10 THINGS TO SEE AT EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

It's been a pretty intense year working in festivals and events. We started talking about what the 2021 Edinburgh International Film Festival might look like way back in Autumn 2020, when we were just about to go into another lockdown, no one was vaccinated, and the idea of organising anything where people gathered (!) indoors (!) just felt pretty impossible.

But, bit by bit, we started to plan and think about what the Film Festival could look like if we brought it back to basics (one indoor venue, one outdoor venue, a whole lot of great films), focusing on a simple model which celebrated the return of cinema, and kept things as safe as possible.

And we did it! The 74th Edinburgh International Film Festival launched its programme last week and (yes, I am totally biased), it is great! This year's Festival runs 18-25 August, and is a hybrid event of in-person and digital screenings, with 31 premiere feature films and 73 shorts, and 50% of the new films are directed or co-directed by women! We've even managed to sneak in a couple of very fancy galas at Festival Theatre too!

It's also going to be my last Film Festival, as I'm off somewhere new in September (but we'll chat about that later).

So, here's my top 10 picks! Tickets are moving pretty quickly with a few things already sold out, so if anything catches your eye, I'd recommend booking as soon as you can.

1. Pig This year EIFF's opening with the new Nicolas Cage film, where he stars as a reclusive truffle hunter whose beloved truffle-finding pig goes missing. Nicolas Cage is meant to be incredible in this, as he goes on a journey to track down the pignappers. It'll be screening in the very fancy Festival Theatre!

2. Everybody's Talking About Jamie A special preview of the movie based on the West End musical, based on the documentary following the real life story of Jamie - a teenager who overcomes prejudices to fulfil his ambition to become a fierce and fearless drag queen. Such a feel-good film, great songs, and actual real-life Jamie will be there, so I think it's going to be a really special event.

3. Film Fest in the City EIFF's outdoor screenings are back, and this time they are running for seven days from 19-25 August in St Andrew Square. A few films are sold out already, but there's loads on including the original Star Wars trilogy, Clueless, Hunt for the Wilderpeople, and the Rocky Horror Picture Show! Plus it's all free!

4. Prince of Muck A beautiful documentary about the Laird of the Isle of Muck - Scotland's smallest inhabited island! The location is incredible, and it's just such a moving reflection on heritage, tradition, family, and getting older. The director will be in town for an in-person Q&A too! 

5. EIFF Youth I'm a big fan of our EIFF Youth programme, which is all about inspiring and helping young people get into film and the film industry! This year the programme is a mix of screenings, watch-parties and online events, helping you get into film and tv, film journalism, and much more! (plus, as it's online, it's open to anyone - whether you're officially a youth or not!). The schedule can be seen here and online events will be on EIFF's Youtube channel.

6. Annette Straight out of opening Cannes, who doesn't want to watch Adam Driver and Marion Cotillard in a sexy, edgy rock opera? 

7. Mad God During the planning process for EIFF, I felt very smug that I was filmy enough to recognise the name of director Phil Tippett, until I realised I recognised him from the Jurassic Park meme. He's a ground-breaking Oscar and Emmy-winning visual effects director and supervisor who has worked on incredible things - Jurassic Park! Star Wars! Indiana Jones! Robocop! - and he's worked on this film for 30 years. 

8. The Night House I love a creepy psychological thriller, and this looks great. Rebecca Hall stars as Beth, a woman living alone in an idyllic and isolated lakeside house, reeling from the unexpected death of her husband. Things get spooky, she starts looking into his past, it turns out things are not how they seemed to be! 

9. Fathom Another beautiful documentary, this time about the study of humpback whales: their song, their culture and how they communicate (did you know that the systems that process emotions are more complex in whale brains, than in humans? That they are one of the oldest cultures in the world? That they carry songs around the world? Ahhh, I love it!). This screening will be accompanied by a discussion with Dr Ellen Garland from the film.

10. EIFF Fan Club Finally, we've got one last surprise in store! The programme will be announced just before EIFF starts on 18 August, but the EIFF Fan Club will be pairing some very cool Scottish cultural folk with some of their favourite film stars. A new Fan Club event will be available every day of the festival on Youtube. 

