Arts and Entertainment

Leith Fort 21 storey flats nearing completion in April 1963. The tower blocks on Lindsay Road became synonymous with drug use, antisocial behaviour and some of Edinburgh’s worst troublemakers. They were demolished in 1997.

19 photos of Leith in the 1950s and 1960s

The cast of Irish crime drama Kin, which is on BBC iPlayer now. From left, Amanda Kinsella (Clare Dunne), Michael Kinsella (Charlie Cox), Eamon Cunningham (Ciaran Hinds), Frank Kinsella (Aidan Gillen) (Picture: BBC/Headline Pictures (Kin) Limited)

Irish crime drama Kin is all about the women

Christmas at the Botanic 2023

Rainbow Hedge is a towering showstopper at Christmas at the Botanics 2023. Photo by Phil Wilkinson/Christmas at the Botanics

Ad Feature FIRST LOOK: Christmas At The Botanics 2023 is plants inspired wonderland

Headlining Edinburgh Hogmanay’s 30th anniversary celebrations are none other than cultural icons Pulp, with Jarvis Cocker and co taking to the stage in West Princes Street Gardens to play the very last show of 2023 and the first of 2024. Pulp have provided the soundtrack to a generation, so expect huge pop anthems before one of the world’s greatest firework displays – all with Edinburgh Castle as the backdrop.
31 st December, West Princes Street Gardens

The top 10 music events happening in Edinburgh over Hogmanay

The Times has included Edinburgh gastopub The Ox in a list of the seven best places in the UK for a Sunday roast. Photo: The Ox

City pub named one of UK's best places for Sunday roasts

DJ Mike Read and hundreds of children who turned up at Portobello beach for the Radio One Roadshow in July 1987.

21 nostalgic photos of Portobello in the 70s and 80s

The City Café, on Blair Street in Edinburgh, was ranked in third spot on National Geographic’s list of the UK's ‘Top 5 American Diners’. Photos: The City Café

City venue ranked as one of UK's top 3 American diners

Dante Lannie, of the legendary Edinburgh catering family, outside his cafe/restaurant in Marshall Street, October 1970.

25 nostalgic photos of Edinburgh in 1970

Where: 7 James Court, Edinburgh EH1 2PB.

CAMRA names Edinburgh's 25 best pubs

604 Lanark Road, Juniper Green EH14 5EN

CAMRA names the 20 best pubs in the Lothians

Take a look through our photo gallery to see Edinburgh's Michelin Guide listed restaurants.

All 34 Edinburgh restaurants in the Michelin Guide

Boom Battle Bar, at the Omni Centre in Edinburgh, will transform into Pinktopia on December 31, with Barbie cocktails, games, and live DJs and entertainers throughout the night. Photo: Boom Battle Bar.

Edinburgh bar set to host Barbie-themed NYE party

Two-year-old Kieran Casey in his pedal car, amazed at all the toys on sale in the Toys R Us superstore in Edinburgh, September 1989.

17 photos transporting you back to Edinburgh in 1989

Outlander star Sam Heughan played hunky motorcycle cop Danny in the new Channel 4 drama The Couple Next Door (Picture courtesy Channel 4)

The Couple Next Door is an unappetising stew of mystery-thriller cliches

CAMRA says: Built c.1780, the Thomas Purves Marwick interior dates from 1899 and was subject to a very costly renovation by Alloa Brewery in 1966 using the architects Covell Matthews. One of Edinburgh’s four impressive ‘single-room with island-bar’ pubs.

15 historic and culturally significant Edinburgh pubs

Hundred of people queued on Newington Road for the launch of MATTO Pizza’s third Edinburgh site.

Huge queue for new pizza joint stretches down street
To celebrate opening, new pizzeria gave away 500 pizzas, which were gone in just four hours.

Encore Edinburgh has opened on Hope Street in the Capital, beneath the bustling Parisian-style West End Brasserie restaurant.

First look inside new Parisian-style cocktail bar

To celebrate St Andrew’s Day, Edinburgh Castle was lit up with a call to rally Edinburgh’s kind and generous spirit and support #MAKESOMEONESDAY

In pictures: St Andrew's Day in Edinburgh over the years

Where: Barcelona, Spain

14 landmarks including Edinburgh Castle reimagined

The best Italian restaurants and takeaways across Scotland were honoured at the 10th annual Scottish Italian Awards.

The Edinburgh and Lothians winners at Scottish Italian Awards

An artist's impression of Lothian Leisure Development Ltd's planned 8,000 capacity indoor arena at Straiton, which was submitted in 2019 but has never progressed.

Previous failed proposals for a large music arena in the city

John Bishop will return to Edinburgh with two shows at the Usher Hall in 2024. Photo: Rhian Ap Gruffydd

John Bishop makes Edinburgh return next year

Chart-toppers Madness will play a massive outdoor gig at Edinburgh Castle next summer, as part of a wider UK tour.

Madness to play huge Edinburgh Castle gig

Becky Hill has been announced as the first headliner for next summer’s Edinburgh Summer Sessions. Photo: Lesley Martin/PA Wire

Becky Hill to headline Edinburgh Summer Sessions 2024

A favourite among Instagrammers and amateur photographers, the beautiful Circus Lane in Edinburgh's New Town is drenched in history.

11 Edinburgh locations that evoke another era

Tenement housing at the corner of Earl Grey Street and Fountainbridge in Edinburgh, August 1987. Also in picture the Halifax building society.

16 photos taking you back to 1987

Overall score: 4.68 out of 5. Breakdown of the rating scores from 1 to 5 for Melbourne: Student Friendliness: 4.93, Cost of Living: 3.91, Nightlife: 4.90. Public Transport: 4.78, Amenities: 4.89, Safety: 4.64.

