Heads Up: Christmas & Hogmanay 2024 Events Guide

Winter Design Workshops

V&A, Dundee, 16 Nov-15 Dec
In partnership with Tea Green Events, the V&A are hosting a number of creative workshops through November and December. Learn to craft your own one-of-a-kind festive piece with Ruby Coyne from local fashion brand Dreamland, make your own fused glass decorations with designer Kimberley Armstrong or make a festive paper wreath with artist and illustrator Kirsty Currie.

Christmas at the Botanics

Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh, 21 Nov-30 Dec
Running over 35 nights, Christmas at the Botanics offers a chance to explore the gardens after dark as the pathways are animated by bespoke light installations and sound works. This year promises such sights as floating candles, wildlife and foliage projections, and firework trees shooting bursts of colour between branches.

Christmas at the Botanics. Image: Raymond Gubbay and Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh.

Castle of Light

Edinburgh Castle, 22 Nov-4 Jan, various dates
Back for its fifth year, Edinburgh Castle will once again be transformed after hours with sound, film and immersive light projections covering its medieval walls. Castle of Light bills itself as a chance to explore 900 years of the city’s history within the ‘Defender of the Nation’, and this year even promises a lion in the Great Hall.

Castle of Light. Image: Rob McDougall.

CRAFTED: festive market

DCA, Dundee, 23-24 Nov
CRAFTED is Dundee Contemporary Arts’ annual festive market that features work from over 40 of the best contemporary makers from across Scotland. Gorgeous jewellery from Syrah Jay and KTNew Jewellery, knitwear from mitchell & black, and a whole host of homewares from the likes of Melankólia, Clay4Clarity, Primitive Woodland Line and loads more will all feature.

WinterFest @ Slessor Gardens

Slessor Gardens, Dundee, 25 Nov-1 Jan
Located next to the iconic V&A design museum, soak up some Christmas vibes in Dundee’s Slessor Gardens this festive period, for what might just be the perfect Christmas outing with family and friends. There’s the promise of a vintage funfair, a ferris wheel, a traditional Bavarian bar, 20 Christmas stalls and an ice rink.

Snow White

Macrobert Arts Centre, Stirling, 27 Nov-31 Dec
Featuring the De’Wharff family’s seven unruly stepchildren, the particularly wild Snow White and Nanny Maria Shut-Yon-Trapp, this year’s festive family show comes from the face of Scottish pantomime, Johnny McKnight. Nanny Maria discovers the evil Baroness Fantasia De’Wharff is planning on murdering Snow White – will she be able to save the day and get the children to eat their vegetables? Find out in Stirling.

Snow White. Image: Tommy Ga-Ken Wan.

Treasure Island

Lyceum, Edinburgh, 28 Nov-4 Jan
Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic tale is reimagined for this year’s Lyceum festive show. Jim Hawkins is working in North Edinburgh’s finest accommodation for reformed pirates one Christmas Eve when talk turns to reminiscing about their time on the Hispaniola. Adventure ensues, with the action transplanted from the Caribbean to the Orkney Isles. Expect sea shanties, cutlasses and many puffins.

Treasure Island. Image: Jess Shurte.

Feminist Festive Fayre

Glasgow Women’s Library, Glasgow, 30 Nov, 12pm
Head down to Glasgow Women’s Library for their first ever Feminist Festive Fayre: grab a little tipple of something warm and mulled, before browsing stalls full of prints, games, T-shirts, books, and journals, including original copies of iconic Women’s Liberation magazine Spare Rib.

Alchemy Festive Markets

157 Byres Rd, Glasgow, 30 Nov-15 Dec
If you’re looking for beautiful gifts made locally, make your way to The Alchemy Experiment, who are once again hosting a rolling selection of local artists and makers every Saturday and Sunday at their Byres Road coffee shop and gallery space leading up to Christmas. Keep your eyes on Alchemy’s Instagram (@thealchemyexperiment) to see who’ll be selling their wares each week.

SPOT Design Market

Dovecot Studios, Edinburgh, 30 Nov & 1 Dec, 11am
SPOT specialise in curating design-led events that feature work at a slightly higher price than a typical craft market. This is their first ever event in Edinburgh – the full makers list is still TBA so keep an eye on their socials @spotdesignmarket

Dook Soap. Image: Murray Orr.

The Muppet Christmas Carol with live orchestra

SEC Armadillo, Glasgow, 2 Dec; Usher Hall, Edinburgh, 4 Dec
The world’s greatest Christmas film (listen, when they make It’s a Wonderful Life with Rizzo the Rat we can open it back up again) is screening in both Edinburgh and Glasgow, accompanied by a live orchestra for maximum decadent vibes. It’s high art meets… high art.

The Muppet Christmas Carol

Scottish Ballet: The Nutcracker

Theatre Royal, Glasgow, 6-30 Dec; Festival Theatre, Edinburgh, 8-18 Jan
Surely the most Christmassy of ballets, Scottish Ballet present Tchaikovsky’s classic fairytale, with new choreography promising to make it even more sparkly and dreamlike than ever before. Ft. a Nutcracker Prince, a bunch of sugarplum fairies and, most magical of all, the Rat King.

Scottish Ballet: The Nutcracker. Image: Andy Ros.

