FEBRUARY 2008 EVENT LISTINGS
FESTIVALS
Spirit - A Chinese Spring Lantern
Festival
Fri 22 Feb - Sun 9 Mar
6.30 pm
- 8.30 pm, (Thursday – Sunday only)
Glasshouses, entrance via North Gate
on Inverleith Place.
Take an exquisite, illuminated
journey through the magnificent Glasshouses of the Botanics and be part of Scotland’s first
ever Chinese Spring Lantern Festival. Produced in association with NVA, Scotland’s
leading environmental arts organisation, Spirit is an entrancing
celebration of the magical form of lanterns and the beauty of Chinese plants.
Tickets available at www.rbge.org.uk/spirit or call Hub Tickets on 0131 473 2000.
Ticket price: Adults £6; Children
£4, Families £16 (suitable for all ages)
Tickets also available on the door,
subject to availability.
Scottish Snowdrop Festival
Fri 1 Feb - Sun 16 Mar
The Scottish Snowdrop Festival, in
association with VisitScotland and over 60 of the very best gardens across the
country is back for Winter! Visit RBGE’s collection of specialist snowdrops and
marvel at these wonderful little gems in the clarity of light that winter
brings to Scotland.
EXHIBITIONS
Images of the Garden X
SAT 29 JAN – SUN 16 MAR
10.00 am to
3.45 pm (January) 4.45pm (Feb – March), Exhibition Hall, free.
The tenth anniversary, annual exhibition of art
by students and tutors of the RBGE adult education programme. Including
botanical and landscape painting, photography and sculpture.
Nick Evans - Primary School
16 Feb - Sun 20 Apr
10.00
am - 5.30 pm (Tuesday – Sunday), Inverleith House, Royal
Botanic Garden Edinburgh, free. Call 0131 248 2983 or visit www.rbge.org.uk/inverleith-house for more information.
New sculpture in ceramic, plaster
and unique aluminium casts, in the artist's first showing in a public gallery
since his residency at Tate St. Ives, in 2006.
Tony Swain - Impure Passports
16 Feb - Sun 20 Apr
10.00
am - 5.30 pm (Tuesday – Sunday), Inverleith House, Royal
Botanic Garden Edinburgh, free. Call 0131 248 2983 or visit www.rbge.org.uk/inverleith-house for more information.
New drawings made for Inverleith
House by one of the artists chosen to represent Scotland at the
2007 Venice Biennale; the works in acrylic on newspaper have a dreamlike,
surreal quality and have been installed by the artist throughout the
first-floor.
Neville Rae - A Town For Tomorrow
16 Feb - Sun 20 Apr
10.00
am - 5.30 pm (Tuesday – Sunday), Inverleith House, Royal
Botanic Garden Edinburgh, free. Call 0131 248 2983 or visit www.rbge.org.uk/inverleith-house for more information.
Using the maquettes and graphic work
of Brian Miller – Cumbernauld’s first town artist in the 60s and 70s, this
recent Glasgow School of Art graduate explores the regeneration of public
spaces through art, in an exhibition of new work.
Hard Rain – Remaking a World Gone Wrong
Until 3 Feb
10.00
am – 4.00pm daily, Fossil Garden, free.
Stunning, soul-searching images from
around the globe reflecting mankind’s destructive impact on our planet,
inspired by Bob Dylan’s potent lyrics. Displayed as a giant outdoor banner that
should challenge us all. What’ll you do now?
Snowdrops in the Frame
1 – 29 Feb
10am –
4.30pm (Monday – Friday only), RBGE Library Foyer, 20a
Inverleith Row, free.
On public display for the very first time,
see a fascinating display of beautiful 18th and 19th century snowdrop
illustrations from the RBGE archives, complemented by stunning photography from
RBGE’s in-house photographer, Lynsey Muir.
Part of the Scottish Snowdrop Festival.
FAMILY EVENTS
Art-tastic - Chinese New Year
SUN 3 FEB
12 noon - 3.00 pm, Exhibition Hall, free, all ages, drop in. Call 0131 248 2968 for more information.
Create a paper
wall-hanging of painted blossoms printed with your own seal. Experience the sights and tastes of Chinese
New Year - blooming flowers for rebirth and new growth and oranges and
tangerines for abundant happiness.