In pictures: The 25 best student cities in the world
A UK education blog has announced its ‘Top 50 Student Cities in the World for 2023’ list – and Edinburgh has earned a spot in the Top 25.

Where: 34 Bread Street, EH3 9AF. SquareMeal says: If you want somewhere to watch the fireworks without having to brave the elements, SKYbar Edinburgh offers the perfect place to enjoy a few glasses of something nice in cosy surroundings.

15 Edinburgh restaurants with a view to celebrate New Year

Paterson Joseph and Daisy Haggard star in the new BBC comedy-thriller Boat Story (Picture: BBC/Two Brothers/Matt Squire)

Boat Story review: A frenetic, violent coke-com

Pictured in 1963 is Dymock Howden and Co in George Stree, which was the place to go for a coffee.

15 pictures of George Street through the years

Children at the pick 'n' mix aisle on the last day of the Woolworths store at Leith before it closed for good in 2008.

17 pictures of Edinburgh's lost Woolworths stores

Several witty Edinburgh and Lothian business owners are competing for the title of the UK's 'punniest' shop name. Photo: Google Street View

Search launched for UK’s best shop name puns

Sam Heughan as Danny and Alfred Enoch as Pete in Channel 4's The Couple Next Door.

Sam Heughan says he'd 'be a brilliant James Bond'

There wasn't a bookworm, journalist or literary academic in Edinburgh who didn't shop at James Thin's at one point or another. Thin's had been in business for more than 150 years when it closed in 2002.

In pictures: 17 lost Edinburgh institutions that locals miss

Edinburgh musician Stuart McGachan (left) has organised the Beatles Marathon in memory of his father Patrick McGachan (right).

Musician to host Beatles Marathon in memory of dad

The decaying Ross Bandstand in Edinburgh still hosts big concerts every year, despite many redevelopment plans over the years failing to come to fruition. The venue in Princes Street Gardens has a seating capacity of 2,500 and a maximum capacity of up to 10,000 for events such as the Hogmanay party and concerts by the likes of Travis, pictured above, with the bowl used for standing customers.

How the size of proposed arena compares to other venues in city

Victoria Street in Edinburgh has been crowned as the UK’s best spot for independent shops. Photo: Robert Perry

Edinburgh street is UK’s No.1 spot for independent shops

Plans for Edinburgh’s first purpose-built concert hall in over 100 years have been met with a mixed response from locals.

‘8,500-capacity Edinburgh music venue too small', says locals

Level X is set to open at Ocean Terminal next year

Gaming and entertainment venue set to open at Ocean Terminal next year

The opening date for a new Stack & Still restaurant on Edinburgh's Hanover Street has been revealed – and it’s just days away.

New Stack & Still restaurant gets opening date

Entertainment gians AEG have reveaed plans to create an 8500-capacity indoor arena in Edinburgh.

Plans submitted for major music arena in city

An artist's impression of inside the new Dunard Centre concert hall. Image: David Chipperfield Architects/ Hayes Davidson.

Council asked for more concert hall funding

Take a look through our photo gallery to see 13 of the best cocktails bars in Edinburgh.

13 of the coolest Edinburgh cocktail bars

Liam Gallagher, Gerry Cinnamon and Calvin Harris are set to headline TRNSMT 2024.

Liam Gallagher and Calvin Harris to headline TRNSMT

Craig and Debbie Stephens from the Portobello area of Edinburgh appear in seasonal movie Christmas in the Highlands, now showing on Amazon Prime.

TV couple land roles in Amazon Prime Christmas film

Edinburgh’s Christmas tree lights were turned on at around 4.30pm on Monday, November 20

Watch as Edinburgh's Christmas tree lights are turned on to sound of bagpipes

Formed in Edinburgh in 1995, indie rockers Idlewild have since released nine albums. The band started out with a punk indie rock sound, gradually maturing their sound and gaining a larger audience, with their third album 'The Remote Part' providing a major breakthrough and seeing them switch from playing clubs and small theatres to larger arenas, with singles including 'American English' and 'You Held the World in Your Arms'. Other hits include 'When I argue I see shapes', 'Love Steals Us from Loneliness' and 'No Emotion'. Idlewild played their first show on 16 January 1996, at the Subway Club in Edinburgh to a crowd of 30 friends.

The 10 best bands and artists who come from Edinburgh - in pictures

Colombian dance group El Encanto on the Edinburgh Diwali parade on George Street.

Diwali celebrations brighten up the Capital - in pictures

Jet2 has boosted its offering from Edinburgh with additional flights to a host of sun-soaked destinations.

Jet2 adds flights from Edinburgh to 10 sunshine destinations

To mark Victoria Day in May 1952, locals gathered around a bonfire on the Grassmarket.

In pictures: Grassmarket in the 1950s and 1960s

Passengers are stuck upstairs on an Edinburgh bus after it hits a hydraulic platform in Princes Street, smashing in the roof of the bus and bringing down the Christmas decorations in January 1980.

18 historic retro pictures to take you back to 1980

If you are wondering how much a visit to Edinburgh’s Christmas Market will cost, we've got you covered with a breakdown of the food and drink prices.

Here are Edinburgh Christmas Market food & drinks prices

Heavy snow hits the Royal Mile in Edinburgh in February 1996.

25 photos to take you back to Edinburgh in 1996

Where: 367 Leith Walk, Edinburgh EH6 8SE.

12 'proper' pubs in Leith - in pictures

Edinburgh's Christmas Market was a busy place to be on Friday night.

25 stunning photos as Edinburgh Christmas Market opens