Special Days

Meet Edinburgh Zoo’s animal experts and learn all about all the exciting new species arrivals and births across 2011.

Join us as we celebrate our Giant Pandas and all the Chinese animals at Edinburgh zoo. Enjoy activities for children and adults.

On Sunday 22nd January the Gothenburg Tavern in Prestonpans will be holding another Family Burns Storytelling Ceilidh.

St. Andrew's Day commemorates Scotland's patron saint and is a Scottish Bank Holiday, although employers are not obliged to give employees time off. St. Andrew's Day is marked on 30th November every year. If that date is on the weekend, the St. Andrew's Day Bank Holiday takes place on the following Monday 1st or 2nd December.

Edinburgh will join the rest of the world in observing Remembrance Day this weekend - a commemoration of the sacrifices of members of the armed forces and of civilians in times of war.

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.

Remembrance Day, also known as Armistice Day or Poppy Day, commemorates the sacrifices of members of the armed forces and of civilians in times of war.

Remembrance Day, also known as Armistice Day or Poppy Day, commemorates the sacrifices of members of the armed forces and of civilians in times of war. Two minutes of silence is marked on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, which is the anniversary of the ending of the First World War in 1918 between the Allies and Germany.

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).

Buildings, many off-bounds to the general public during the rest of the year, throw open their doors, and gates for the annual Doors Open Day. Doors Open Day has taken place each year, since 1

See monster trucks, vintage vehicles and Concorde. Classic cars, motorbikes, fire engines and traction engines are among the mechanical wonders on show.

Edinburgh’s Grassmarket will be transformed into a giant children’s play area today (3 August) to mark national Playday.

Edinburgh, as host city for Armed Forces Day in 2011, holds a three-day programme to salute the Armed Forces.

Good times down on Leith Links as the Leith Festival Gala Day - the highlight of the festival - takes place on Leith Links.

The union of Prince William and Catherine Middleton is being marked across the UK by a national holiday. The Nationalist Scottish Government announced, on 23 November, that Scotland would mark the  public holiday too (see First Minister Alex Salmond's statement).

With the nights drawing in, clocks go back an hour as British Summer Time (BST) officially draws to a close. British Summer Time starts on the last Sunday in March (27th March in 2011) and ends on the last Sunday in October (today).

Earth Hour began in Sydney in 2007, when 2.2 million homes and businesses switched off their lights for one hour. In 2008 the message had grown into a global sustainability movement, with 50 million people switching off their lights. Global landmarks such as the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, Rome's Colosseum, the Sydney Opera House and the Coca Cola billboard in Times Square all stood in darkness.

Pubs around Edinburgh pipe out copious amounts of the black stuff and paint the town green to mark the national day for Ireland's patron saint St Patrick.

The Edinburgh Interfaith Association is the lead organiser for this year’s joint Scottish National and City of Edinburgh Holocaust Memorial Day Commemoration event which will be held at Craig