Scottish Coffee Festival
Scottish Coffee Festival
Drygate, Glasgow, Saturday
Caffeine lovers are sure to get a kick out of Scotland's first ever festival dedicated entirely to coffee, bringing together a clutch of Glasgow's favourite cafes with specialty roasters from across the country. Visitors can sample a range of blends, watch coffee roasting and latte art demonstrations, and get down to live music and DJ sets. Host venue Drygate will also be serving food and coffee-flavoured cocktails and beers. Starting at 11am, £1 of the £8 entry fee goes to the Prince and Princess of Wales Hospice's Brick By Brick appeal. www.scottishcoffeefestival.com
Book Week Scotland
Across Scotland, until Sunday
We're now halfway through Scottish Book Trust's annual seven-day feast of literature and reading, but there's still plenty to see and do, with hundreds of free events for all ages taking place in schools, libraries, bookshops and communities across the nation. As well as book-related workshops, readings and author events, look out for giveaways of thousands of books, the unveiling of five new library art installations, and the announcement of the results of a reader poll to find the nation's favourite book character. Happy reading… www.bookweekscotland.com
Girls Day Out
SECC, Glasgow, Friday to Sunday
This glamorous lifestyle show combining health, beauty, fashion and shopping arrives just in time for the Christmas party season. As well as showcasing a huge variety of gift ideas, treats and products from than 200 exhibitors, there are hair and nail bars, catwalk fashion shows, spa treatments, cakes, cocktails, and live entertainment - as well as appearances from celebrity guests including Peter Andre and Amy Childs. Friday is now sold out, but are still tickets available for Saturday and Sunday priced £10-£18. www.girlsdayoutshow.co.uk
Dundee Mountain Film Festival
Dundee, today to Saturday
See, hear and experience tales of adventure and exploration from some of the world's most hostile and spectacular environments - all from the relative comfort of Dundee's Bonar Hall and Discovery Quay. Back for a 32nd year, the UK's longest continually-running mountain film showcase features screenings of films alongside appearances from experts, filmmakers and explorers, accompanying art and photography displays, and the chance to pick up kit for your own adventure from a range of trade stands. Tickets for the festival's five sessions range from £6 to £15. www.dundeemountainfilm.org.uk
Mrs Claus Is Keeping Christmas
Pollok House, Glasgow, from Saturday
The return of another seasonal favourite, as Santa's better half sets up for her usual fireside stint in the Morning Room of Pollok House, the imposing Glasgow country home described as Scotland's answer to Downton Abbey. Timed slots for the Santa's grotto-style attraction are available every day between 11am and 3.30pm until Christmas Eve for £6 (£6.50 for accompanying adults). As is customary, the rest of the House has also been specially decorated for the occasion, with a different theme for each room. www.nts.org.uk/Property/Pollok-House
Strathpeffer Art Fair
Strathpeffer Pavillion, Ross and Cromarty, until Sunday
This colourful annual event showcases the work of nearly 100 artists from the Highlands and Islands, with the chance to browse and buy from a selection of around 300 pieces ranging in price from £25 to £2500. For those on more modest budgets, there are also a variety of prints, greetings cards and calendars available from many of the artists involved. Younger guests can also take advantage of Saturday morning's free art workshop with the Highland Museum of Childhood's Alison Boyle. strathpefferpavilion.org
Glasgow Loves St Andrew's Day
George Square, Glasgow City Centre, Sunday
Celebrate Scotland's patron saint with a day of family entertainment including storytelling, puppetry, and street theatre performances, plus music from the Williamwood Pipe Band. Later on there's traditional dancing in the square's pop-up Alpine Bar with the Gunna Sound ceilidh band, with the City Chambers providing the backdrop for a special Scottish light show. If you're feeling energetic, you could also combine your visit with a trip to Glasgow On Ice, Scotland's largest outdoor ice rink, open for the next month in George Square from today. www.glasgowloveschristmas.com
The Saltire Festival
Various venues, East Lothian, until Sunday
While Edinburgh parties with a day of music, dancing and skating in St Andrew Square, there's also plenty going on outside the city, with activities, concerts and days out honouring East Lothian's claim as the birthplace of Scotland's flag. Along with special menus and live music at local restaurants and bars, there's a Saltire Raceday at tomorrow Musselburgh Racecourse. Saturday's events include a Haddington food day, Hue and Cry and comedian Mark Nelson performing live in Musselburgh, and the family-themed John Muir Winter Carnival at Foxlake outdoor centre near Dunbar. www.visiteastlothian.org/thesaltire2014.asp
St Andrew's Day Ticket Giveaway
Across Scotland, Saturday and Sunday
Historic Scotland are giving away thousands of tickets for 35 participating heritage attractions across the country for use on Saturday and Sunday. The initiative grants free entry for up to two adults and children at a variety of historic castles, churches and ancient monuments. Although tickets for Edinburgh and Stirling Castles have now gone, it is still possible to book for most of the other properties involved, including Bothwell Castle near Glasgow, Iona Abbey on Mull, and Orkney's Skara Brae. Ticket applications close at 5pm tomorrow. www.ticketgiveaway.co.uk
St Andrew's Day Out
Across Scotland, until Sunday
Also marking the occasion is this range of promotions for over 200 cultural attractions around the country, including free entry, 2-for-1 deals and kids-go-free offers. As well as galleries, museums, and historic buildings, the Scottish Government-endorsed scheme includes library activities and sessions at local sports and leisure centres. Among hidden gems, family favourites and places you maybe always fancied exploring are Surgeon's Hall Museum in Edinburgh, New Lanark World Heritage Site, Dundee's Discovery Point, and the Macduff Marine Aquarium in Aberdeenshire. scotland.org/winter
Don't Miss
Santa Cruise
Edinburgh Quay, Edinburgh, Saturday and Sunday
An hour-long return cruise along the Union Canal from Fountainbridge to Murrayburn on the western edge of Edinburgh, with games, songs, craft activities, and a visit from Santa. Tickets are £10, with three trips a day every weekend until Christmas. www.re-union.org.uk/events/san
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article