EDINBURGH
Art
Joan Eardley: The Nature of Painting — National Galleries Scotland: Modern Two. Until 28 June. Free. https://www.nationalgalleries.org/
Ilana Halperin: What is Us and What is Earth — Fruitmarket Gallery. Until 17 May. Free. https://www.fruitmarket.co.uk/
200th RSA Annual Exhibition — Royal Scottish Academy. 9 May–14 June. Free. https://www.royalscottishacademy.org/
ARTIST ROOMS: Louise Bourgeois | Helen Chadwick | Robert Mapplethorpe — Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art (Modern One). Ongoing. Free. https://www.nationalgalleries.org/
Fashion & Design
The Biba Story: 1964–1975 — Dovecot Studios. Until 27 June. Ticketed. https://www.dovecotstudios.com/
Classical Music
Nicola Benedetti Plays Elgar — Royal Scottish National Orchestra (Usher Hall, Edinburgh / Caird Hall, Dundee / Glasgow Royal Concert Hall). 14–16 May. Ticketed. https://www.rsno.org.uk/
GLASGOW
Art
Joanna Piotrowska: A moment of darkness at noon — The Common Guild. From 23 May. Free. https://thecommonguild.org.uk/
Opera
The Marriage of Figaro — Scottish Opera, Theatre Royal Glasgow. 9–23 May. Ticketed. Sir Thomas Allen revives his 2010 production of Mozart’s comic masterpiece, sung in English and conducted by Dane Lam. https://www.scottishopera.org.uk/
DUNDEE
Fashion & Design
Catwalk: The Art of the Fashion Show — V&A Dundee. Until 17 January 2027. £7–£16. https://www.vam.ac.uk/dundee/
EAST AYRSHIRE
Literature
Boswell Book Festival — Dumfries House, Cumnock. 8–10 May. From £10. The world’s only festival of biography and memoir. https://www.boswellbookfestival.co.uk/
PAISLEY
Literature
Paisley Book Festival — 15–17 May. Ticketed. This year’s theme is Everyday Heroes, Everlasting Icons, with appearances from Val McDermid, Jenni Fagan, Doug Johnstone, and Nicola Sturgeon. https://www.paisleybookfestival.co.uk/
Films
1–7 May — Filmhouse, Edinburgh
Klute (1971) — Dir. Alan J. Pakula. Jane Fonda and Donald Sutherland in Pakula’s neo-noir thriller, part of the Filmhouse Paranoia Trilogy season.
All the President’s Men (50th Anniversary, 4K Restoration, 1976) — Dir. Alan J. Pakula. Redford and Hoffman as Woodward and Bernstein.
The Conversation (4K Restoration, 1974) — Dir. Francis Ford Coppola. Gene Hackman as a surveillance expert caught in his own web of paranoia.
4 May — Filmhouse, Edinburgh
Highlander (40th Anniversary, 4K Restoration) — Dir. Russell Mulcahy. With intro and post-screening discussion by author Jonathan Melville.
1–10 May — Cameo, Edinburgh
Folk Film Gathering — The world’s first folk film festival returns to the Cameo and Scottish Storytelling Centre. Closes with a screening of Sergei Parajanov’s newly remastered feature debut Andriesh (1954, Ukraine), accompanied by a live performance from the Edinburgh Ukrainian Choir. https://www.picturehouses.com/cinema/the-cameo
9–11 May — Filmhouse, Edinburgh
Akira (4K Restoration, 1988) — Dir. Katsuhiro Otomo. Katsuhiro Otomo’s landmark cyberpunk anime returns in a new 4K restoration.
16–17 May — Filmhouse, Edinburgh
Sansho the Bailiff (1954) — Dir. Kenji Mizoguchi. An 11th-century tale of slavery and dignity, sharing the Venice Silver Lion in 1954 with Seven Samurai, On the Waterfront, and La Strada.
29 May — Filmhouse, Edinburgh
Portrait of a Lady on Fire (4K Reissue, 2019) — Dir. Céline Sciamma. Winner of the Queer Palm and Best Screenplay at Cannes, reissued in 4K.
