LeithLate 2019: First events announced
LeithLate is back! There's a Basque Country themed short film and food crawl planned for the end of April, ahead of a Weekender of music, art and dancing in June
It was announced last week that LeithLate would be back in 2019 following a hiatus last year, and today news of the Leith multi-arts festival's first events have been revealed. Working with CinemaAttic, who the festival call "Scotland’s leading Spanish cinema mavericks", LeithLate 2019 will kick off on 28 April with Pintxos: Basque Film + Food Crawl, a short-film and grub crawl along Leith Walk.
Popping into some of the great pubs along Leith Walk, LeithLate and CinemaAttic will be screening shorts from the Basque Country at each stop, as well as serving up some delicious Basque pintxos. For those uninitiated in these Basque Country treats, they're bite-sized snacks along the lines of tapas except served on wooden skewers. Among the pubs taking part are Victoria Bar, Leith Depot and Brig Below, with entry, food and films all free.
The film and food crawl comes to a close at Henderson Halls on Henderson Street, where there'll be an afterparty. We're told that on the menu will be more classic Basque cinema in the form of El Dia de la Bestia (The Day of the Beast), Alex de la Iglesia's wild and delightfully blasphemous horror-comedy about the birth of the Antichrist, and music courtesy of a DJ set from Pako Vega. Afterparty tickets are £6.
This event is part of Cinemaattic's Basque Spring, a film retrospective that will bring classic and contemporary films from the Basque Country to Edinburgh and Glasgow – more info at cinemaattic.com
LeithLate19 Weekend: 8 & 9 June
The above film crawl should knock LeithLate's ring rust off for the full LeithLate19 Weekender in June. Tying in with Leith Festival, the event kicks off with a gig at Leith Gala Day celebrations on Leith Links. On the bill will be a line-up of female-identifying artists and musicians curated by LeithLate and The Skinny’s music editor, Tallah Brash.
On the same day you'll find an all-female graffiti artist jam hosted by Quality Yard in their 360° courtyard. Also down at Quality Yard there's the Cube Project "bringing 3D cubes for doodlers big and small", plus the Quality Yard resident artists and the Scottish Mineral and Lapidary Club both open their doors to the public.
Later that night, Leith-based riot-grrrl pop musician Lou McLean curates and hosts an intimate gig at The Happiness Hotel (AKA the Song, By Toad recording studio), while the night continues till 3am at Leith Franklin Cricket Club. The party's theme is 'the Queen’s birthday' – it is Big Liz's official birthday – and all-female DJ collective MISS WORLD will be showcasing female and queer DJ talent on the decks.
Sunday's events will be slightly more sedate, with a guided walking tour of a selection of Leith’s public art murals planned, with some of the original artists in tow to discuss their work; murals at the Leith History Mural, the Leith Dockers Mural and The Leith Aquatic on Henderson Street all feature. Then it's back to Quality Yard to admire the results of the graffiti jam and for a wee school night afterparty.
Tickets for the Happiness Hotel gig and Cricket Club party will be available via Citizen Ticket in May. All other events taking place as part of the LeithLate19 Weekend are free to attend