Sunday Science - Fun and Games
SUN 10 FEB
12 noon - 3.00 pm, Exhibition Hall, free, 5+, drop in. Call 0131 248 2968 for more information.
Play games and
learn about how plants can be identified, how they reproduce and how they
survive some of the perils they face.
Talking Trees
SUN 17 FEB
2.00 pm - 3.00 pm, Exhibition Hall, free, 5+, drop in. Call 0131 248 2968 for more information.
Come in from the
cold, and let the Talking Trees transport you to another place with their
stories of far away and long ago.
Real Life Science - Outrageous Orchids
SAT 23 FEB
12 noon - 3.00 pm, Exhibition Hall, free, 8+, drop in. Call 0131 248 2968 for more information.
Many orchids can be
grown as house plants, but as a group they are extremely diverse. See a
selection of plants and find out about the orchid's lifecycle and their crucial
partnership with fungi.
WALKS & TALKS
Come In From the Cold
SAT 5 FEB
11.00
am, meet at the Temperate Palm House, £4.00, booking advisable
on 0131 248 2937.
Enjoy a February walk through the
glasshouses. No rain in here, just the drips from tropical vegetation. See and
hear about plants collected from far and wide.
MARCH 2008 EVENT LISTINGS
FESTIVALS
Spirit - A Chinese Spring Lantern
Festival
Fri 22 Feb - Sun 9 Mar
6.30 pm
- 8.30 pm, (Thursday – Sunday only)
Glasshouses, entrance via North Gate
on Inverleith Place.
Take an exquisite, illuminated
journey through the magnificent Glasshouses of the Botanics and be part of Scotland’s first
ever Chinese Spring Lantern Festival. Produced in association with NVA, Scotland’s
leading environmental arts organisation, Spirit is an entrancing
celebration of the magical form of lanterns and the beauty of Chinese plants.
Tickets available at www.rbge.org.uk/spirit or call Hub Tickets on 0131 473 2000.
Ticket price: Adults £6; Children
£4, Families £16 (suitable for all ages)
Tickets also available on the door,
subject to availability.
Scottish Snowdrop Festival
Fri 1 Feb - Sun 16 Mar
Visit
www.visitscotland.com/snowdrops for more information.
The Scottish Snowdrop Festival, in
association with VisitScotland and over 60 of the very best gardens across the
country is back for Winter! Visit RBGE’s collection of specialist snowdrops and
marvel at these wonderful little gems in the clarity of light that winter
brings to Scotland.
EXHIBITIONS
Images of the Garden X
Until Sun 16 Mar
10.00
am – 4.45 pm, RBGE Exhibition Hall, free.
The tenth anniversary, annual
exhibition of art by students and tutors of the RBGE adult education programme.
Including botanical and landscape painting, photography and sculpture.
A Mini-Retrospective - paintings by Eona Aiken
Mon 3 - Thu 27 Mar
10.00
am - 4.30 pm (Monday – Friday), RBGE Library Foyer, 20A
Inverleith Row, free.
Since 1986 Eona has been working as
an assistant in the RBGE Herbarium, while trying to continue her career as a
contemporary artist. This mini-retrospective will show a selection of her
paintings during this time.
Nick Evans - Primary School
Until Sun 20 Apr
10.00
am - 5.30 pm (Tuesday – Sunday), Inverleith House, Royal
Botanic Garden Edinburgh, free. Call 0131 248 2983 or visit www.rbge.org.uk/inverleith-house for more information.
New sculpture in ceramic, plaster
and unique aluminium casts, in the artist's first showing in a public gallery
since his residency at Tate St. Ives, in 2006.
Tony Swain - Impure Passports
Until Sun 20 Apr
10.00
am - 5.30 pm (Tuesday – Sunday), Inverleith House, Royal
Botanic Garden Edinburgh, free. Call 0131 248 2983 or visit www.rbge.org.uk/inverleith-house for more information.
New drawings made for Inverleith
House by one of the artists chosen to represent Scotland at the
2007 Venice Biennale; the works in acrylic on newspaper have a dreamlike,
surreal quality and have been installed by the artist throughout the
first-floor.
Neville Rae - A Town For Tomorrow
Until Sun 20 Apr
10.00
am - 5.30 pm (Tuesday – Sunday), Inverleith House, Royal
Botanic Garden Edinburgh, free. Call 0131 248 2983 or visit www.rbge.org.uk/inverleith-house for more information.
