AROUND TOWN

Returning for its fifth year at Edinburgh Castle is the popular Castle Of Light (until Saturday 4 January), an after-dark event bringing history and mythical tales to life through illuminations, interactive installations, music and more.

Get your Christmas shopping sorted this weekend at Trades Hall Glasgow Christmas Market (Saturday 7 & Sunday 8 December), which gathers together handcrafted wares and an appetising range of food and drink, including cocktails, chutneys, coffee and honey.

Over at St Andrews Botanic Garden they’ve been hosting a series of Torchlit Tours (Friday 6 December), giving you a chance to learn about the wildlife that visits the garden by night as you explore by torchlight, before enjoying some hot chocolate and toasted marshmallows round the campfire.

MUSIC

Edinburgh institution The Pitt are putting on another fine musical evening showcasing emerging folk singer-songwriters in Pitt Roots #2 (Friday 6 December). It’s being headlined by regular collaborators Eve Simpson and Dara Dubh, who blend beautiful vocals with harp and guitar, with Tomass Mencis and Ace supporting.

Expect folk on a larger scale when Hoolie In The Hydro (Saturday 7 December) returns to the iconic Glasgow venue this weekend. This night of traditional music will be commemorating a century of Scotland’s vibrant music scene, with folk trailblazers Capercaillie, Mànran, Rura, Skerryvore and Talisk all appearing.

Also at the Hydro, American alt rockers Vampire Weekend (Sunday 8 December) will be promoting their fifth studio album, Only God Was Above Us, and playing the hits. They’ll be joined by special guests (and Scotland’s finest) Teenage Fanclub.

STAGE

Edinburgh’s Royal Lyceum Theatre are setting sail this winter with their festive and playful adaptation of Treasure Island (until Saturday 4 January), a family friendly adventure featuring pirate songs and swashbuckling aplenty.

Meanwhile, the Edinburgh Playhouse have a classic musical for you this Christmas as Joseph And The Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat (until Sunday 29 December) hits the stage in a production starring Donny Osmond as the Pharaoh.

Check out the best new talent in the world of theatre in 4PLAY – 4 New Plays From 4 Edinburgh Playwrights (until Saturday 7 December), in which up-and-coming playwrights Ruaraidh Murray, Mikey Burnett, Andrea McKenzie and Katy Nixon return with four plays that were previously shown on scratch nights and are now fully developed pieces.

SCREEN

On Becoming A Guinea Fowl is the second film from BAFTA recipient Rungano Nyoni (I Am Not A Witch) and it’s another winner. Set in Zambia, this powerful, culturally insightful and darkly comic piece follows Susan Chardy’s Shula as she deals with the death of her abusive uncle.

The provocatively titled Nightbitch stars Amy Adams as an artist-turned-stay-at-home mom who develops the extraordinary ability to transform into a dog after being consumed by domestic drudgery. Adams is typically spectacular in a film from Marielle Heller (Can You Ever Forgive Me?) that offers an eye-opening take on motherhood.

One of the wildest cinematic rides of the year, Rumours takes the G7 summit and throws in some apocalyptic insanity, with Cate Blanchett, Charles Dance, Denis Ménochet and Nikki Amuka-Bird among the political players. Roy Dupuis steals the show as the handsome and heroic Canadian premier, while Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson and Galen Johnson direct.

PODCASTS

It’s been one of the most shocking celebrity scandals of our time. In Diddy On Trial Anoushka Mutanda Dougherty and her expert guests dig into the background and disturbing allegations surrounding Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, ahead of his upcoming trial.

Social housing is under an unflattering spotlight in eight-part investigative podcast The Trapped, in which ITV news investigations editor Daniel Hewitt exposes some appalling and inescapable housing horrors.

Mikita Oliver is temporarily replaced by her chef and fellow broadcaster mum, Andi, who joins Lily Allen for a parenting spin on podcast Miss Me?, with listeners phoning in to pick their brains about all manner of parenting problems.

VISUAL ART

The groundbreaking American postminimalist is celebrated in Barry Le Va: In A State Of Flux (until Sunday 2 February). It’s the first ever major UK exhibition of Le Va’s work, who died in 2021. Catch it at Edinburgh’s Fruitmarket.

Now showing at Glasgow’s Gerber Fine Art is The Winter Collection 2024 (until January), a varied and vibrant exhibition of 19th-21st century fine art which includes work by Joan Eardley, The Scottish Colourists, Glasgow Girls & Boys, Scottish Modern Masters and more.

And finally, The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo Exhibition (until Monday 16 December) is a free celebration of the 75th anniversary of the eponymous event, located in Edinburgh’s St Andrews Square, with a timeline showcasing the heritage and heroes of the Tattoo.

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