What's On Scotland 3-10 Aug: Food at the Festivals

Fuel your way through the Fringe with our guide to foodie pop-ups at the Festivals, get stuck into EIF with The Divide, and blow your mind at FuturePlay this week in Scotland

Feature by Kate Pasola | 03 Aug 2017

Edinburgh's been nailing the street-gastro game of late, and the arrival of festival season heralds a literal cornucopia of sriracha-drenched delights and top boozing opportunities. We're buzzing for Paolozzi at the Arches (the Waverley ones, not the dearly departed Glasgow ones), which complements EBF's own brews with Smith & Gertrude wine, bevs from the Cocktail Kitchen and food from The Pitt (7-28 Aug, midday to midnight).

Top-notch cocktail bar Bramble are also running their first ever pop-up bar this month. Bramble x Custom Lane takes up a spot in the new development at Custom House at the Shore alongside local coffee aces Williams & Johnson, and will serve up tasty, tasty cocktails down by the water each weekend of the Fringe (Fri-Sun until 27 Aug, 67 Commercial St).

Also, get down to Ian Wilson and Ben Reade's pop-up diner Eating House at the Meeting House at 7 Victoria St. for foraged, fermented and organic indulgences (7-26 Aug, 12-8pm). 

Nightvision: Bicep + Hammer
Liquid Room, Edinburgh, 5 Aug 11pm
Head to The Liquid Room tonight to catch a set from hyped Belfast-based duo Bicep, who'll be taking advantage of a 5am license along with the likes of Hammer, Space Dimension Controller and Lord Of The Isles in tow. Image: Ben Price

Optimo 20
SWG3, Glasgow, 6 Aug, 2pm
Optimo (Espacio) salute two decades of bangers this weekend with Optimo 20, bringing an eclectic and staggering line-up featuring the likes of The Black Madonna, Ben UFO, K-X-P, Carla dal Forno, Sofay and more to SWG3. Image: David Moffat

Michael Legge: Jerk
The Stand Comedy Club 2 (16 North St Andrew St), 3-27 Aug (not 14), 1.20pm
Ever been told you should be ashamed of yourself? The team captain from the excellent Do the Right Thing podcast is back after a year away from Edinburgh, and he's wondering if a little shame is no bad thing. This show is featured in our Comedy Editor's top five picks of the Fringe – click here to see what else our editors rate. Image: Idil Sukan

Jamie Johnson: Primitive Plane
SWG3, Glasgow, 8pm, 6.30pm
Tonight, why not head over to the opening of artist Jamie Johnson's new work Primitive Plane? We showcased his work back in 2011, so are looking forward to catching his debut solo exhibition, comprising painting, collage, printmaking and video to examine cultural symbolism throughout time. There's also promise of a "nod to Scottish geology and folklore", and the prints look de-light-ful. Exhibition continues until 10 Aug. Image courtesy of Jamie Johnson

ADVERTISEMENT | Assembly at Edinburgh Fringe
The Fringe is under way, and in celebration of its 70th year Assembly presents its largest ever programme of over 200 shows across the city, including a return to their roots at Assembly Rooms. This year’s programme is filled with world class circus, award winning theatre, comedy, seductive cabaret and family entertainment from across the globe, including Mies Julie, Transit, Hot Brown Honey, Performers, Sweatshop, and Pinder Prize winner Damien Power.

Made in Adelaide: Live Music Panel and Showcase 
Summerhall, Edinburgh, 9 Aug, 6.30pm
During August it's easy for Edinburgh residents to lose perspective of the world beyond Arthur's Seat. But Made in Adelaide aims to change that, bringing a curated sample of Adelaide Fringe's bounty to Scotland. Today, catch their Live Music Panel and Showcase, an opportunity to catch tunes from South Australian artists like Carla Lippis, and MANE, PLUS an industry discussion between festival directors from both the Edinburgh and Adelaide scenes, chaired by Born to be Wide's Olaf Furniss. Image: Cantwell


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FuturePlay Festival
Assembly Roxy / George Square Studios / George Street, Edinburgh, 3-26 Aug, times vary
If you like to take your Fringe activities slightly geeky, get on down to FuturePlay Festival, taking place at a trio of Assembly venues during the Fringe. There'll be everything from VR mischief to digital art, along with immersive galleries, mad interactive installations and participatory theatre that allows audiences to engage with shows in real time using mobile devices. THE FUTURE IS HERE.

The Divide
King’s Theatre, Edinburgh, 8-20 Aug (not 9, 10, 14), times vary
The latest from one of the UK’s greatest living playwrights, Alan Ayckbourn, The Divide imagines a dystopian England, ravaged by deadly contagion that makes any contact between the opposite sex fatal. With society broken down, and the survivors divided by their gender – the males wear white and are considered pure, while the women dress in black to signal their infection – this world premiere could be both terrifyingly prescient and brilliant. 

Each week The Skinny team hand pick a selection of events from the Scottish cultural calendar to provide you with this guide to the most exciting goings on in the week ahead. From gigs, plays and exhibitions to spoken word and pop up cake shops, we give you the insider's guide to things to do in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Dundee every Thursday morning.


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