AROUND TOWN

Kicking off this Friday is St Andrews Cocktail Week (Friday 15 – Sunday 24 March), a great way to get to know the area’s best bars and restaurants, with a wristband unlocking discounts on drinks, food and beauty across the city.

Celebrate creativity and support small businesses by taking a trip to the Summerhall Makers Market (Sunday 17 March), a quarterly showcase of talented makers of all kinds, from Edinburgh and beyond.

A mecca for lovers of the retro, Glasgow’s R-CADE is home to thousands of video and board games. This weekend, alongside their usual fun and games, they’re hosting a takeover event Roll Wi’ It: Intro To D&D (Saturday 16 March), perfect for those who want to learn how to play Dungeons & Dragons.

MUSIC

Wet Wet Wet’s former frontman will be belting out some of the band’s greatest hits at Glasgow’s OVO Hydro when he brings his Marti Pellow: Popped In Souled Out (Saturday 16 March) tour to town, accompanied by the Love To Love orchestra.

Social media singing sensation Henry Moodie (Sunday 17 March) started off by producing music in his bedroom and has had millions of streams for hits like ‘Drunk Text’, ‘Pick Up The Phone’ and ‘Eighteen’. See him live at Glasgow’s SWG3.

Fans of Shakespeare and classical music will have both passions satisfied by RSNO Classical: A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Friday 15 & Saturday 16 March), featuring Felix Mendelssohn’s musical take on the titular play, a lively overture from his sister Fanny and more. Check it out at Edinburgh’s Usher Hall and Glasgow’s Royal Concert Hall this weekend.

STAGE

Expect lorry loads of laughter as the Glasgow International Comedy Festival (until Sunday 31 March) returns with a cracking line-up of professional rib-ticklers. Kate Hammer, Susie McCabe, Fiona Allen, Caroline Rhea and Craig Hill are amongst your options this weekend.

Following its success at the Edinburgh Fringe, lovers of the hit 90s show can sink their fangs into Buffy Revamped (Sunday 17 March) when it swings by Glasgow’s Theatre Royal to tell the Sunnydale story from the perspective of fan favourite Spike.

If you can’t resist a mystery, then Sir Arthur Conan Doyle inarguably wrote some of the best. Dundee Rep bring his final Sherlock Holmes novel to life in thrilling fashion in their stage production Sherlock Holmes: The Valley Of Fear (until Saturday 16 March).

SCREEN

Working with his wife Tricia Cooke this time, instead of brother Joel, Ethan Coen gives us Drive-Away Dolls, a lesbian screwball comedy that acts as a fab platform for rising stars Margaret Qualley and Geraldine Viswanathan.

The great Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda (Shoplifters) returns with Cannes prize-winning mystery Monster about a mother who confronts her son’s teacher after noticing strange changes in his behaviour.

After closing this year’s Glasgow Film Festival, documentary Janey hits cinemas. It follows Scottish comedian Janey Godley as she hits the road, endures treatment for stage three ovarian cancer, and shares her turbulent life story.

PODCASTS

Top sports broadcasters Gabby Logan and Mark Chapman join forces for twice-weekly podcast The Sports Agents, which takes a look at what’s going on behind the scenes across the sporting world, and promises a welcome dose of irreverence too.

Taking a light-hearted look at a bonkers conspiracy Who Replaced Avril Lavigne? follows Irish comedian Joanne McNally as she takes a deep dive into some pretty wild theories about the Canadian pop star, with special guests including Joe Lycett.

Looking at the treatment of women around the globe and covering issues like body image, maternity leave, equal pay and more, Where To Be A Woman brings together journalists Scaachi Koul and Sophia Smith Galer in celebration of the countries where they are getting it right.

VISUAL ART

Borders Art Fair (Friday 15 – Sunday 17 March] is back at Borders Events Centre in the picturesque market town of Kelso this weekend. Featuring art from across the UK, demonstrations, a pop-up print studio and food hall, it’s one for art collectors, admirers and those looking to make some art themselves.

Wrapping up this month at Dundee Contemporary Arts is the remarkable exhibition Michelle Williams Gamaker: Our Mountains Are Painted On Glass (until Sunday 24 March) which combines collages, installations and films inspired by early cinema.

And finally, along with their much-admired Andy Warhol: The Textiles exhibition, Edinburgh’s Dovecot Studios are currently displaying the work of textile artist Pauline Caulfield (until Saturday 20 July), featuring fans, chasubles and fabric panels.