AROUND TOWN

Commissioned for the city by artistic institution Fruitmarket, Night Walk For Edinburgh (until Monday 31 March) is a downloadable 50-minute trail which takes you through the Old Town, incorporating history, poetry, game-playing and even a murder mystery.

Paranormal Scotland (Saturday 22 February) turn their attention to Glasgow’s The Pearce Institute for a late-night, in-depth investigation of a seriously spooky building which has been the setting of a number of supernatural sightings.

Over at Out Of The Blue Drill Hall, they’ll be hosting their Edinburgh Flea Market (Saturday 22 February), a monthly shopping staple where you can browse nearly 50 stalls stuffed with pre-loved treasures, from clothes and jewellery to books, antiques and collectibles.

MUSIC

West London MC Bawo (Saturday 22 February) is known for blurring the boundaries between grime, garage, rap and soul, and he’ll be bringing that distinctive sound to Glasgow’s Stereo this weekend as part of his Anyone Can Be A Hero tour.

Meanwhile, Scotland’s own Hamish Hawk (Saturday 22 February) will be stopping by Edinburgh’s Usher Hall to treat attendees to tracks from his third album, A Firmer Hand (his most successful to date), which takes his music in a darker direction.

And those looking for something a little more nostalgic will rejoice at the return of pop-rockers Snow Patrol (Friday 21 February) who bring their singalong indie anthems to the suitably super-sized setting of Glasgow’s OVO Hydro.

STAGE

Legendary lunchtime theatrical experience A Play, A Pie And A Pint is back this week with the first production of its new season, Dookin’ Oot (Monday 24 February – Saturday 1 March). It’s an outrageous black comedy from promising playwright Éimi Quinn about a mad money-making scheme in an Easterhouse council flat. Catch it at Glasgow’s Òran Mór first.

He was nominated for last year’s Edinburgh Comedy Award, and moustachioed Australian comedy star Josh Glanc (Friday 21 February) will be returning to make ‘em laugh this weekend as he stops by Edinburgh’s Monkey Barrel Comedy with his show Family Man.

Edinburgh’s Traverse Theatre is the setting for Heaven (Tuesday 25 February – Saturday 1 March), a new play from the award-winning Fishamble. Set in the Irish Midlands, it centres on a local wedding and a couple whose own marriage is falling apart.

SCREEN

Buoyed by a sensational, Oscar-nominated turn from lead actor Fernanda Torres, powerful Brazilian drama I’m Still Here considers the personal devastation caused by a political coup as it follows a woman whose former congressman husband joins the ranks of the disappeared.

Lovers of last year’s Longlegs (and there were plenty), will lap up The Monkey, another product of the maniacal mind of Osgood Perkins, this time working from a Stephen King short story. Theo James and Tatiana Maslany are among the cast.

Returning earlier this week to small screens for its final outing on Sky/Now TV was the ever-impeccable The White Lotus, while the third season of the enjoyably preposterous action thriller Reacher, starring the enormous Alan Ritchson, has just dropped on Prime.

PODCASTS

Besties Sara Cox and Clare Hamilton are the hosts of The Teen Commandments, an advice-driven podcast looking to support parents of teenagers, armed with laughs, survival tactics and the wisdom of those who are reformed rule-breakers themselves.

In Facing The Music, stars of the stage and screen talk you through the tumultuous lives of pioneering composers, with Dominic West taking on Beethoven, Nina Sosanya telling us all about Florence Price, Don Warrington looking at Duke Ellington, and Maxine Peake sharing the highs and lows of Ethel Smyth.

Pop star and presenter Rochelle Humes is our guide to Ladies Who Launch which serves up inspiring stories of women who have made their mark on the business world, including Jo Malone and Conna Walker.

VISUAL ART

Opening this weekend is Petra Bauer: Sisters! (Saturday 22 February – Sunday 23 March), a film screened in an immersive installation at Edinburgh’s Fruitmarket, creating a space for audiences to engage with Bauer’s thought-provoking exploration of feminist activism.

Over at the Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh, is exhibition Lamps Across The River (until Sunday 9 March) which showcases a diverse range of works by Royal Scottish Academicians who found inspiration and a home alongside the River Tay.

Desire Paths (until Tuesday 25 February) explores Edinburgh’s LGBT+ history through books and literature from Lavender Menace Queer Books Archive. The exhibition maps queer spaces, re-examines the city's landscape and highlights hidden histories through archival materials, storytelling and community engagement. At St Margaret’s House, Edinburgh.

And finally, curator Kirsty Hassard (Wednesday 26 February) will be discussing new commissions created by artist Helen Cammock in response to the history of jute production in Dundee, and the life and work of activist and mill worker Mary Brooksbank. Head along to the Dundee Contemporary Arts to hear more.

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