Jupiter Christmas Fair

Jupiter Artland, Wilkieston, nr Edinburgh, 7 & 8 Dec
The already beautiful surrounds of Edinburgh’s weird and wacky sculpture garden Jupiter Artland is transformed into a veritable winter wonderland over a December weekend, with a Christmas market filled with artisan stalls, creative workshops, festive donkeys and even the big man himself.

Winter Makers Market

Fruitmarket, Edinburgh, 8 Dec, 10am
The Fruitmarket’s Winter Makers Market is one of the best, featuring a glut of emerging and established independent makers from across the UK. Illustrators, jewellers, ceramicists, textile makers and more can all be found here, with embroidery and aromatherapy workshops taking place in the upstairs studio throughout the day.

Edinburgh Santa Run

West Princes Street Gardens, Edinburgh, 8 Dec, 11am
Not much says ‘Christmas’ like watching hundreds of people dressed up as Santa Claus running laps around Princes Street Gardens. Edinburgh’s Santa Run isn’t only a fun festive day out for the family, but it also helps raise much-needed funds for children’s charity When You Wish Upon a Star.

Geoffrey Chaucer’s Mediaeval Christmas Festivitye!

Monkey Barrel, Edinburgh, 8 Dec
Hear ye, hear ye! John-Luke Roberts is one of our most favourite funniest humans. We like him so much, in fact, that we awarded him with the inaugural Fringe Legend Award at the Besties back in August. This December, he’s channelling poet and author Geoffrey Chaucer for “a night of ridiculous carousing” at the Monkey Barrel for what he says will be “the perfect, weirdest way to welcome in Crustmas.”

Geoffrey Chaucer's Mediaeval Christmas Festivitye! Image: Courtesy of Monkey Barrel

Tasty Buns Mince Pie Fest 

67 Bread St, Edinburgh, 11 Dec, 4-8pm
Tasty Buns Bakery are well-known for their homemade boozy bakes and for putting unusual spins on the classics. This year, they’re hosting their first ever Mince Pie Fest, and we can’t wait to see what creations baker Louise comes up with! Paired with stalls from a whole host of local makers, you’ll be able to get some Christmas shopping done at the same time.

Bowhouse Christmas Market

Bowhouse, St Monans, Fife, 13-15 Dec
There’s nothing like a trip to Fife to visit the Bowhouse Christmas Market in the lead up to the big day. Arrive early for coffee and cake from their exceptional onsite cafe Baern, before browsing the stalls filled with local distillers, cheesemongers, artists and more for that perfect gift. Don’t forget to pop into Futtle either for some organic beers and a browse of their record bins.

Bowhouse. Image courtesy of Bowhouse.

Leith Witchcraft Market: Yule

Leith Arches, Edinburgh, 14 Dec
The Leith Witchcraft Markets have become a staple of the (pagan) calendar, bringing a dose of magic to Leith Arches every few weeks. Their Yule edition is the perfect place to pick up some gifts – everything from handmade potions and lotions to jewellery, prints and soaps – or even get your fortune read.

Lost Map’s Christmas Humbug!

The Traverse, Edinburgh, 14 Dec
Lost Map is an indie record label run by Pictish Trail from the Isle of Eigg, and some of his closest musical pals based on the mainland. Every year they host an end-of-year Christmas party featuring loads of artists from the label with Alabaster DePlume, Afterlands and Susan Bear all playing this year, with all-day, just day or just night tickets available.

Headset Festival

The Mash House, Edinburgh, 20-22 Dec
Celebrating ten years of club nights, Headset is throwing a three-day party with over 100 of the most exciting names in the Scottish club scene. They’ll be taking over all four rooms of The Mash House – find the likes of Plantainchipps, Feena, Hu-Sane, Eclair Fifi, Friday Cowboy and discjocelyne on the lineup.

Plantainchipps. Image: Matthew Arthur Williams.

Tommy Reilly's All Star Christmas 9

The Rum Shack, Glasgow, 21 Dec
As you can tell by the title of this, Glasgow singer-songwriter and composer Tommy Reilly is gearing up for his ninth All Star Christmas night. At the time of writing, Reilly is keeping his cards close to his chest on the lineup, but it’s always an absolute cracker. Plus it's a great cause, with proceeds being split between Tiny Changes and Macmillan Cancer.

Tommy Reilly's All Star Christmas. Image courtesy of artist.

Port of Leith NYE Party

Port of Leith Distillery, Edinburgh, 31 Dec, 9.30pm
The Port of Leith Distillery is Scotland’s first vertical distillery, and in its short existence it’s already become an iconic part of Leith’s skyline. Lucky for you, this year the distillery is inviting you to see in the New Year with them, featuring live DJs, a glass of fizz or dram of whisky at midnight, and exquisite views from the distillery’s beautiful top floor bar.

Optimo (Espacio) NYD

The Berkeley Suite, Glasgow, 1 Jan, 11pm
Legendary club night Optimo (Espacio) is the place to be this New Year's Day! So nurse those hangovers, or be smug about not having one, and get down to The Berkeley Suite for an expected night of wild eclecticism as alongside some special guests TBA, JD Twitch and JG Wilkes blend everything from techno to electro and post-punk to Afrobeat, with some expertly chosen pop bangers thrown in.