This is your ultimate guide to what’s on in Scotland this October, from restaurant openings and book releases to pumpkin harvesting and masterclasses in floristry
The Hebridean Baker Book Tour, across Scotland and the Isles
When: From Friday 4th October to Saturday 7th of December
Where: Dollar, Edinburgh, Tarbert, Stornoway, Isle of Lewis, Inverness, Glasgow, Stewarton and Aberdeen
International bestseller Coinneach MacLeod, or the Hebridean Baker, returns with his fourth cookbook sharing the art of Scottish cooking and baking with essential, timeless recipes and more fascinating stories from the islands.
The selection of rich, warming dishes will set you up for cosy nights at home, hiding from the cool autumn winds with a slice of sweet clootie dumpling in hand.
The book is out on Thursday 10th October with a national book tour to follow. Catch the Hebridean Baker in a bookstore near you to chat about his new book and hear of the tales behind the recipes. All dates are listed in the image above.
Visit the Hebridean Baker website | Follow the Hebridean Baker on Instagram
Nordic Music Days, classical music festival in Glasgow
When: Wednesday 30th October – Sunday 3rd November
Where: Across Glasgow, including Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, The Old Fruitmarket, the CCA, Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, and Glasgow Film Theatre
One of the world’s longest running festivals for contemporary classical music, established
in 1888 by the NKR (Council of Nordic Composers), Nordic Music Days presents classical music and sound, featuring artists from Greenland, Iceland, the Faroe Islands, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland – and, for the first time this year, Scotland.
Visit the Nordic Music Days website for tickets and event programmes | Follow Nordic Music Days on Instagram
Wild Gorse Highland Flower School, Harvest Arrangement Class, Inverness
When: Thursday 24th October, 7pm – 9pm
Where: Belladrum Estate, 15 miles from Inverness in the Scottish Highlands
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Welcome autumn with this masterclass in floral arrangement, using fresh and dried flowers to create a beautiful harvest-time bouquet.
As the seasons turn once more, this workshop will honour the nature of Harvest, designing with fresh and dried flowers in an earthy vessel we will observe the transitions of this time.
Tickets are £60 per person (suitable for all abilities). All tools and materials will be provided and light refreshments will be available.
If you don’t book your space in time for Harvest Arrangement, head to the website to explore the Botanical Bell Jar class from 7pm – 9pm on Thursday 21st November, where you’ll make an everlasting arrangement under glass.
Find out more by visiting the Wild Gorse website | Follow Wild Gorse on Instagram
‘If we only had the space’ exhibition at Platform, Glasgow
When: Thursday 17th October – Saturday 26th October
Where: The Bridge, 1000 Westerhouse Road, G34 9JW Glasgow, United Kingdom
If only we had the space is a new exhibition of contemporary craft, responding to politics of housing, property rights and access to ‘space’.
The exhibition will feature a newly commissioned installation from textile designer Jeni Allison alongside pieces in glass, textiles and ceramics by artists and makers Jack Brindley, Deirdre Nelson and Fionn Duffy.
Glasgow-based archival material on housing activist movements and maker interviews will provide context to the works on display.
Inspired by a 1970s documentary film of the same name, ‘If only we had the space’ connects to conditions today as another housing crisis exacerbates the wealth gap between renters, landlords, property and land owners.
Find out more information on the Facebook event page
Celebrate the opening of Clare Blatherwick’s new jewellery shop in North Berwick
When: Friday 5th and Saturday 6th October
Where: 27 Station Hill, North Berwick, EH39 4AS
The Studio, located on Station Hill in North Berwick on 4th October 2024. This eagerly anticipated opening marks a significant milestone for Clare Blatherwick Jewellery, providing a dedicated space to serve clients with bespoke, high-quality jewellery services.
Clare Blatherwick Jewellery invites everyone to join her and her team for a glass of bubbles on the 5th and 6th October 2024.
Visit the Clare Blatherwick website | Follow Clare Blatherwick on Instagram
Visit Scotland’s first-ever analogue photobooth, Edinburgh
When: From Saturday 19th October
Where: Stills Centre for Photography 23 Cockburn Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1BP
Just under 100 years since the photobooth invention, Scotland is finally getting its own analogue booth: the Stillsautomat. Edinburgh’s Stills Centre for Photography is proud to share the booth with the public, welcoming visitors from October 19th 2024.
Drop by to capture some special memories, captured in analogue and printed instantly.
