Gayle's Guide ✨ 24th October 24
Gayle's Guide ✨ 24th October 24
Issue 29 - LOADS of Halloween fun, a parent/baby witch tour, storytelling at the Botanics, a new cargo bike library and much more!
Hope you like Halloween, cos you’re not escaping it this week with this bumper edition of Gayle’s Guide… The absolute cheek of some places in town putting up their c-word decorations already! Stop trying to skip the festival queue, would ye? It’s spooky season and there’s plenty on to get involved so let’s get straight to it!
🌻ASN 🐣Baby 🐤Preschool 🐔Primary
Friday 25th
☕ Kin Cuppa - Stay and Play (0-18m) 09.30-11.00 🐣🆓
📍 Kin Collective, Leith
This isn’t your average, weekly baby group. There are usually some specific themes or topics discussed during the session such as sleep, feeding and parenting tips. This one is Halloween themed get your plush pumpkins at the ready! Siblings are welcome to attend, so great for those like myself who want options when my 4 year old is off nursery. Shame there’s zero chance of me managing to wrangle the kids across to the far side of town for 09.30.
🍿 Toddler Club: Coco (1-5y) 10.45 🐤
📍 The Everyman Cinema, St James Quarter
”Desperate to prove his talent, Miguel finds himself in the stunning and colourful Land of the Dead.” A ticket for this includes a seat for yourself and your little one plus a hot drink and slice of cake. Also showing on Sat 26th at 09.00.
🎻 Recitals for Wrigglers 11.00-11.35 🐣🐤
📍 Stockbridge Parish Church
For the very cultured baby or toddler in your life, here’s a Halloween themed interactive session with live music from a professional violist and cellist. Expect some wonderful music, storytelling and wriggling!
👣 Tours With Tots: Edinburgh's Witches 14.00-15.30 🐣
📍 Meet at the National Museum, Chamber St
I had no idea Tours With Tots existed (thanks Grace!) but what a fantastic thing to do as an alternative to a traditional baby group! Yes, bring your baby, but they’re not the main focus. The tour is for you to better get to know your city and hopefully have something more interesting to say to break the ice with a fellow parent than a half-hearted “how old is yours?” This particular tour is all about honouring the women persecuted as witches during the Scottish witch hunts and telling their stories. A tenuous link to Halloween but surely enough of an excuse to stick the baby's costume on? ✨ Get 10% off using the code GAYLE10 when booking! ✨ (Not an ad, this newsletter is purely reader-supported, just a nice offer from the person running the tours when I reached out for more info!)
🩲 Talk Pants (3-6y) 14.30 🐤🐔🆓
📍 Stockbridge Library
This is a special story time session with Pantosaurus - a friendly dinosaur whose job is to teach children that their bodies are their own to help them to keep safe. Read more on the NSPCC website. No need to book, just drop in. Thanks to library staff for sending this in!
🧱 Friday LEGO Club 14.45-15.45 🆓
📍 Museum of Scottish Fire Heritage, Leith
Know anyone who likes LEGO and fire engines? This group runs monthly on the last Friday.
Saturday 26th
🕷 Beasties and Broomsticks Brunch SAT/SUN 09.00-11.00
📍 Edinburgh Zoo, Corstorphine
A Halloween-themed brunch starting with a visit to the “Wee Beasties” enclosure to learn about the various creepy-crawlies that live there. Personally, I would probably rather eat first. These themed breakfasts at the zoo are expensive but at least you’ll be supporting their conservation work and the kids will hopefully learn some fun bug facts.
⛔ SOLD OUT! Make a Robot! Family-friendly Woodworking 10.00/10.30/11.00/11.30 🆓📍 Tribe Porty, Portobello
This is part of the Edinburgh Tool Library’s 10 year birthday celebrations. woodworking workshop where everyone can make and decorate their own robot out of bits of recycled wood.
👻 Dads Rock Halloween Party 10.00-12.00 🆓
📍 Gorgie Memorial Hall
This one's for all the family, not just dads! The charity will also be hosting their AGM at the same time if you’re wanting to hear more about Dads Rock. Obviously, donations welcome.
✏️ Drop-In and Draw with Edward Ross 10.15-11.45 🆓
📍 Portobello Bookshop
”Drop in and draw session to celebrate the publication of Graphic Novel Builder: The Illustrated Guide to Making Your Own Comics. Portobello-based cartoonist Edward Ross will be leading a fun-filled interactive morning where children are invited to draw and create their own comics.”
