AROUND TOWN

As you emerge from the festive bubble, why not start the year with something spooky? Mercat Tours’ Evening Of Ghosts & Ghouls (various dates) delves into Old Town Edinburgh’s grim and grisly past. Featuring underground vaults, scary stories and the chance to enjoy a dram in a candlelit cellar.

For those looking to get moving, Edinburgh’s Out of the Blue Drill Hall will be hosting a three-hour workshop on Partner Dance Foundations (Saturday 13 January) where you can learn how to dance in pairs. It’s open to all, with flexible, pay-what-you-can pricing.

And if you’re a gamer wanting to get out and about and chat with like minded souls then R-CADE Glasgow prides itself on its collection of toys, board games and video games from the past four decades. Check out their All Ages Retro Gaming Sessions (until Sunday 14 January) this weekend.

MUSIC

Known for songs such as ‘Throne’, ‘Drown’ and ‘Mantra’, multi-platinum-selling UK rockers Bring Me The Horizon (Sunday 14 January) are kicking off 2024 with a tour. They’ll be bringing their unique brand of metalcore to Glasgow’s OVO Hydro.

If funky, toe-tapping nostalgia is more your style then Chicago Blues Brothers – Cruisin For A Bluesin Tour (Saturday 13 January) should deliver. Expect plenty of R&B, soul, country and Motown favourites when Jake and Elwood roll into Edinburgh’s Usher Hall.

Ahead of the Nordic Music Days Festival later this year, three-part showcase Nordic Music Journeys: Scotland And Sweden (Saturday 13 January) explores the contemporary music scene across the Nordic countries and Scotland too. Featuring Gageego! and Hebrides Ensemble. Glasgow Royal Concert Hall hosts.

STAGE

Offering a fresh spin on a much-loved musical, Shine Productions have brought The Sound Of Music (until Saturday 13 January) back to the stage. Hear classics like ‘My Favourite Things’ and ‘Do-Re-Mi’ live at Theatre Royal Glasgow.

If you’d prefer to check out some talented up-and-comers then Edinburgh’s Traverse Theatre is the setting for a dynamic double-bill from PASS’ BA dance and drama students Greater Than Themselves / Time Language (Saturday 13 January).

Laughter is one of the best cures for the January blues and over at Edinburgh’s The Stand they’ve gathered a fine line-up of comics who will work their socks off to make you chuckle in The Friday Show / The Saturday Show (Friday 12 & Saturday 13 January). Featuring Marc Jennings, Thor Stenhaug, Kate Hammer and Paul Currie, with food options available.

SCREEN

Director Yorgos Lanthimos and star Emma Stone reunite following The Favourite for another slice of divine lunacy. Poor Things is based on the brilliant Alasdair Gray book and documents the wild adventures of a woman with the brain of a baby. In cinemas from Friday.

Available now on Apple TV+ is Criminal Record, a London-based thriller pitting Peter Capaldi against Cush Jumbo. They play detectives at war over a potential miscarriage of justice.

Meanwhile, St Andrews’ Byre Theatre will be hosting the Scottish premiere of Alberta Whittle’s film The Axe Forgets, But The Tree Remembers (Wednesday 17 January), a multi-voiced portrayal of members of the Windrush Generation and their descendants. Alberta will take part in a Q&A event afterwards.

PODCASTS

If you’re obsessed with TV’s The Traitors and craving more, then the official podcast The Traitors: Uncloaked should sort you out. Ed Gamble will be joined by celebrity superfans, including Stacey Dooley, and ousted contestants.

Old favourite You’re Dead To Me returns for its seventh series. Hear host Greg Jenner chat about Catherine The Great with David Mitchell and the history of kung fu with Phil Wang.

New podcast The Best Ever… from Radio Times is all about picking cultural pinnacles. Each week Morgan Jeffery is joined by a panel of enthusiasts who argue the case for the best ever Doctor Who story, TV thriller and much, much more.

VISUAL ART

Adrian Wiszniewski is a former New Glasgow Boy whose work is populated with contemplative figures located in vividly coloured landscapes. These are in plenty of evidence at his latest exhibition Adrian Wiszniewski RSA: Science And Nature (until Saturday 3 February).

Kicking off this weekend at the Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh is Impressions: Scottish Masters Of Printmaking (Saturday 13 January – Sunday 11 February), an exhibition of historic and recent prints by Royal Scottish Academicians.

And coming to a close is the seminal show Tartan (until Sunday 14 January) at V&A Dundee. It takes a thrilling journey through high fashion, royals, rockers and local heroes, charting the pattern’s diverse appeal and enduring legacy. Catch it quickly before it’s gone.