Visit the Stills Centre for Photography website | Follow Stills Centre for Photography on Instagram | Follow Stills Centre for Photography on Facebook
Perth Farmers Market, Perth & Kinross
When: Saturday October 5th and Saturday November 2nd
Where: South Inch car park, Shore Road, Perth, PH2 8BW
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Perth Farmers Market is a staple in Scotland’s fresh produce market calendar with over 50 stalls offering a variety of quality produce, crafts and charities founded by local people.
Th market gives you an opportunity to engage with surrounding community with hotels or tourist attractions or to obtain information about a particular subject such as recycling.
“Come along on the first Saturday of the month to chat to the stallholders, sample the food, enjoy the atmosphere and purchase some of the finest produce in Scotland,” says Yvonne Alexander, Perth Farmers’ Market Co-ordinator.
Visit the Perth Farmers Market website
Patricia Fleming Art Car Boot Sale, Glasgow
When: Saturday 26th – Sunday 27th October
Where: Tramway’s T2 space, 25 Albert Dr, Glasgow G41 2PE
Now in its sixth year, the Art Car Boot Sale – one of Scotland’s biggest contemporary art markets – is coming to Tramway for a bumper edition of artists and galleries brought together under one roof.
The exciting showcase of contemporary art, presented by Patricia Fleming Gallery, will bring 100 local and internationally renowned artists from across Scotland and beyond into our vast T2 gallery for the first time.
Visit the Art Car Boot Sale website for tickets and timings | Follow Art Car Boot Sale on Instagram
Pumpkin picking at Arnprior Farm, Stirlingshire
When: From October onwards
Where: Arnprior Farm, Stirling, FK8 3HA
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Arnprior Farm hosts Scotland’s original Pumpkin festival, with over 20,000 pumpkins to choose from over three weeks in October. The patch is a great day out for all the family, including your furry friends.
As well as pumpkins, the Arnprior team have a quad pod ride, pumpkin cannon, bale mountain, an indoor hay barn, face painting, bouncy castle, lots of photo opportunities and much much more.
Find out more by visiting the Arnprior Farm website | Follow Arnprior Farm on Instagram | Follow Arnprior Farm on Facebook
Duck & Waffle launch their autumn/winter Sunday Roast menu, Edinburgh
When: Sundays from 11:30am – 4pm, with live entertainment from 1pm
Where: St James Quarter 400-402 St James Crescent Edinburgh, EH1 3AE
Duck & Waffle’s autumnal Sunday Roast features an array of choices, generous portions, and caters to a wide range of tastes, from classic roast enthusiasts to those seeking vegetarian options.
The two-course experience includes the choice of Glazed Pork Belly with apple sauce, Corn Fed Chicken, a succulent Sirloin with braised ox cheek and horseradish crème fraîche and a vegetarian Mushroom & Cheddar Wellington, all served with spiced carrot purée, maple mustard glazed parsnips, Yorkshire pudding, roast potatoes, and lashings of gravy.
Visit the Duck & Waffle website | Follow Duck & Waffle on Instagram | Follow Duck & Waffle on Facebook
Opening of Sotto Enoteca and Trattoria restaurant in Stockbridge
When: Friday 4th October
Where: 28-32 Deanhaugh Street, Edinburgh, EH4 1LY
Sotto takes its name from the Italian for ‘under’, referencing the wine cellar hidden under Stockbridge high street that will store its extensive collection.
A destination spot for Italian wine in Edinburgh, Sotto will offer a thoughtfully-curated selection of over 200 wines, mixing modern and traditional styles and showcasing every region of Italy.
Opening hours
Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday from 10am – 11pm (food served from 12pm)
Friday and Saturday from 10am – 12am (food served from 12pm)
Visit the Sotto website | Follow Sotto on Instagram
The release of Building Castles: Live Music Now Scotland Celebrates 40 Years
When: Out now
Where: Delphian Records
Bringing together specially commissioned music from five Scottish composers, this album builds on the similar collection released on Delphian ten years ago to celebrate Live Music Now Scotland’s 30th anniversary.
LMNS’s unique approach to commissioning new music fulfils the organisation’s twin aims of supporting early-career artists with professional performing experience and at the same time widening access to high-quality live music for people living in challenging circumstances.
Visit the Delphian Records website to learn more about this unique album
The Palmerston x Sarah Johnson Sunday Lunch, Edinburgh
When: Sunday 6th October
Where: 1 Palmerston Pl, Edinburgh EH12 5AF
The Palmerston and pastry chef and cookbook author Sarah Johnson will join forces for a one-off Sunday lunch in celebration of Sarah’s debut cookbook Fruitful.