🦉 Halloween Shenanigans SAT/SUN 11.00-15.00
📍 Craigmillar Castle
If Craigmillar Castle is one of the places on your “we really should go there at some stage” list, here’s a fantastic opportunity to tick it off while making the most of spooky season. Kids under 7 go free! There will be Halloween stories and songs and also a chance to meet some wee hoolets in the spooky castle setting, courtesy of their Master of Owls… bet that job title isn’t thrown about much by career guidance counsellors!
🏴 Macastory's Caddie Capers (6y+) 11.30
📍Scottish International Storytelling Centre
”Explore the tales of Old Edinburgh with the street caddies Ron and Fergus... they know every close, stairway and door of Auld Reekie, and the stories that wait behind them!”
🦇 Halloween Family Fun Day 12.00-16.00 🆓
📍 Saughton Park (in the Spooky Winter Gardens)
Expect some of the usual Family Fun Day stuff - storytelling, face painting, teddy bear hunt, plus some spooky extras like pumpkin carving and a fancy dress competition.
🎃 Octoberfest 12.30-15.30 🆓
📍 Harrison Park West, Shandon
I was delighted to see posters for this pop up round our local park cos we now have an easy option for an lovely afternoon out, even if we come down with a weekend case of icannotbearseditis. There’s going to be Halloween activities and pumpkins galore but, despite the event name, no mention of beer… No judgement here though if you bring a big bag of cans as a nod to our German friends.
🚲 BANZAI Cargo Bike Library Launch 14.00-17.00 🆓
📍 Bruntsfield Links (just opposite the top of Leamington Terrace)
The folk at Bruntsfield Area Net Zero Action Initiative (excellent acronym there) are celebrating the launch of their new cargo bike library with some Halloween activities, hot drinks, cake and of course, the chance to have a spin on one of their cargo bikes. I can say wholeheartedly that our cargo bike has changed our lives and paints our wonderful city in a whole new light for us. So if you’re even a teeny bit intrigued, pop along and give one a shot. If you’re feeling like a family cycle round town first, there’s a Critical Mass “Spooky Circuit”🆓 at 14.00 on Middle Meadow Walk. We’re massive fans of these bike rides. Everyone keeps little riders to the middle of the pack so it’s really safe and great craic for the whole family.
🎭 Annie - The Musical 14.30
📍 Church Hill Theatre, Morningside
Here’s a wee Saturday matinee of Annie. Need I say more? There’s also evening shows on Friday and Saturday at 19.30.
Sunday 27th
🎃 Carve a Treat 10.00-14.00
📍 Edinburgh Zoo
Learn about how zoo keepers enrich their animals’ environments and then carve a pumpkin (£3.50 a pop) which will be fed to the animals afterwards. You’ll need a zoo ticket or membership on top of the price of the pumpkin.
🖼 Family Print Club (6y+) 10.15 🐔
📍 Edinburgh Printmakers
These sessions are intended for different generations to have fun together while exploring printmaking techniques. This time, they will be inking, cutting and layering shapes to create colourful collages.
👪 Edinburgh Community Network: Colinton Tunnel Walk 11.00-13.00 🆓
📍 Colinton Tunnel
This is an event by Adoption UK aimed specifically at adoptive families, allowing them to meet and connect with others while taking a gentle stroll along Spylaw Park, The Water of Leith and the beautifully painted Colinton Tunnel.
🍄 Botanics Storytelling Day: Story Walks (6y+) 12.00-16.00 🐔🆓
📍 Royal Botanic Gardens, Inverleith
”Magical things happen in the autumn, when leaves fall down, mushrooms pop up, and untold stories are waiting to be foraged.” Part of the Scottish International Storytelling Festival, these are free (ticketed), 20 minute story walks around the beautiful Botanic Gardens. There’s also lots of free, drop-in Wee Stories at the Gazebo 🆓 for all ages, every half hour from 12.00. And it’s the last day of their Halloween Trail.
🎶 Children’s Classic Concerts: Haunted Concert Hall 14.30
📍 Usher Hall
A spooky family concert with classical musicians for anyone looking for a more refined Halloween experience.
🎻 Halloween Family Ceilidh 14.30/15.45 🆓
📍 Bellfield, Portobello
We’ve been to Ceilidh Kids’ family dances a few times and they’re great fun so even better dressed up as a skeleton, surely! The dances are highly simplified so even very young children can keep up but you can definitely still work up a sweat. Aimed at 3-9 year olds but all welcome. Free or by donation, just drop in.
