AROUND TOWN

Sip drinks, swap books and enjoy a chat with Helen Fields, bestselling author of Profile K, The Institution, The Last Girl To Die and many more outstanding novels. Renowned for her expertise in criminal law and her ability to craft authentic, gripping narratives, Helen will be the guest author for a Q&A, where she'll be talking about her work, including her latest crime thriller, Profile K.

Promising good vibes and an abundance of inspiring creativity, Glasgow Zine Fest (until Sunday 5 May) is an annual celebration of zine culture featuring speakers and workshops, kids activities and a zine fair. Check it out online and at the CCA.

As we creep slowly towards some warmer weather, Scotland’s biggest vintage market returns with a special event. B’s Vintage Market – Summer Bonanza! (Sunday 5 May) will cater for all your summer wardrobe needs under one roof. Get ready to rummage at Edinburgh’s Out of the Blue Drill Hall.

Hitting Edinburgh’s Royal Highland Centre this weekend is the UK’s biggest LEGO festival Brick Fest Live (Saturday 4 – Monday 6 May), aimed at big and little kids alike. Marvel at life-sized LEGO models, get stuck into some building activities, and browse for rare collectibles.

MUSIC

Glasgow plays host to the pinnacle of pop when Take That (Friday 3 – Sunday 5 May) roll into town for three nights at the OVO Hydro. Gary, Howard and Mark will be treating audiences to tracks from their ninth studio album, This Life, and plenty more.

If you like your music with a folkier flavour, you’ll be spoilt for choice at this year’s Edinburgh Tradfest (Friday 3 – Monday 13 May) which features the best traditional music from Scotland and beyond. Valtos, Assynt and Josie Duncan kick things off.

Meanwhile, fans of raucous rock can get out their air guitars and enjoy a three-day tribute to Kirriemuir’s most famous son, AC/DC legend Bon Scott, and the music he inspired in the town’s annual Bonfest (Friday 3 – Sunday 5 May).

STAGE

The Royal Scottish National Orchestra and the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra join forces with pianist Makoto Ozone for a musical celebration of West Side Story (Saturday 4 May), with Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue and the Herrmann Suite from Hitchcock’s Vertigo thrown in.

Check out some rising theatrical talent in A Play, A Pie & A Pint production Lewis Capaldi Goes Tropical (until Sat 4 May) at Glasgow’s Oran Mor. This chaotic comedy from Raymond Wilson follows a Glasgow clan as they bid farewell to a beloved black-market pet.

In stand-up show Dino Wiand: I Don’t Like People Who Look Like Javier Bardem Two (Sunday 5 May) at The Stand Glasgow, Dino will be showing why he’s a master of chaos comedy, as he discusses being mistaken for the titular actor and much more.

SCREEN

Combining romance and action with bags of stylistic flair, The Fall Guy finds a down-on-his-luck stuntman (Ryan Gosling) getting into hot water on and around a film set, whilst trying to rekindle a romance with the film’s director (Emily Blunt).

Following her incendiary debut, Saint Maud, British director Rose Glass continues to push the boundaries with hot-and-heavy revenge thriller Love Lies Bleeding. Set in the world of bodybuilding, it follows Kristen Stewart and Katy M O’Brian as they hook up and mess up.

In the wake of the death of author CJ Sansom, the adaptation of his historical mystery series makes its debut on Disney+. Shardlake follows the eponymous Tudor investigator (played by Arthur Hughes) as he does the bidding of Sean Bean’s Thomas Cromwell.

PODCASTS

Our instant messaging obsession is under the spotlight in BBC Sounds’ Influenced: Helen Lewis Has Left The Chat which covers everything from chatbots, WhatsApp, digital dating and the leaking of state secrets.

Lifting the lid on teen trials and ambition, US podcast The Competition takes you behind the scenes of the Distinguished Young Women programme, following seven girls as they compete for one of the country’s most prestigious scholarships.

One of the UK’s favourite funnymen Harry Hill has launched a characteristically daft, family friendly podcast designed to get you from A to B in Harry Hill: Are We There Yet?. Alan Carr, Ravneet Gill and Suzi Ruffell get stuck into the silliness.

VISUAL ART

Returning to Dalkeith Country Park this weekend is the Inception Art Show (Friday 3 – Sunday 12 May). Showcasing the work of new talents and returning favourites, there will be opportunities to engage with the artists, as well as a charity auction, family day, tours and more.

Celebrating ten years of Dundee’s UNESCO City of Design status, exhibition A Decade Of Design (Saturday 4 May – Saturday 3 August) showcases the work created by students at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design.

And finally, Mythic Instruments (until Sunday 26 May) at Edinburgh’s Summerhall brings together sculptural works by Emma Hislop. Emma presents artefacts from a future past, transported from a time where humanity bridged the gap between science, art and nature through a reverence for traditional knowledge.