Free stuff

The launch of a brilliant new comedy night, Prize Comedy, at The Constitution bar in Leith.
 
Stand-up comedy and the chance to win free stuff with:

The Canal Cycle Ride 2012 Take your bike out!  Enjoy the beautiful tow paths along the canals from Glasgow to Edinburgh!  Support Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland!

At midnight on 31st December the clocks strike twelve and fireworks explode out of Edinburgh Castle to mark the start of a brand new year. Thousands gather below the castle, many at the Edinburgh's Hogmanay Street Party on Princes Street, for this annual display which can be seen from vantage points across the city.

The town of St Andrews in Fife's annual St Andrew's Day festival spans several days with concerts, ceilidhs, and other events.

A new exhibition opening tomorrow at the City Art Centre will be showcasing the work of 22 local artists, makers, and creators who have been supported by the Visu

Borrowing from the traditional Orkney Ba' on New Year's Day, various venues in Edinburgh's Old Town will see two teams of Uppies and Doonies compete in four sets of

Vue Cinemas are to screen for one night only 'Lee Evans - Roadrunner - Live At The 02' in 3D as a world first for a stand-up comedian on Sunday 27th November at 69 sites across the UK and Ireland.<

Following on from Edinburgh's Christmas Light Night on the Mound, St Giles is the scene of this festive Christmas Carol Service marking Scotland&r

Edinburgh's Christmas 2011 season gets going today at 10am, with the turning of the large ferris wheel known as the Edinburgh Wheel, and the traditional  switching on of Christmas lights this evening. The lighting-up ceremony is centred on the iconic Norwegian Christmas tree on The Mound (one of a number of Edinburgh Christmas Light Nights around town).

Edinburgh Castle, Edinburgh's foremost paid visitor attraction, opens its doors for free as part of the annual St Andrews Day celebrations.

Shoppers of the world are being asked to put down their carrier bags on what is traditionally one of the busiest shopping weekends of the year, put up their feet and/or do something fun and free for the  annual Buy Nothing Day.

The National Galleries of Scotland today announced upcoming exhibitions for 2012, including the first exhibition in the newly revamped National Portrait Gallery which opens to the public on 1st December.

"Previously…Scotland’s History Festival" will take place from 17 November until St Andrews Day on November 30. Plugging the gap between the end of Edinburgh’s summer festivals and the start of the winter festivities, history fans from across the globe are invited to Edinburgh for an impressive choice of over 200 events and a celebration of Scotland’s colourful history.

Looking for unique Christmas gifts this year?

Friends of the Earth Scotland is holding a Craft Fair on Saturday 12 November 2011. 

Other countries go crazy at Halloween. In Britain, not just Edinburgh, Bonfire Night, also known as Guy Fawkes Night, is marked with fiery celebrations across the land.

The Beltane Fire Society - best known for the Beltane Fire Festival on Calton Hill - bring their unique brand of neo-pagan street theatre, pulsating drums, and fire displays to the Royal Mile to mark Samhuinn from 9pm-11pm, which literally means "the end of Summer". The free spectacle is followed by the Samhuinn after party at the Bongo Club (11pm-3am).

Professor Yasir Suleiman CBE FRSE
Professor of Modern Arabic Studies, University of Cambridge

A stunning FREE concert given by the 75 piece Hochsauerlandkreis Symphony Orchestra at St Giles Cathedral on Tuesday October 25th at 12 noon and Canongate Kirk on Thursday October 27th at 7.30pm .

The Waste Education Cabin at Seafield Community Recycling Centre will be open from 11am to 3pm on Monday 17 October.

It started with Adusters magazine's poster, inspired by the Arab Spring, suggesting that Americans Occupy Wall Street on 17th September. "Bring tent" said the poster. They did, in huge numbers. And they stayed. Surprising media commentators and the authorities, the movement continues to grow globally.