🎷 Family Live Music Adventure (4y+) 15.00 (doors at 14.30) 🐤🐔
📍 The Jazz Bar, Chamber St
What a great idea! A proper live music gig during the day, where your kids are welcome and part of the fun. Get your dancing shoes on for some “kid-sized fun and grown-up tunes”. Expect “Bombastic 50's pop, Country Gospel and Dancefloor Rock n' Roll.”
Monday 28th
🧸 Pop Up Play 09.00-14.00 (0-5y) MON/TUE 🐣🐤🆓
📍 LifeCare Centre, Stockbridge
This cafe has a great free play area for under 5s every Monday and Tuesday with plenty of space for prams. Your baby/toddler gets to play and you can enjoy a well deserved coffee while supporting charity too. Win-win-win!
🧩 Leith Cròileagan 09.15 🐤
📍 Bun-sgoil Taobh na Pàirce, Leith
Gaelic play sessions for young children and their parents on Mondays and Tuesdays. There’s also one in Tollcross on Wednesdays so if you’re able to say a beagan fhacail, keep the language going into the next generation.
🎃 Halloween Parties at Tumbles 16.00-18.00
📍 Tumbles at Portobello
A party at soft play with a disco, games and circus tricks. Also on Wed 30th.
Tuesday 29th
⛔ SOLD OUT! Halloween Play & Discovery Session (0-4y) 10.00-11.00 🐣🐤
📍 Inch Park Sports Club, Gilmerton
Here’s a wee Halloween themed play session for babies and toddlers while the big kids are at school.
🔮 Craft Your Future: Arts & Future Thinking for Parents & Wee Ones 10.30-12.00 🆓
📍 McDonald Road Library, Leith
A workshop run by Edinburgh University to help parents plan for the future while their little ones “have a go at crafting their future selves”, with the help of Art Buds. Thanks to Emily for this.
🎭 Edinburgh Gang Show 2024 19.00
📍 Festival Theatre, Edinburgh
”Over 250 young people from South East Scotland Scouts and Girlguiding Edinburgh will dazzle you with their energetic, show-stopping musical items and hilarious comedy sketches.” Running from the 29th to the 2nd. The show on the 2nd Nov at 14.00 will be audio described and BSL interpreted 🌻
Wednesday 30th
👶 Newborn Parents Meetup: Relax & Connect (0-1m) 10.30🐣🆓
📍 Little Plaza, Leith
A free event for brave souls who are keen to leave the house with their brand new baby and get to a specific location at a specific time. I’m incredibly impressed with any of you even considering this so massive congratulations if you actually make it along without needing to flee back home to deal with a puke, clean up a poonami or just to have a little cry cos you’re just so bloody wrecked. It’s on every other Wednesday so you can always try again in a couple of weeks.
👻 Halloween Parties at Tumbles 16.00-18.00
📍 Tumbles at Portobello
Again, a party at soft play with a disco, games and circus tricks. Also on Mon 28th.
⛔ SOLD OUT Halloween Howler 17.00-19.00 🆓📍 IKEA, Straiton
Facepainting, crafts and games plus a frankly, actually hellish sounding trail to find hidden mushrooms around the shop. Seems like a pretty swift way to misplace your children.
Thursday 31st
🍄 Spooky Fungi - Fungi Halloween 12.00-15.00 🆓
📍 Granton Castle Walled Garden
I couldn’t find any information as to what exactly this event is apart from being Halloween themed and run by a mushroom social enterprise. Another phrase going in my Things-I-Never-Thought-I’d-Type log. I’d love to hear from anyone who goes!
🎃 Halloween Parties at Clambers 16.00-18.00
📍 Clambers at The Royal Commonwealth Pool
Yet another soft play Halloween party.
🔪 Higgs Halloween - A Bloody Good Crime (10+) 17.30-18.30 🐔🆓
📍 UoE Medical School, Teviot Place
Professor Dave Fairhurst from the University of Edinburgh will talk about the physics of blood to help solve a murder mystery in the spookiest room on campus. Kids are encouraged to dress up and bring a science joke. There will be prizes for the best ones! - Thanks to Tyler for sending this in!
🔥 Samhuinn Fire Festival 18.45-22.00
📍 Holyrood Park
A bit late for a school night but there is no denying the incredible spectacle that is Samhuinn so you may want to make an exception! Plenty of kids attend this pagan festival but parental discretion is advised as it's certainly not tame. Expect disinhibited behaviour, drumming, painted boobs and lots and lots of fire!
✨ Gayle’s Guide will always be free! But here’s an extra week to say thanks to my paid subscribers. Everyone will see these events next week and whatever else I find along the way though so no panic if you don’t fancy upgrading.
