What's On Scotland 17-24 Jul: IKEA: Magical Patterns & more

How often do we get to shout out IKEA in an arts and culture newsletter? Not often enough. But good news for fans of their meatballs and extremely square furniture – there's a new exhibition opening at Dovecot this week, celebrating 60 years of their innovative textile design.

Running from 18 July to 17 January, IKEA: Magical Patterns features 180 iconic fabrics that showcase the six decades of changing design concerns, and explore the relationship between creativity and commercialism. There's also a wee pop-up design studio, where you can create your own patterns. Book tickets here.

ADVERTISEMENT | Harvest

Caleb Landry Jones stars in Harvest, a spellbinding and beautifully visceral film from Athina Rachel Tsangari. Set over seven hallucinatory days in an idyllic Scottish village, a farming community's traditional way of life is disrupted when a series of unexpected invaders from the outside world bring about irrevocable change.

Based on the Booker Prize-nominated novel by Jim Crace, Harvest is one of the most distinctive films of the summer. In cinemas from Friday, book tickets now.

Palidrone: Ma Sha
Sneaky Pete’s, Edinburgh. 18 Jul, 11pm
New York-based DJ and Kindergarten label boss Ma Sha (pictured) is headlining Palidrone for her Sneaky’s debut, playing her signature mix of techno and bass-heavy sounds inspired by the New York underground scene. Support comes from Palidrone residents Dansa and J Wax. Image: Alina Cherubin.

Make It Happen
Dundee Rep, Dundee. 18-26 Jul, various times
Ahead of its world premiere at Edinburgh International Festival, Dear England writer James Graham's Make It Happen previews at Dundee Rep: a blistering, satirical look at the role RBS played in the financial crash of 2008, starring Brian Cox. It's sold out but check for returns. Image: David Vintier.

Shoot Your Shot PRIDE: Romy
The Berkeley Suite, Glasgow. 20 Jul, 8pm
Shoot Your Shot's Pride edition welcomes iconic musician, DJ, and one third of The xx Romy to the decks, playing alongside her partner Vic Lentaigne, with support from Glasgow underground legends LEZZER QUEST. Expect vibey electro and techno to kick Pride off. Image: Young.

Sparks
The Edinburgh Playhouse, Edinburgh. 18 Jul, 7pm
Kooky duo Sparks are icons of American pop rock, known for their witty lyricism and playful melodies. Following recent forays into cinema, including doing the music for Leos Carax's Annette and starring in Edgar Wright's documentary The Sparks Brothers, they're back on tour. Image: Republic Media.

ADVERTISEMENT | Assembly George Square Gardens
Summer starts here! Join us as Assembly George Square Gardens are now open, launching with Edinburgh Folk & Food Festival (18–27 July) - Scotland’s only free-to-enter food fest! Enjoy global street food, drinks, workshops, and live folk music like Duncan Chisholm, Folksville, The Unthanks, The East Pointers and more in the iconic Palais du Variété. Then, from 30 July - 25 August, Assembly Festival 2025 takes over with fringe favourites, famous faces, and jaw-dropping performances. We’ll see you there!

↪ Curated Wax x Houseplants
Strange Field, Glasgow. 19 Jul, 3pm
Party people Curated Wax and Houseplants are collaborating on another bash. There’s an excellent lineup, including the head of Welt Discos label Joe Delon, Neurons and EHFM DJ noodles (pictured) playing across house, techno and dub. Image: Courtesy of artist.

→ Powell & Pressburger season
Filmhouse, Edinburgh. 18 Jul-5 Aug
Filmhouse's reopening continues strong with a gorgeous rep programme of Powell and Pressburger films. The legendary cinematic duo made lush, romantic films exploring deeply humanist ideas, and were a lasting influence on the likes of Martin Scorcese.

→ Good Egg Comedy
Dragonfly, Edinburgh. Until 27 Jul, various times
There's a whole bunch of comedy previews and works-in-progress happening in Edinburgh this week – just in time to get ahead of the Fringe programme. Find Ralph Brown, Ross Leslie, Stuart McPherson and Laura Davis on this week.