Using the maquettes and graphic work
of Brian Miller – Cumbernauld’s first town artist in the 60s and 70s, this
recent Glasgow School of Art graduate explores the regeneration of public
spaces through art, in an exhibition of new work.
FAMILY EVENTS
Art-tastic - Easter Nests!
Sun 2 Mar
12.00 noon - 4.00 pm (drop-in), RBGE
Exhibition Hall, free, suitable for all ages
Come and have a go at weaving with
scrap and natural materials to make a bird’s nest for Easter eggs. You can take
your inspiration from some of the amazing nests made by birds around the world.
The Lost Happy Endings
Thu 6 - Fri 7 Mar
6.30 pm
– 7.45 pm
Suitable for all ages, £5 (free for
under 12s). Advance ticket sales only, tickets available from the Botanics Shop
at the East Gate.
A magical and musical promenade adventure
through the Botanics, based on the children’s book by Carol Ann Duffy.
Performed by Craigroyston Primary, Victoria Primary, and
students from the University of Edinburgh’s Music in the
Community degree.
Produced by Botanic Productions and the University of Edinburgh.
Composer – Dee Isaacs: Director – Roxana Pope: Designer – Iulian Furtuna:
Lighting Designer – Sergey Jakovsky: Choreographer – Antje Schur.
Sunday Science - Rainforest Discovery Day
Sun 9 Mar
12.00 noon - 4.00 pm (drop-in), RBGE
Exhibition Hall, free, 5+.
What makes rainforests special? Come
and handle objects from the forest and go on a short tour of our rainforest
under glass. Session will include art activities.
Astro Fun
Sat 15 Mar
1.00 pm
- 4.00 pm, RBGE Lecture Theatre.
Booking essential. Tickets available
online at www.visitscotland.com/snowdrops. Tickets are sold for timed sessions at 1pm, 1.45pm, 3.15pm and 4pm. Adults £5.50, children £2.50,
tickets include a complimentary star chart.
Treat you and your family to an
enchanting afternoon of astro fun combining indoor and outdoor cosmic
activities for young and old, including Starlab planetarium shows,
comet-making, rocket launching and rocks from space.
Stargazing and Astro Fun
Sat 15 Mar
7.00 pm
- 9.00 pm, RBGE Lecture Theatre.
Booking essential. Tickets available
online at www.visitscotland.com/snowdrops. Adults £7.50, children £3.50, ticket includes
a complimentary star chart.
Join us for an energizing evening of
stargazing and astro fun: a chance to cosy up with a loved one, uncover the
mysteries of the night sky or enjoy a more unusual evening of entertainment
with family or friends.
Talking Trees Storytelling
Sun 16 Mar
2.00 pm
- 3.00 pm, RBGE Exhibition Hall, free, 5+.
Spring is sprung. Join the Talking
Trees Storytellers for stories of all things new and green and springy as the
new season arrives.
Real Life Science - Britain's Rainforest
Sat 22 Mar
12.00 noon - 3.00 pm (drop-in), RBGE
Exhibition Hall, free, 8+.
Did you know that Scotland has its
very own native temperate rainforest? Come and enter the microscopic world of
the mosses and lichens that are found in this rare forest habitat. With Dr Max
Coleman, RBGE.
Homes for Wildlife Roadshow
Sat 22 Mar
10.00 am
- 4.00 pm, meet at RBGE North Gate, Inverleith
Place, free, suitable for all ages.
Observe the new bird feeding station
at the Botanics and find out what you can do in your own garden to encourage
wildlife as part of the Homes for Wildlife campaign. With RSPB.
Homes for Wildlife
Sun 23 Mar
10.00 am
- 4.00 pm, meet at RBGE North Gate, Inverleith
Place North, free, suitable
for all ages.
Observe the new bird feeding station
at the Botanics and find out what you can do in your own garden to encourage
wildlife as part of the Homes for Wildlife campaign. With RSPB.
The Caley Spring Flower Show
Sat 29 - Sun 30 Mar
11.00 am
- 5.30 pm, Caledonian Hall, £1.50 (students and
children free), tickets for sale at door.
