Previously - Scotland's History Festival
Across Scotland, until November 30.
Starting yesterday and running until St Andrew's Day, Previously's 274 events include talks, book signings, debates, film screenings, craft sessions, poetry, walking and cycling tours, days out, food and drink, theatre and live music. A festival hub and dedicated events programme runs out of Adam House on Edinburgh's Chamber Street from Saturday, but this year's expanded line-up also takes in Glasgow, Stirling, Rosslyn, Penicuik, and Dunfermline, which hosts a mini-festival celebrating locally raised entrepreneur-philanthropist Andrew Carnegie later in the month. www.historyfest.co.uk
Glasgow Loves Christmas
Glasgow City Centre, from tonight.
It still feels a bit early, but the countdown to Christmas has started. Glasgow is one of the quickest in Scotland to get off the mark, with live entertainment and the switch-on of the city's lights in George Square from 5pm this evening. Admission is by ticket only, available exclusively from a ballot that closed weeks ago, but if you weren't lucky enough to get one you can still enjoy the fireworks at around 7pm. Slightly more accessible is Sunday's Style Mile Spectacular, which sees entertainers and musicians taking over parts of Buchanan Street and Sauchiehall Street with performances, give-aways, and activities from noon until 4pm. www.glasgowloveschristmas.com
Dundee's Christmas Light Night
Dundee city centre, tomorrow.
Dundee also holds the launch of its festive programme this week, with a huge street party in the city centre tomorrow to mark the start of the festive programme. The evening begins at 5pm with a torchlight procession from the McManus Museum to City Square, where the Christmas lights will be switched on. There are also projections, activities, live performances, a ceilidh, an outdoor nativity play, and a firework finale at 9pm. www.dundee.com
BodyWorks
Glasgow Science Centre, Wednesdays to Sundays.
The third floor of Glasgow's excellent Science Centre is currently given over to Body Works, a hands-on look at the science behind human health. Visitors can explore 9 interactive zones covering every aspect of the body, with a host of exhibits, demonstrations, live science shows and experiments to see and try. Entry is included with access to the Science Centre. Colourful, fun, dry, and - whisper it - highly educational. www.glasgowsciencecentre.org
Edinburgh Art Fair
Edinburgh Corn Exchange, Friday to Sunday.
Browse and buy original artworks by hundreds of professional artists from Scotland, the UK and Europe at Scotland's largest annual art show, returning to Edinburgh's Corn Exchange for a ninth year from tomorrow. The Fair features 50 exhibiting galleries, along with print-making workshops, artist talks, demonstrations and painting classes. Younger visitors are welcome, with complimentary crèche facilities and free entry for under 16s. Adult tickets are £3-£5, while a charity reception and evening preview in aid of Maggie's Cancer Support Centres also takes place tonight from 6.30pm. www.artedinburgh.com
BP Portrait Award 2013
Aberdeen Art Gallery, until February 1.
Aberdeen is the only Scottish city to host this high profile showcase of contemporary portrait painting, now in its 34th year, which transferred from the National Portrait Gallery in London at the start of the month. Featuring 55 new portraits selected from 1969 entries from 77 countries, the exhibition runs until February 1, and includes work by £30,000 first prize winner Susanne du Toit and BP Young Artist 2013 Owen Normand. www.npg.org.uk
French Film Festival
Various venues, until December 7.
Celebrating its 21st birthday, this annual showcase of French cinema is now underway in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee, Aberdeen and Inverness, plus Bo'ness and Kirkcaldy. The programme includes more than 30 premiers of new movies starring the leading lights of French cinema, including Juliette Binoche, Audrey Tautou, and Gerard Depardieu, and the only chance to see many of these �lms anywhere outside of France. Watch out for Daniel Autieul's adaptation of the first two parts of Marcel Pagnol's Marseille trilogy - Marius, and Fanny - still to come in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen. www.french�lmfestival.org.uk
Summerhall Beer Festival
Summerhall, Edinburgh, Friday to Sunday.
Edinburgh's Summerhall (formerly the Royal Dick Vet School, now a pleasingly eccentric creative arts hub) is holding its second beer festival this weekend, showcasing the wares of in-house craft brewer Barneys, plus guest beverages from the US, Germany, Belgium and Scandinavia. Based in the building's former dissection lab, the weekend also includes interactive brewing sessions, live music, and copious amounts of freshly made bratwurst and pretzels. It's open from 6.30pm until midnight on Friday and Saturday, with Sunday offering a more family friendly vibe, an increased emphasis on food and free entry for kids from 2pm-8pm. www.summerhall.co.uk
Street Food Cartel
SWG3, Glasgow, Friday to Sunday.
Open for three days only, every couple of months or so, this pop-up street food happening has built up quite a following since the first event was held back in March. On the menu this time are the usual range of global dishes from Glasgow's scoop, plus traditional wood-fired pizza from So La Ti Dough, with an artisan craft beer-stocked bar and live DJs to set things off. £5 event tickets tend to be snapped up pretty sharpish when details are announced via the @stfoodcartel Twitter feed, so best be quick. streetfoodcartel.bigcartel.com
Exploring The Lion King
City Art Centre, Edinburgh, daily, until January 12.
This free exhibition offers a behind-the-scenes look at the hit West End musical, which recently transferred to the Edinburgh Playhouse for a lengthy Christmas-spanning run. Focusing on production design, on display are complete costumes, original set models, sketches, film and photography created by the team responsible for bringing the acclaimed Disney film to the stage. Free 30 minute tours focusing on key works in the exhibition meet in the gallery reception area at 3pm on Fridays, Saturdays and Tuesdays
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