1 Scottish Golf Show
SECC, Glasgow, Friday to Sunday
Limber up for the start of Scotland's golfing season with a visit to the sport's biggest UK consumer show, back in Glasgow for its 10th year. Boasting stands from 150 exhibitors, the latest gear from the game's biggest brand names, and a huge retail shop, there are also a range of interactive challenges, demonstrations and lessons to sign up for, plus the chance to try out a huge indoor driving range and 9-hole putting green. Open Friday to Sunday from 9.30am to 5pm, tickets on the door are £20. www.scottishgolfshow.co.uk
2 Gold
The Queen's Gallery, Edinburgh, from Friday
Fresh from three months at Buckingham Palace, this exhibition explores the beauty, symbolism and power of this most precious of metals. Drawing on 60 items from the Royal Collection, highlights include a crown from pre-Incan Ecuador, a Bronze Age burial cup found in Cornwall, and an ornamental tiger's head made in 18th century India. Also included among a myriad of paintings, tableware, furniture and books is an ornate Persian translation of Queen Victoria's memoir about the Highlands, on display in Scotland for the first time. Running until July 26, tickets are £6.60 (£3.30 under 17s). www.royalcollection.org.uk
3 Puppet Animation Festival
Across Scotland, from Saturday
The UK's largest and longest running performing arts festival for children is back with more than 100 events for younger audiences. Running through until April 18 - coinciding with the Easter holidays - the programme brings top puppetry, films and workshops from the UK's leading children's theatre makers to 50 venues up and down the country - many outside Scotland's larger towns and cities. Productions include Puppet State Theatre's acclaimed The Man Who Planted Trees, Eco Drama's 2014 sell out The Worm: An Underground Adventure, and Pitschi, the Kitten with Dreams, from Brighton based Komedia. www.puppetanimationfestival.org
4 After Hours Extreme Makeover
Aberdeen Art Gallery, Friday
This innovative farewell party for over 18s is part of a final weekend of creative fun at Aberdeen Art Gallery, about to close for the next two and a half years for major redevelopment. Simply turn up and get stuck in to a dizzying range of arty activities, drop-ins and short performances, including flash mob workshops, steampunk photography, life-drawing sessions, and a Victorian-themed Grand Ball. A family-friendly version, Breaking The Rules, runs from 2pm on Saturday. www.aagm.co.uk
5 RCHS Spring Flower Show
Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh, Saturday and Sunday
A welcome splash of early-blooming colour with the return of the Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society's spring show. Held annually at the end of March in the Royal Botanic's Fletcher Building, the contest is open to all and covers a range of different categories. Items on display will include daffodils, tulips, hyacinths, flowering shrubs, alpine plants, cacti, bonsai, and floral art. There's also a free Eco-Schools show in the John Hope Gateway Centre. On from noon to 5pm both days, the main show is £2 (concessions free). www.rchs.co.uk
6 Ski-Scotland Snow Festival
Across Scotland, Saturday and Sunday
With most of us welcoming a chance to shake off the winter, the season is - for a few weeks at any rate - still in full swing at Scotland's mountain ski resorts. Providing a great excuse to get out and enjoy conditions while they last is this weekend of snow-based activities at Cairngorm, Glencoe, Glenshee, Nevis Range, and the Lecht. Along with a range of ski and snowboarding demonstrations, taster sessions and lesson deals, there's also sledging, snowman making, igloo building, and dog sled teams - plus the option of joining a synchronised mass descent at 1pm on Saturday. www.ski.visitscotland.com/snowfest
7 Little Explorer Days: All About Animals
Glasgow Science Centre, Sunday
The spotlight is on the stars of the animal kingdom at the latest themed day for inquisitive 3-5 year olds at Glasgow Science Centre. A fun mix of workshops, drop-in events, experiments, craft sessions and songs, activities cover camouflage, skeletons, worms and frogs - as well as animal handling sessions with mammals, birds, lizards, snakes, spiders and creepy crawlies. Running from 10.30am to 3.30pm, there's also plenty of time to explore the Science Mall afterwards. Entry for a child and accompanying adult is £8.50. www.glasgowsciencecentre.org
8 Earth Hour In George Square
George Square, Glasgow, Saturday
An evening of free, fun and environmentally friendly activities in the centre of Glasgow from 8pm to mark Earth Hour, a global WWF campaign involving millions symbolically switching off their lights for an hour at 8.30pm on Saturday. The two hour showpiece will include glow-in-the dark putting, face-painting, and a fuel-efficient driving simulator - along with an illuminated cycle ride-out to the East End. A display of animal species endangered by climate change will also be projected onto the City Chambers. www.glasgow.gov.uk/earthhour
9 Kilomathon Scotland
Edinburgh, Sunday
The first of two ideas for fitness buffs, this inner-city mass-participation run offers the chance to take part at 13.1K, 6.55K or 2.62K distances. The 6.55K is now full, but the main 13.1K route is a bit of a cracker, starting off at Ocean Terminal in Leith and finishing at Murrayfield Stadium, taking in a good part of part of the North Edinburgh cycle network in the process. Space permitting, you can still enter either this or the junior level 2.62K until 5pm this afternoon (£9-£26). www.kilomathon.com
10 Dunoon Ride and Run
Saturday, starting near Dunoon Harbour
If a plod round the relatively smooth pathways of the capital of sounds a bit too easy, there's also the option of this multi-stager around Argyll Forest Park, combining a 31-mile cycle sportive with a four-stage 9.1 mile run. The emphasis may be more on taking part than triumphing, but the mix of dazzling scenery and undulating terrain could prove to be a real winner for those with the requisite fitness levels. Enter the ride, the run, or both for £15-£28. www.nofussevents.co.uk
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