This annual show organised by the
Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society promises breathtaking exhibits plus the
chance to buy top quality plants from specialist nurseries.
Plastics R Fantastic
Sat 29 - Sun 30 Mar
10.00 am
- 5.00 pm, RBGE Exhibition Hall, free, 5+, drop-in.
Plastics R Fantastic transforms
plastic bottles into flowers, windmills, birdfeeders and rockets.
With Sustainable Communities
Initiatives.
Part of the Edinburgh International Science Festival.
Compost In A Bottle
Sat 29 Mar
11.00 am - 12.00 noon, RBGE Exhibition
Hall, free, suitable for all ages, sign up on the day.
What, exactly, happens inside a
compost bin? Make your own compost in a plastic bottle and find out! With WRAP.
Part of the Edinburgh International Science Festival.
Powerpod Workshop
Sat 29 Mar
2.00 pm
– 2.45 pm, RBGE Exhibition Hall, free, 8+, sign up
on the day.
Games and activities to help you
find out more about climate change and alternative energy. Run by young people
for young people. With Edinburgh Woodcraft Folk.
Part of the Edinburgh International Science Festival.
Natural Recyclers
Sat 29 Mar
10.00 am
- 5.00 pm, RBGE Exhibition Hall, free, 5+, drop-in.
Re-use and recycle by making bird
feeders from plastic bottles and animal masks from natural materials. With The
Green Team.
Part of the Edinburgh International Science Festival.
One Planet Agriculture
Sat 29 - Mon 31 Mar
10.00 am
- 5.00 pm, RBGE Exhibition Hall, free, 3+, drop-in.
The ‘One Planet Agriculture’ stand
will look at why local, organic food is climate-friendly food. Children can
create animals, flowers and insects to bring our farm frieze to life; and there
will be a prize draw quiz for adults. With the Scottish Soil Association.
Part of the Edinburgh International Science Festival.
Food For Life
Sat 29 - Mon 31 Mar
10.00 am
- 5.00 pm, RBGE Exhibition Hall, free, suitable for
all ages, drop-in.
Quizzes, hands-on experiments, food
facts and fun. It's all about food and
its pivotal role in creating a sustainable, healthy Scotland for
people like you! With the Rowett Research Institute.
Part of the Edinburgh International Science Festival.
Composting Creatures
Sat 29 - Mon 31 Mar
10.00 am
- 5.00 pm, RBGE Exhibition Hall, free, 5+, drop-in.
See wiggly worms up close and
discover the exciting creatures that convert rubbish to lovely compost! With
WRAP.
Part of the Edinburgh International Science Festival.
Sustrans Science Cycle
Sat 29 - Mon 31 Mar
10.00 am
- 5.00 pm, RBGE Exhibition Hall, free, 8+, drop-in.
Visit our interactive stall where
both kids and adults can learn about Active Travel, the National Cycle Network
and the positive effects of Sustainable Transport on their health and the
environment. With Sustrans.
Part of the Edinburgh International Science Festival.
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Sat 29 - Mon 31 Mar
10.00 am
- 5.00 pm, RBGE Exhibition Hall, free, suitable for
all ages, drop-in.
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle (RRR)
activities for all ages: discover composting mini-beasts, have a go at our
recycling challenges, waste journey activities and RRR quizzes, visit the
information stall and take home some recycled goodies! With Waste Aware Edinburgh.
Part of the Edinburgh International Science Festival.
Wildlife In A Warmer World
Sat 29 - Mon 31 Mar
10.00 am
- 5.00 pm, RBGE Exhibition Hall, free, 8+, drop-in.
A chance, through games and
activities, to see how climate change might affect our wildlife and find out
what we can do about it. With RSPB Scotland.
Part of the Edinburgh International Science Festival.
Powerpod - Renewable Energy In A Box
Sat 29 Mar - Fri 4 Apr
10.00 am
- 5.00 pm, RBGE Exhibition Hall, free, suitable for
all ages, drop-in.
A trailer built to demonstrate the
use of renewable energy. Designed by teenagers for teenagers to inform them
about climate change and the use of alternative energy sources. Demos and
hands-on exhibits for all ages. Adults especially encouraged. With Edinburgh Woodcraft Folk.
Part of the Edinburgh International Science Festival.