A celebration of fruit and all the glorious variety it can bring to our plates, this comprehensive new cookbook shows how to source, cook and enjoy fruit throughout the year. Covering all the key techniques for cooking with fruit, such as roasting, poaching and puréeing, the book contains over 80 recipes in chapters on citrus, berries, stone fruit, orchard and vine fruits, pome fruits, shrubs and stalks
At this one-off Sunday lunch event, guests will enjoy a menu of dishes inspired by recipes from Fruitful, including:
- Pear fizz cocktail, warm olives and salted almonds
- Crab cakes, fennel and herb salad
- Braised pork shoulder, cider and caramelised apples, celeriac and salad
- Black fig galette and muscat ice cream
Tickets are £55 per person and can be booked by emailing hello@thepalmerstonedinburgh.co.uk
Sight-Seer Exhibition at Morningside Gallery, Edinburgh
When: Until Saturday 12th October
Where: 94 Morningside Rd, Edinburgh EH10 4BY
‘Sight-Seer’ will be Mitchell’s second solo exhibition at Morningside Gallery, comprising a collection of more than 40 new paintings which promise to be perceptive and uplifting, with more than a little humour.
There is more than meets the eye in a Gordon Mitchell exhibition. Always thought-provoking, Gordon’s work draws upon traditional iconography, news stories and visual puns, to create unexpected juxtapositions and perceptive visual commentaries.
Gordon has a distaste for the ‘taken for granted’, and he enjoys looking beyond logic and everyday reasoning. He invites us into his iconic painterly world, rich with meaning and intrigue.
Visit the Morningside Gallery website | Follow Morningside Gallery on Instagram | Follow Morningside Gallery on Facebook
Brand-new premium lunch and drinks menu available at Elements restaurant, Glasgow
When: Until Wednesday 23rd October
Where: Elements restaurant, 19 New Kirk Road, Bearsden, Glasgow G61 3SJ
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Until 23rd October Elements, Glasgow’s newest fine-dining restaurant is offering an exclusive opportunity to enjoy a decadent four-course lunch accompanied by four premium cocktails, each inspired by the restaurant’s namesake four elements: earth, water, fire and air.
The lunch menu is updated weekly, beginning with delicious, seasonal canapes, followed by warm rustic sourdough accompanied by two types of butter or oils.
Recent highlights include starters of wild halibut with maitake mushrooms and main courses of mushroom ravioli, North Sea pollock fillet with shellfish orzo and pork belly with black truffle pomme purée.
Experience the menu for yourself. The four-course meals includes four cocktail pairings for £75 per person.
Visit the Elements website to book | Follow Elements on Instagram
The launch of Chef Stuart Ralston’s new guest chef series, ‘Shore to Shore’, across Scotland
When: Various dates throughout winter, beginning on Wednesday 23rd October
Where: Lyla, 3 Royal Terrace, Edinburgh
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Acclaimed chef Stuart Ralston is launching a new guest chef series, Shore to Shore, celebrating the rich bounty of the British waters and marking the first anniversary of his fine-dining venture, Lyla in Edinburgh.
The series will see some of the UK’s most exciting chefs take part in a four-hands dinner with Stuart, bringing their own take on seafood from Scotland and the wider UK coastline.
The first part of the ongoing series will take place across October and November, before the second part next year.
The lineup includes:
Theo Clench (ex Cycene and Akoko) – 23rd & 24th of October
Alex Nietosvuori, Hjem – 30th of October
Andy Beynon, BEHIND – 11th of November
Johnnie Crowe, Restaurant St Barts – 30th January 2025
Joshua Overington, Myse – 18th February 2025
The evening will begin with snacks in the upstairs drawing room of Stuart’s 26-cover restaurant located in a Georgian townhouse, alongside cocktails and champagne from the trolley.
Find out more by visiting the Lyla website | Follow Lyla on Instagram
The Leith Collective Winter Coat Exchange, Edinburgh
When: From Tuesday 1st October
Where: We Relove, Ocean Terminal 1st floor, Leith, Edinburgh
On Tuesday 1st October, the energy price cap rose by 10%, taking a typical annual household bill to £1,717. To help in the fight against poverty, The Leith Collective has launched its Winter Coat Exchange.
The Leith Collective is calling on businesses, organisations, charities and community groups across Scotland to register as an official Winter Coat Exchange Collection Point. That way, they can redistribute good quality coats to those who need them – free of charge, no questions asked – and provide much-needed comfort this winter.
Visit the We Relove website to find out more about the Winter Coat Exchange
Visit The Leith Collective website | Follow The Leith Collective on Instagram