In-person events? Who would have thought it! See you there!

10 THINGS TO DO AT EDINBURGH SCIENCE FESTIVAL

 Can you believe that we are actually allowed to go to things again? Since my last slightly-nervous-about-everything post, I'm starting to feel a bit more relaxed about the return to normal life. I'm still being pretty cautious, but the idea of doing things with other people isn't the big stress it was for a while.

So on that note, it's very exciting that this year's Science Festival is just around the corner! This year's Festival (running 26 June - 11 July) is themed around how science connects us - from how we've relied on technology to keep us connected in the last year, to the scientific breakthroughs that have guided us through the pandemic, and how we're all connected to Planet Earth and the wider Universe. 

This year's Festival boasts 160 online events and experiences (so many) for people of all ages, but they've also got a fun programme of live experiences with outdoor events, walks, exhibitions and installations. This year loads of their events are free too! 

There's a lot to choose from, so here's my top picks from this year's Festival.

1. The Dead Interesting Tour Take a journey back in time to Warriston Cemetery and hear the tales of its fascinating tenants and the trails they blazed during their time on earth. This is hosted by science storyteller (and my pal!) Sian - I can confirm she is wise and funny, and definitely worth following around a graveyard.

2. Women in STEM street art trail I am ready to get out of the house and this art trail encourages you to go explore the city, discovering 9 remarkable women who have made amazing achievements in science, technology, engineering and maths. 

3. Elemental This event promises a magical, multi-sensory journey through an intriguing, immersive digital world where magic meets alchemy and alchemy meets science. I don't really know what that means, but it sounds fun and it's free!

4. SciMart A Science Festival favourite, SciMart is a farmers market with a scientific twist! This year it's hosted in Edinburgh's beautiful Royal Botanic Garden, and will be packed with local producers, artisans and scientists who'll reveal fascinating facts about food. 

5. Ask the Experts at Edinburgh Zoo Imagine working at the Zoo and getting to hang out with penguins, lions and zebras all day! At this event you can find out what it's really like behind the scenes and ask whatever you'd like (for starters, I'd ask - do the penguins like doing their little parade? Do you think any animal has wanted to eat you? Do animals secretly ever escape?).

6. Glitter Bar: A Makeover Takeover! Promising to teach you how to sparkle without shame, this event sounds ace! Hosted by Dr Nicole Seymour, a queer ecology scholar, and Mystika Glamoor, the high priestess of Edinburgh drag (what a title!), this event showcases biodegradable alternatives to microplastic cosmetic glitter. You'll get glitter and glues to try on at home - this ain't your usual Zoom call.

7.  Botanicals - The Heart of Gin Imagine the scene: it's a balmy summer evening, you're walking through a beautiful Botanic Garden with a Botanist who's showing you a unique blend of botanicals that have been combined to make a lovely gin. You then get to drink that gin and learn cool facts from Edinburgh Gin's Head Distiller, followed by a private viewing of an art exhibition. Culture is baaaack, and I bet it tastes amazing. You can do all of that at this exclusive gin tasting! 

8. Spacewomen I always scout the SciFest programme for space (and dinosaurs), so I'm pleased to see this online talk, taking place 60 years after the first woman was launched into orbit. This panel of cool space women talk about their experiences and hopes for the future as we enter an exciting new space age.

9. Cheeseology at Home It's fair to say that the Science Festival loves cheese, but don't we all. If you're not quite ready to hang out in public spaces with strangers (fair), elevate your at-home entertainment with an evening of cheese facts and a special cheese tasting (I.J. Mellis are producing a special SciFest cheese box so you can eat-a-long as you learn). 

10. The European Stone Stacking Championships If you fancy a day trip, you can head out to sunny Dunbar and watch some champion stone stackers! Stone stacking takes materials found in nature and works with Earth's gravity to create sculptural towers, archways and over awe-inspiring structures from rocks and stones. You'll see some cool things, and can have a go yourself!

This year's Edinburgh Science Festival runs Saturday 26 June - Sunday 11 July, and you can browse their full programme here.

LIFE LATELY

Last time we spoke, I was gearing up for Edinburgh International Film Festival, and I was EXCITED.