Carboniferous Footprints
Sat 29 Mar
12.00 noon - 1.00 pm and 4.00 pm – 5.00 pm, meet at the RBGE Exhibition
Hall, free, 8+, sign up on the day.
A tour back in time over 300 million
years to The Botanics’ most ancient habitat. Find out how giant insects and
millipedes survived in the climate of the Carboniferous period, and how the
plants they ate changed our climate forever. With Dr Greg Kenicer, RBGE.
Part of the Edinburgh International Science Festival.
Songs @ Sunrise
Sat 29 Mar
6.30 am - 8.30 am, meet at the RBGE East
Gate, Inverleith Row, £8 (£6 concessions), 12+, advance booking essential on
0131 524 9830 or www.sciencefestival.co.uk.
Enjoy the music of the RBGE dawn
chorus and hone your bird identification skills with an RSPB expert, plus some
unusual and scented plants and trees. You bring binoculars and we provide
breakfast!
Part of the Edinburgh International Science Festival.
Better by Miles
Sat 29 Mar
1.00 pm
- 1.30 pm, RBGE Exhibition Hall, free, 5+, no
booking required.
Help TV Producer Miles Seyvin and
television's latest discovery the Fresh Chef produce a pilot TV series of
imaginative, nutritional, tasty family meals on zero air miles! Show developed
by the Rowett Research Institute and performed in association with Live Wire
Productions.
Part of the Edinburgh International Science Festival.
Plants that Changed the Planet
Sat 29 Mar
3.00 pm
- 3.30 pm, RBGE Exhibition Hall, free, 5+.
Around 300 million years ago, before
the time of the true dinosaurs, Scotland had a
steamy tropical climate. Discover how the swamp forest of the time changed the
climate forever. With Dr Greg Kenicer, RBGE.
Part of the Edinburgh International Science Festival.
Compost In A Bottle
Sun 30 Mar
11.00 am - 12.00 noon, RBGE Exhibition
Hall, free, suitable for all ages, sign up on the day.
What, exactly, happens inside a
compost bin? Make your own compost in a plastic bottle and find out! With WRAP.
Part of the Edinburgh International Science Festival.
Powerpod Workshop
Sun 30 Mar
4.00 pm
- 4:45 pm, RBGE Exhibition Hall, free, 8+, sign up
on the day.
Games and activities to help you
find out more about climate change and alternative energy. Run by young people
for young people. With Edinburgh Woodcraft Folk.
Part of the Edinburgh International Science Festival.
Art-Tastic
Sun 30 Mar - Wed 2 Apr
10.00 am
- 5.00 pm, RBGE Exhibition Hall, free, suitable for
all ages, drop-in.
Come and create a Climate Change
Collage with environmental arts crew Alchemy Arts! Add your ideas and questions
in a fun and creative way. You can also have a go at making a funky draught
excluder and a stylish gift bag. With Alchemy Arts.
Part of the Edinburgh International Science Festival.
Carboniferous Footprints
Sun 30 Mar
11.00 am - 12.00 noon and 2.00pm – 3.00pm, meet at the RBGE Exhibition
Hall, free, 8+, sign up on the day.
A tour back in time over 300 million
years to The Botanics’ most ancient habitat. Find out how giant insects and
millipedes survived in the climate of the Carboniferous period, and how the
plants they ate changed our climate forever. With Dr Greg Kenicer, RBGE.
Part of the Edinburgh International Science Festival.
Making Perfect Compost
Sun 30 Mar
12.00 noon - 1.00 pm, RBGE Exhibition
Hall, free, sign up on the day.
Want prize-winning carrots or
staggering sunflowers? Learn from the experts how to make the best compost
possible. With WRAP.
Part of the Edinburgh International Science Festival.
Plants that Changed the Planet
Sun 30 Mar
3.00 pm
- 3.30 pm, RBGE Exhibition Hall, free, 5+.
Around 300 million years ago, before
the time of the true dinosaurs, Scotland had a
steamy tropical climate. Discover how the swamp forest of the time changed the
climate forever. With Dr Greg Kenicer, RBGE.
Part of the Edinburgh International Science Festival.
Flower Power
Sun 30 Mar
1.00 pm
- 1.30 pm, RBGE Exhibition Hall, free, 5+.
