic Live (Saturday 29 & Sunday 30 April) should have everything you need, plus more. With songs and dance alongside the dinosaur-based antics it certainly won’t be lacking in roarsome family fun. Glasgow’s SEC Armadillo Arena plays host.

SCREEN

^{Polite Society}

Karate kicking their way into cinemas this week are the ladies of Polite Society, a bad-ass comedy from Nida Manzoor focusing on a pair of British-Pakistani sisters (played by newcomer Priya Kansara and Ritu Arya). It smashes stereotypes to smithereens as it fuses action influences with Bollywood whilst keeping things firmly, and fabulously, funny.

Speaking of smashing stereotypes, French drama Rodeo follows a rebellious young woman as she tries to find a place for herself in the macho world of motocross. The directorial debut of Lola Quivoron is powered by a sensitive and striking turn from real-life biker Julie Ledru.

It’s been dubbed the most expensive TV show ever, so you’ll probably want to check out new six-part sci-fi spy series Citadel. Starring Richard Madden and Priyanka Chopra Jonas, with the Russo brothers onboard as executive producers, it certainly looks promising and has already been renewed for a second series.

PODCASTS

^{Hannah Maguire and Suruthi Bala}

Rosamund Pike lends her dulcet-tones to fascinating Audible Original podcast Mother, Neighbour, Russian Spy, which tells the story of an all-American suburban mom harbouring a terrible secret: she’s actually a sleeper agent gathering intel for the Russians.

In Filthy Ritual award-winning podcasters Hannah Maguire and Suruthi Bala (who you might know from their hit true crime podcast RedHanded) delve into the scandal surrounding one of the most prolific con women in British history, Juliette D’Souza, who swindled her victims by claiming to be a spiritual healer.

The lovely Liza Tarbuck is your guide in beginners’ gardening show Let It Grow. This collaboration between Radio 2, CBBC and BBC Teach will help you transform grey spaces into wild and colourful places, with gardening experts and other enthusiasts offering their tips.

VISUAL ART

^{Open Studios North Fife}

In Zineb Sedira: Can’t You See The Sea Changing? (Saturday 29 April – Sunday 6 August) at the DCA, the Paris-born, London-based artist uses photography, installation and film to draw on her personal history and connection to Algeria, France and the UK as she explores ideas of identity, mobility, gender, environment and memory.

Open Studios North Fife (Saturday 29 April – Monday 1 May) is an annual event where you’ll have the opportunity to speak to Fife-based artists and makers about their methods and inspirations, take a peek at their workspaces, participate in workshops and enjoy demonstrations, and buy or commission from them directly.

In Jasleen Kaur – Alter Altar (until Sunday 8 October) the Glasgow-born artist presents a new body of sculptural and sonic works exploring improvisation and political mysticism as tools to reimagine tradition and myths. It sees Tramway’s main gallery flooded with sound as it becomes a temporary space to gather.