We have officially entered the driech days of autumn, and local arts and culture news seems to be traipsing under a seasonally appropriate but wholly depressing grey cloud. With the closure of St Margaret’s House and the threat of ‘partial demolition’ of Summerhall, good news is hard to find (although we’d recommend filling out the ‘Have Your Say’ form on the Summerhall Consultation website if you’re exercised about the latter). That’s why it’s heartening to see so many grassroots tips from our contributors below, whether that means an art film splurge or a pop-up fashion show. Our guest writer, Aimee Douglas, has gotten in on the community-minded side of music, with gig recommendations that showcase the best of small venues across Edinburgh. Whatever you plan to do with your weekend, stay safe and enjoy yourself. 

AROUND TOWN 

Author: Evie Glen 

This Saturday 17 October, there’s a fashion show in the unlikely location of Buchanan Galleries. Head to the central atrium for a runway showcase celebrating this year’s Black History Month. You can also expect live music, dance and poetry as well as a food and craft market. The week-long celebrations are hosted in partnership with ROOTS, a cultural exchange network of African, Caribbean, Asian and Scottish communities and KWETU Coffee, a social enterprise that uses coffee training to support refugees, migrants and underserved communities.

Elsewhere, catch the first weekend of Scotland Served, a cocktail festival hosted across 400 bars, restaurants and hotels throughout Scotland until Sunday 1 November. It’s described as a ‘homecoming for Scotch’, from Dumfries to Dingwall, with all drinks serving the national dram in innovative ways. Highlights include cocktails served with £2 oysters at The Finnieston in Glasgow. Use their handy online map to find your nearest participating bar. 

MUSIC

Author: Danny Munro 

The Bruntsfield Pianodrome once again finds itself in Something For The Weekend, thanks to the inaugural Make It Yourself Festival. A five-day celebration of all things DIY, the community-minded celebration will bring a host of crafty, creative types to Edinburgh’s Southside for a series of hands-on workshops. Included in the activities is Stranger Strings, in which audiences will have the chance to use discarded piano parts to design and build their own stringed instruments, and Make Someone's Day, an afternoon of letter writing accompanied by live music. Make It Yourself will roll on to Sunday 18 October. With a combination of paid and free ticketed events, this looks like a great shout for adults and kids who are enjoying the October break.

What Glasgow lacks in pianodromes, it more than makes up for with its busy gigging calendar. Of the many great selections on offer this weekend, one solid pick is New York rapper Dave East (Friday 16 October). A graduate of the iconic 2016 XXL Freshman Class, East is bringing his latest release, Price Of Pain, and sounds from his extensive back catalogue to the intimate basement venue Stereo. On Saturday 17 October, folktronica pioneer Beth Orton will arrive in the east end for a headline slot at St Luke’s. Three decades on from the release of her debut LP, Orton’s latest work toys with a dreamlike piano sound which will suit the former church setting just perfectly.

STAGE 

Author: Rachel Morrell

Limmy’s Show favourite Raymond Mearns will be introducing us to a carnival of stand-up talent at The Big Comedy Roadshow (until Sunday 18 October), including Comedy Central Live’s Jack Skipper, Tamsyn Kelly and her new Star Trek haircut, Alison Spittle from The Guilty Feminist, and Fringe funny man Gareth Mutch. Expect observational nostalgia, clever crowd work and a whole bunch of oversharing.

If tall musical tales are your thing, head over to the newly-renovated King’s Theatre where the Edinburgh Gilbert & Sullivan Society will be fusing mischievous satire, 1960s politics and and forte fantasy in their rendition of Iolanthe (until Saturday 17 October), a play in which a group of fairies stage a not-so-peaceful protest outside the House Of Lords.

Another new twist on a classic is brought to us at Òran Mór, as Martin O’Connor shows us his new Midsummer Night’s Dream-inspired Scots spoken word offering whilst donning a pair of furry ears. Directed by Debbie Hannan, Bottom’s Dream (until Saturday 17 October) muses on class, ambition and celebrity culture, plus a pie and a pint for those who are hungry for something other than fame.

SCREEN 

Author: Kevin Fullerton

The genocide in Gaza is the defining moral issue of our time, one which has highlighted technology's chilling effect on modern warfare. NAZA is perhaps the most expansive documentary to be made about military operations in the region, featuring anonymised interviews with Israeli soldiers and intelligence operatives on the AI-led targeting systems used to facilitate the mass killing of Palestinians. A screening at Edinburgh’s Cameo on Thursday 15 October will feature a livestreamed Q&A with the documentary’s directors.