Matching #edfilmfest nails by the brilliant Buff CS

Festivals are addictive things. You work on them year-round (shhh, people who ask "but what do you do the rest of the year?"), going from the calm, fallow period where you've got AAAGES of time to plan and reflect, moving into a slightly more concentrated state of deadlines-are-near, followed by months where it takes over your life, you never get to the end of your to-do list, and suddenly it's the month of your festival, you work every day, and emerge at the end exhausted and elated, unsure if you've got it in you to do it all over end. Then comes the chilled, planning period where you think 'oh wouldn't it be cool if we did this?' and you read lovely audience feedback which makes it all feel worthwhile, and it all starts all over again.

I'm currently in the exhausted and elated stage. This has been a hard few weeks. In a stroke of grim timing, I got sick the week before the festival started. Not just a bit of a cold, but a severe salivary gland infection - which I'd never heard of before, and wish I hadn't. It's kind of like the mumps, in that your face gets HUGE and swollen, but it has other fun symptoms like a swollen tongue (the grossest thing that's ever happened to me), fever, and a whole lot of pain.

I've never had anything like it (and I've had the mumps! This was worse), and it turned me into a sad little frog, waiting on antibiotics to kick in, up to my eyeballs on codeine, still trying to keep up with emails and phone into conference calls, even though moving from the sofa felt like an impossible task. I got through the week, my giant face returned to normal, and everyone was very supportive, but I think it's been a good lesson not to push myself through sickness like that again - two weeks on I'm only just really feeling like myself again.

EIFF Marketing & Development teams, hiya!

But the show must go on! And it did. We had red carpets and cool guests, lots of people came and liked what they saw, we drank a lot of whisky, ceilidh danced, I met interesting new people and watched great new films (my very, very favourite was The Biggest Little Farm - if it's playing near you, go see it!), and hung out with a great group of festival pals.

Now I've got a few days off to do nothing (what a treat!), then I'm off to a lovely friend's wedding, followed by a fun summer. I'm going to Dublin for the first time, it's the (other) Edinburgh Festivals, and then at the end of it all, I'm off to Greece so there's millions of things to look forward to... although secretly, I'm most excited about doing nothing this week - bring it on!

10 THINGS TO SEE AT EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

Exciting times! The 73rd Edinburgh International Film Festival programme has just launched and it is packed full of amazing movies, special events, super cool guests, and fun things for film fans (full disclosure: I am totally biased, I work there, but it is great!). It's somehow my fourth (!) Film Festival, and I still kind of feel like I'm making it up as I go along, but I'm very proud of what we've got planned this year.

This year's Festival runs 19th - 30th June (with some special events and previews running 14th - 16th June too!). This year we've got 121 film premieres, including 18 World Premieres, 12 International Premieres, 8 European Premieres, and 72 UK Premieres from 42 countries, not to mention a packed retrospective programme, and a whole heap of special events.

Obviously it's all great, but if you're not quite sure where to start, I've picked out 10 things to see in the Festival programme. Enjoy!

1. Film Fest in the City with Edinburgh Live
EIFF kickstarts the Festival with Film Fest in the City - a free weekend of films in St Andrew Square Garden from Friday 14th - Sunday 16th June. This year we've got films including Mamma Mia 2 and Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse (some of my favourite films from 2018!), Black Panther, The Greatest Showman, Bohemian Rhapsody and more! Start praying for sunshine now...

2. Boyz in the Wood The Festival opens with the European Premiere of Boyz in the Wood, a Scottish comedy-horror set in the Highlands. Four teenagers are let loose in the countryside, only to get into all sorts of mishap as they lose their map, discover hallucinogens, and get hunted by Eddie Izzard (playing a very posh farmer).

3. The Dead Don't Die Fresh out of opening Cannes, this is a zombie-comedy with a killer cast. Three police offers (Bill Murray, Adam Driver and Chloe Sevigny) and a samurai-sword-wielding mortician (Tilda Swinton) have to battle a zombie horde when the dead start to rise from their graves.

