AROUND TOWN

Stock up on spring attire at Edinburgh’s Out Of The Blue Drill Hall this weekend, as its Flea Market (Saturday 31 January) returns with dozens of stalls of pre-loved items, from clothes, books, antiques and collectibles to jewellery, with the café open for tea, coffee and snacks.

Kicking off this weekend is a sound and light show inspired by Vivaldi’s Four Seasons. Enlightenment (Saturday 31 January – Sunday 15 March) will be illuminating the historic McEwan Hall at the University Of Edinburgh with a multisensory spectacle, taking you through spring, summer, autumn and winter.

Edinburgh’s Lauriston Agroecology Farm will be hosting an Orchard Wassailing (Sunday 1 February), a celebration of orchard trees featuring tree-themed activities, music, mulled apple juice and merry noise-making that’s suitable for the whole clan.

MUSIC

Glasgow’s Barrowland Ballroom is the setting for a gig from Tom McGuire & The Brassholes, supported by The Great Pleasure (Friday 30 January). Expect a funky, soulful set from the headliners, with The Great Pleasure delivering their own distinctive brand of rock ‘n’ roll, gypsy, punk, blues, jazz and surf.

Brand new for 2026, Cowgate Block Party (Saturday 31 January) is an all-day music festival showcasing the best new music at a trio of top Edinburgh venues: Sneaky Pete’s, Legends and Bongo Club, with more events to follow later in the year.

And wrapping up this weekend at venues across Glasgow including SWG3, Òran Mór and The Hug And Pint is Celtic Connections (until Sunday 1 February) with music from Inyal and MAL, Neev, Seckou Keita, Ross Miller Band and Lussa still to come.

STAGE

Kicking off on Wednesday, Edinburgh’s Manipulate Festival (Wednesday 4 – Tuesday 10 February) is back for its 19th edition with a week of visual theatre, puppetry and animation that combines innovative international performances with bold new Scottish creations.

Following their success at the Fringe, sisters and character comedians Maddy & Marina Bye return to Edinburgh’s Monkey Barrel Comedy with Siblings: Dreamweavers (Saturday 31 January), a delirious journey into the sisters’ surreal minds, featuring some surprise guests.

And making its way to Edinburgh’s Playhouse as part of its UK tour, Fawlty Towers – The Play (until Saturday 31 January) relives your favourite moments from the beloved sitcom, with a cast featuring Danny Bayne, Paul Nicholas and Joanne Clifton, with John Cleese himself adapting.

SCREEN

John Bishop’s life story is the unlikely inspiration for a wonderful and wise relationship dramedy from Bradley Cooper. Is This Thing On? stars Will Arnett and Laura Dern as a couple in crisis.

We’ve mentioned that Glasgow Film Theatre is hosting a Jean-Luc Godard season but Edinburgh’s Filmhouse is also getting in on the celebration of French cinema with their Nouvelle Vague programme, timed to tie in with Richard Linklater’s film of the same name, which hits cinemas this weekend (link to my review).

Get into the Valentine’s spirit early at Edinburgh’s Cameo Picturehouse with a screening of In The Mood For Love (Friday 30 & Saturday 31 January). Wong Kar-wai’s sensational romantic drama stars Tony Leung and Maggie Cheung and is considered by many to be one of the greatest films of all time.

PODCASTS

Billed as a story of greed, deceit and herd mentality, The Missing Cryptoqueen returns for four new episodes as host Jamie Bartlett gets back on the trail of fugitive Dr Ruja Ignatova, who promised a financial revolution then disappeared.

Light entertainment’s most popular double act get in on the podcast game with Hanging Out With Ant & Dec, a twice-weekly dose of the duo which promises plenty of irreverent fun, as the pair meet a psychic and Zendaya’s dog.

Picking up the superlative silliness where his last podcast, Are We Nearly There Yet?, left off, The Harry Hill Show is a visualised podcast (or vodscarf) featuring celebrity guests like Nish Kumar and Stewart Lee, plus Harry’s son from his first marriage, Gary.

VISUAL ARTS

Kicking off this weekend, CATALYST: Art As Activism (Saturday 31 January – Sunday 29 March) is a season of four solo exhibitions at Edinburgh’s Summerhall Arts. Featuring the work of Eilidh Appletree, Taraneh Dana, Molly Wickett and Kasia Oleskiewicz, it brings together artists whose practices challenge social, political and environmental injustice.

Meanwhile, Glasgow’s The Modern Institute presents works from Marco Giordano (Gridlocks) and Luke Fowler (Patrick) at its Aird’s Lane and Bricks Space venues (Friday 30 January – Wednesday 4 March).

And finally, in Dundee, Generator Projects’ Members’ Show 2026 (Sunday 1 February – Sunday 1 March) is a large-scale, diverse show celebrating the local artists, practitioners and creatives that make up Generator’s membership.

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