If you’re filling gaps in your horror movie knowledge this month, Hammer’s 1958 classic Dracula has been given the 4K treatment so you can witness Christopher Lee’s fanged seductions in the sharpest resolution possible. Lee’s performance is lauded for good reason, holding together this campy Stoker adaptation with stately grace and menace. It’ll be chilling audiences across the country, but I’d vie for the Dundead showing at DCA on Friday 16 October if you want to support a cinema with a known affinity for horror.

Onto the hinterlands of the avant-garde, the DV8 Film Club is back with an Obsolete Media Showcase featuring shorts that have been shot on an incredible array of defunct technology, from broken video cameras to Xbox Kinects. Although still in its infancy, I’ve got a lot of time for DV8’s ethos of joyful experimentation. Catch its latest showcase on Friday 16 and Saturday 17 October at The Pyramid At Anderston in Glasgow.

EAT & DRINK 

Author: Suzy Pope

Edinburgh Cocktail Week may be over but that doesn’t mean the mixologists have put down their shakers for the year. At Edinburgh Gin Distillery, a Season Of Smoke programme has begun, embracing all things autumnal, including limited-edition smoky cocktails in the distillery bar. This weekend, I’ll be sampling the No Smoke Without Fire because burnt orange syrup, yum. 

Forget Halloween, the folk at Spirit Cartel are anticipating Día de los Muertos instead with their Mictlan Cocktail Trail highlighting the best mezcal and tequila across Edinburgh’s cocktail bars until Monday 30 November. The trail features nine cocktail bars, including Voodoo Rooms and Sköll & Hati, reflecting nine levels of afterlife in ancient Nahua mythology. 

For something a little more worthy, Scotland Vegan Autumn Festival is pitching up in Paisley on Saturday 17 October. There will be plant-based street food from across the world, vegan cakes and baking, ethical beauty products and a whole load of talks and information about vegan lifestyle.

VISUAL ART 

Author: Greg Thomas

There’s still plenty of time to go and get your mind blown by Harold Offeh’s current exhibition at Tramway in Glasgow. If, like me, you have a tiny anarchistic toddler in tow, all the better. The Accra-born, London-raised and Cambridge-based artist has revived his Mothership 2.0 Collective interactive show, which opened at Baltic in Gateshead last year.

Offeh uses Afro-futurist aesthetics to explore alternative pedagogies and build creative spaces for kids. The front gallery of Tramway is thus done up like the interior of the P-Funk Mothership. There are translucent plastic curtains, funky yellow seating and shiny silver orbs rolling around all over the place. TV screens on one wall present a short film showing a spaceship that looks like a hammerhead shark with flaming, googly eyes coasting over British cityscapes.

Most magnificent of all is the section where kids can go and get louche with synthesisers and keyboards, making bleepy bloop noises to their hearts’ content. I feel bad for the invigilators who have to sit through this racket all day. But if you have a spare half hour and a hyperactive wean to tire out, it’s a treat.

THE HOT SEAT: AIMEE DOUGLAS

They’re the manager of Good Vibes Record Store, the cosmic celebration of music based in Leith, and a programmer for the superlative DIY promoter Play Nice. So, what’s Aimee up to this weekend? 

This Friday 16 October, stalwarts of Edinburgh’s alt-folk scene Fionnbarr Byrne and Emma Capponi bring their music to one of the city’s most unique venues, The Pianodrome. Built from reclaimed pianos, this community-run project is the perfect setting for their sound; soft electronic-tinged folk, atmospheric yet intimate, with rich harmonies and a brooding undercurrent of dark magnetism. An ideal way to spend a Friday evening for those looking for something immersive.

Local promoter Fuzz Bat celebrates 10 years in the biz with a packed weekend of gigs at St Vincent’s Chapel, Home Bar and Leith Depot on Friday 16 and Saturday 17 October. A champion of Edinburgh’s DIY scene, Fuzz Bat has spent a decade bringing together eclectic line-ups and growing the community around live music. Keep an eye out for Glasgow indie-pop act Count Florida, newly signed to Lost Map Records, and Aberdeen post-rock band Seas, Starry, who close out the weekend at Leith Depot. 

Moni Jitchell, Good Vibes, Edinburgh, Saturday 24 October, Free Entry; Play Nice Presents Big Girl's Blouse, HMS Morris, Hens Bens, Leith FAB Cricket Club, Edinburgh, Saturday 14 November. 

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