4. CineCuisine Food and film go hand in hand, and this year EIFF is presenting its first strand of culinary cinema. There's documentaries exploring whisky, olive oil, and Scotland's ace produce, and special events including Food for Thought - a night of Scottish tales and tastings (and spoiler - this event is a steal at £5!).

5. EIFF Youth Man, I wish they had stuff like this when I was a teenager! EIFF Youth is our ace programme of events, workshops and screenings for 15-25 year olds, for people who are interested in finding out more about the film industry, or are just cine-curious! There's acting and audition workshops, a talk with Game of Thrones and Outlander's costume designer, and workshops on screen combat, screenwriting, SFX make up, sound effects and more! Plus, it only costs £5 for a EIFF Youth pass which gets you entry to all events for free!

6. Bludgeon You can always count on EIFF for a great documentary! I am excited for Bludgeon, a film following a group of medieval re-enactment enthusiasts from small-town New Zealand, who are trying to make it to an international competition in Europe.

7. In Person: Jack Lowden Scottish actor Jack Lowden is a bit of an EIFF favourite, and this year he's here to chat about his career - from starting out in Scottish Youth Theatre, then getting roles in War & Peace, Dunkirk, EIFF award-winner Calibre, and Mary Queen of Scots.

8. The Littlest Big Farm This just looks so DELIGHTFUL! This documentary follows a Los Angeles couple who give up city life, buy a farm, and follow their dream of growing every ingredient they might want to cook with.

9. The Wind I've said before, but I'm a sucker for a creepy sci-fi tale. This feminist western follows Lizzy, a tough, resourceful frontierswoman in the remote American frontier. Isolated from civilisation in a wilderness where the wind never stops howling, she begins to sense a sinister presence that seems to belong to the land itself... (aaaah!).

10. Cage-a-rama Scotland's first Nicolas Cage film festival, Cage-a-rama takes over EIFF for a special Nicholas Cage 3D extravaganza! What more could you possibly want on a Saturday night?!

Tickets for Edinburgh International Film Festival are on sale now, and you can view the whole programme here.

10 THINGS TO SEE AT EDINBURGH SCIENCE FESTIVAL

Somehow it's that time of year again! The wonderful Edinburgh Science Festival have launched their 2019 programme, which takes place from Saturday 6th - Sunday 21st April, Sci Fest's 31st edition!

Taking inspiration from the 50th anniversary of the Moon landings, this year's programme explores the theme of Frontiers, pushing the boundaries of what we think we know, and stepping into new territories (including loads of cool space things, obviously).

As always, the Science Festival has something for everyone (even you, person who thinks science is boring!). This year they've got 270 events on offer at 31 venues across Edinburgh (including their shiny new Festival Hub, the Pleasance), with loads of funny, creative, hands-on events for adults, as well as millions of things for kids. Fancy drinking gin while getting told cool gin facts? Or discussing if Jurassic Park could actually happen? Or getting the secrets behind the Moon landing? Of course you do.

There's loads to choose from, but I've picked out my top picks from this year's programme.

1. Life on Mars Grab your pals and join this pub quiz, board game and sci-fi mashup to build a new life on Mars.

2. The Science of the Sesh An evening of delicious drinks, boozy experiments and cocktail history. You'll discover what factors and senses affect how we taste, how to make amazing cocktails at home, and get to sip on some great Scottish spirits as you learn. Win win!

3. Secrets of Seafood Sci Fest are well-known for their great food events, and this looks no exception. This event promises some surprising science as you try out Scottish seafood, discover what other edible treats the sea offers, and debate how we make sure our stocks are sustainable.

4. Fake Moon Landings and Other Persistent Conspiracies Conspiracy theory experts (what a cool job) Prof Knight and Prof Sutton chat conspiracies, how they take root, and why people believe them. Lizard people! The Moon landings! Fake news?

5. Where the Hell is My Hoverboard? It's 2019 and we don't have flying cars yet! This panel, featuring a robotics researcher, future tech enthusiast and engineering researcher, look at where technology is at, and what we have to achieve before we can live our sci-fi dreams. There will also be the chance to taste 3D printed food!

6. Bring Back the Dodo Did someone say Jurassic Park?! Zoologist Jules Howard chats to the director of the Frozen Ark project, exploring what extinct creatures could be brought back and how. Guys remember, just because we can, does that mean we should...?

