We’re officially less than a month from the Edinburgh Festival crashing the Scottish capital, and that means less than a month until these round-ups are driven to a small wooded area on the outskirts of Edinburgh and slain as an offering to the gods of the Festival that we call the Big Four.

Until that time, we’re happy for Roads to gambol around the office blissfully unaware of the curved sacrificial knife we keep hidden in our office drawer, snaffling up news in their Fringe-snouts with glee. This week, they’ve rustled up the closing flick for the Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF), a sumptuous programme from Edinburgh Food Festival, a character comic searching for their real self, and much more. 

Edinburgh International Film Festival announces its closing film…

… will be the rousing music documentary Since Yesterday: The Untold Story Of Scotland’s Girl Bands, co-directed by critically acclaimed songwriter Carla J Easton and prominent Scottish director Blair Young. Screening on Wednesday 21 August, the documentary tracks the ‘funny and enraging’ history of Scottish girl bands from the 1960s to the present day, exploring the bands, cliques and subcultures that emerged and the challenges faced by women in a male-dominated world. Read more about the film here. 

Programme revealed for Edinburgh Food Festival 2024…

… and will once again take place in Assembly George Square Gardens on Friday 19–Sunday 28 July. Celebrating culinary excellence from all quarters, the opening weekend of the festival will play host to the 15th annual Scottish Street Food Awards, in which nine mobile kitchens will compete for consideration in the People’s Choice Awards. 

Also taking place in the Festival’s opening weekend, the Edinburgh Food Social will host a variety of interactive food workshops to ‘help find Scotland’s next rising food stars’. These three workshops, taking place on Saturday 20 and Sunday 21 July, will cover ‘Family Feasts’, ‘Conscious Cooking’, and ‘Fun With Flour’, a hands-on demonstration in pasta making. 

Throughout the festival, there will also be demonstrations from MasterChef 2022 Finalist Sarah Rankin, Butchery @ Bowhouse, Vault City brewery and South Loch Gin, alongside foodstuffs from Baby Faced Baker, Lady And The Bear, Chardon Macaron, Itadeli and Chock Shop.

Even if you’re not much of a foodie, George Square Gardens is a vibrant spot to hang out in during Festival season. We’d recommend checking it out around Festival season for some R&R. Until then, take a look at the Edinburgh Food Festival’s official site for full details of the programme. 

Edinburgh International Book Festival pleads for financial support…

… alongside nine other venues formerly funded by controversial investment management firm Baillie Gifford. Edinburgh’s Book Festival joined Borders Book Festival, Cambridge Literary Festival, Cheltenham Festivals, Hay Festival Global, Henley Literary Festival, Stratford Literary Festival, Wigtown Book Festival and Wimbledon BookFest to argue for their place as an ‘essential part of an open society’ which improves ‘public discourse’. 

Here's the statement in full: 

‘Book festivals improve our world. 

‘Collectively over the past year, our nine book festivals in the UK have issued 464,000 tickets, sold more than £1.5m-worth of books, engaged 64,000 school pupils in free activities, offered 99,000 free or subsidised event tickets, and reached audiences in all 121 postcode areas.

‘We are an essential part of an open society – civic spaces where writers and readers, old and new, come together to be inspired, provoked and entertained, with nuance and depth. 

‘Amidst intense discussion around arts funding and challenges to our continued flourishing, we have joined forces to share a message on our mission and purpose, and a call for increased support:

‘We improve public discourse. Festivals are unique spaces where multiple perspectives are brought to bear on complex issues. We advance empathy, expertise and understanding. 

‘We support writers. We promote writers’ works, sell books, and encourage discoverability, blending new and emerging talent with established stars, expanding the reach of publishing.

‘We develop new readers. By introducing new audiences to a love of reading for pleasure through our programmes, work in schools and outreach, we improve wellbeing and develop empathy. 

‘We break barriers. In embracing diversity and multiplicity, we are unique multi-generational spaces that promote cohesion and engagement over division and alienation. 

‘We spark positive change. Forging connections on stage and off, festivals are platforms where new ideas are exchanged, partnerships formed, and seeds of future projects planted. 

‘We democratise culture. Across the UK, communities are enhanced by festivals bringing culture to their doorstep, while boosting local economies with visitor spend. 

‘We are growing. Year on year, our platforms grow and evolve. Recent editions for all of our events have shown increased audience engagement, demonstrating a resilient demand. 

‘We need your support. As charities and non-profit organisations, all our festivals operate mixed-funding models that rely on public funding, corporate sponsorship and individual giving. Without this, festivals cannot continue to thrive and engage new audiences. 

‘In supporting our work, you are helping to build a better world. Join us.’ 

'Signed by: Borders Book Festival, Registered Charity SC037347; Cambridge Literary Festival, Registered Charity 1153944; Cheltenham Festivals, Registered Charity 251765; Edinburgh International Book Festival, Registered Charity SC010120; Hay Festival Global, Registered Charity 1070073; Henley Literary Festival, Registered Company 07540702; Stratford Literary Festival, Registered Charity 1164662; Wigtown Book Festival, Registered Charity SCO37984; Wimbledon BookFest, Registered Charity 1120297.'

Four stars or more 

Zoë Coombs Marr, usually known for her character work, is returning to the Festival for a (supposedly) authentic trek through her life. Or, as the show forbiddingly calls itself,  Every Single Thing In My Whole Entire Life. A press release says, ‘Every object, every detail, every word mispronounced and ornamental soap and smell from a drain, all the big stories, the small secrets, the minutiae and exes and haircuts and pencil cases and chips. Drawing from her (frankly appalling) memory, she is attempting to chronicle her own history in a way that only someone with an adult ADHD diagnosis can do.’

Marr has always been a favourite ‘round our way, but we most recently awarded her drag king show The Opener four stars, writing, ‘Once again playing with time shifts, repetition and viscous, gross-out humour, Coombs Marr foregrounds it all in a thoroughly arch, postmodern dialogue between character and creator. Nevertheless, the comic manages to eschew pretension and preachiness, instead casting light on so much wretchedly thorny subject matter with clear-sighted, incisive wit and engaging mischief.’ Read the full review here. 

You can catch Every Single Thing In My Whole Entire Life from Tuesday 30 July–Sunday 25 August at Monkey Barrel.