Plants harness energy from sunlight
to make food. Find out why this process, called photosynthesis, is so important
and meet the pigments involved in an experiment to compare plants from sun and
shade. With Dr Max Coleman, RBGE.
Part of the Edinburgh International Science Festival.
Talking Trees Storytelling
Mon 31 Mar
12.00 noon - 1.00 pm, RBGE Exhibition
Hall, free, 5+, turn up on the day.
The Talking Trees are at the Science
Festival with a special set of stories to delight and entertain!
Part of the Edinburgh International Science Festival.
Making Perfect Compost
Mon 31 Mar
4.00 pm
- 5.00 pm, RBGE Exhibition Hall, free, 12+, sign up
on the day.
Want prize-winning carrots or
staggering sunflowers? Learn from the experts how to make the best compost
possible. With WRAP.
Part of the Edinburgh International Science Festival.
The Renewable Energy Roadshow
Mon 31 Mar
2.00 pm
- 2:45 pm, RBGE Exhibition Hall, free, 12+, sign up
on the day.
What Happens When The Lights Go Out?
Problem solving scenarios using renewable energies.
With the University of Edinburgh.
Part of the Edinburgh International Science Festival.
Scottish Puffins in Trouble
Mon 31 Mar
1.00 pm
- 1.30 pm, RBGE Exhibition Hall, free, 5+.
Puffins are being pushed off nearby
Scottish islands by a tall Mediterranean plant. Learn more about how climate
warming has allowed an alien plant to take over seabird islands and how local
people are fighting back to help breeding seabirds. With Dr Rene van der Wal,
Aberdeen Centre for Environmental Sustainability.
Part of the Edinburgh International Science Festival.
"Wonder Foods" - Fact or Hype?
Mon 31 Mar
3.00 pm
- 3.30 pm, RBGE Exhibition Hall, free, 8+.
Professor Garry Duthie, a world
expert on plant compounds and disease prevention, will give some fascinating
insights into the truth behind the hype of so-called 'wonder foods'. With the
Rowett Institute.
Part of the Edinburgh International Science Festival.
WALKS AND TALKS
Experience Spring: Emerging Plants and Fresh Vistas
Thu 6 Mar
11.30
am, meet at the RBGE North Gate, Inverleith
Place, Tickets £4, booking advisable on
0131 248 2968.
Walk through the Garden in the
company of a Garden Guide and listen to the stories behind the plant
collection.
Mindful Peace Walk
Sun 9 Mar
9.00 am
- 10.30 am, from the RBGE East Gate, Inverleith Row,
free, no booking required. Contact Neill Walker at [email protected] or on 0131 331
4469 for details.
This silent walking meditation is an
open event. It will be led by members of the Edinburgh Sangha of the Community
of Interbeing, who follow the practice and teachings of Zen Buddhist Master.
Lecture by Dr Lawrence Dritsas: Sir John Kirk and Botanical Collecting
in Africa
Thu 13 Mar
7.30 pm, RBGE Lecture
Theatre, 20A Inverleith Row, £7. Call the RBGE Membership Office on 0131 552
5339 for further information and tickets.
Sir John Kirk was a Scottish
physician, naturalist, companion to explorer David Livingstone and British
administrator in Zanzibar. He
sent numerous specimens back to Kew Botanic Gardens.
Garden Guides Daily Morning Tours
Sat 29 Mar - Tue 30 Sep
11.00
am - 12.00 noon, from
East Gate, £3, no advance booking necessary. Tickets can be bought at the Botanics Shop, Palm House Reception Desk or
East and North Gates.
To make sure you see the best of the
Botanics, why not take a tour with one of our experienced Guides?
Garden Guides Daily Afternoon Tours
Sat 29 Mar - Tue 30 Sep
2.00 pm
– 3.00pm, from East Gate, £3, no advance booking necessary.
Tickets can be bought at the Botanics Shop, Palm House Reception Desk or East
and North Gates.
To make sure you see the best of the
Botanics, why not take a tour with one of our experienced Guides?
Royal Botanic
Garden Edinburgh
Inverleith Row
Edinburgh
EH3 5LR
Tel: 0131 552 7171
Open daily 10am – 6pm. Free admission.
Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
Inverleith Row
Edinburgh
EH3 5LR
Tel: 0131 552 7171
Open daily 10am – 4pm. Free admission.
- Log in to post comments