7. Thinking Through Animals Over the last century, cognition research has revealed a variety of advanced mental abilities in animals. Experts in philosophy, genetics and anthropology discuss what this means and how it links to human self-understanding.

8. The Science Behind Humanity's Dark Side Fellow murder-podcast-obsessives unite, this is one for us! Learn about the intricacies of criminal psychologists, how similar your brain is to a psychopath's, how many people think about murder, and why we do evil.

9. The Science of Egyptian Mummification: A No-Brainer? I've been studying Ancient Egypt in evening classes this year, so hi, yes, I am very excited for this! Discover the latest ground-breaking research on how the ancient Egyptians dealt with death (and to warm up, pop into the National Museum of Scotland's brand new Egyptian collection, which is meant to be amazing).

10. An Evening with the Moon Science writer Philip Ball, cultural astronomer Daniel Brown, and very funny person Susan Morrison host a whimsical evening of laid-back lunar activities and celestial cocktails, all under the glow of a lunar landscape. Sounds dreamy.

This year's Edinburgh Science Festival runs 6th - 21st April, and you can browse their full programme here.

10 THINGS TO SEE AT GLASGOW FILM FESTIVAL

It might still only be January, but Scotland's year of festivals is well underway. Next to roll round is the super fun and friendly Glasgow Film Festival, who announced their 2019 programme last week.

Glasgow Film Fest pride themselves on being the perfect movie mix, meaning they've got something for everyone - from indie arthouse features to classic Hollywood films, rare cult gems and nostalgic retro parties. This year they're boasting over 300 screenings, talks and events, with 7 world premieres, 102 UK premieres and 49 Scottish premieres, all packed into 12 days at the end of February.

There's loads to choose from, but to give you a helping hand, I've picked out ten events that caught my eye!

1. The Hole in the Ground I already find sinkholes pretty scary, so I am intrigued by this supernatural thriller. There's a deep dark wood, a creepy child, and a giant sinkhole? Count me in.

2. Maiden 30 years ago, an all-female crew undertook an incredible around-the-world voyage that challenged every prejudice of the sailing established. This documentary looks so interesting, as the crew look back on their nine-month battle against the elements and sexist men.

3. Benjamin Fancy going to a film festival to watch a film about watching a film at another film festival? Sounds pretty meta, but Simon Amstell is a bit of a genius, and directs this fresh and endearing romantic comedy about a filmmaker struggling with self-doubt and self-sabotage when he meets someone new.

4. Aquarela Sometimes you just need to sit back and take in the world, and this sounds just the ticket. Travelling from the frozen waters of Russia's Lake Baikal to the mighty Angel Falls in Venezuela, this immersive documentary promotions a mind-blowing fusion of sound and vision in an epic film which captures the raw, glorious power of water and its impact on the planet.

5. The Vanishing Scotland makes some pretty great thrillers, so I'm looking forward to this lighthouse mystery, starring Peter Mullan and Gerard Butler. Based on the true story of the Flannan Isle mystery, this follows three lighthouse keepers who arrive on an uninhabited Scottish island.

6. The Blair Witch Project GFF have a great rep for their special events and this year is packed with them! Top of the list is the genuinely-terrifying sounding Blair Witch screening in a secret-location, which is flagged not for the faint-hearted! Luckily there's two versions if you fancy it, but are a bit of a wimp - an afternoon event for scaredy cats who fancy a thrill, and an evening event for the hardcore horror fans!

7. Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure If there's no way you are going to an immersive horror party, but still want an event cinema experience, try this! Dress up as your favourite historical figure, and get ready for some inter-century partying, dude.

8. Character Makeup with Danny Marie Elias One of my favourite things about film festivals is the fascinating look you get behind the scenes when you listen to a filmmaker talk about their work. Making movies is just so cool! This event is free (!), and promises an interesting chat and live prosthetics demo with one of the UK's leading makeup and prosthetics artists.

9. Freaks If you haven't guessed, I have a tendency to gravitate towards creepy sci-fi thrillers, so I'm pretty pleased GFF have loads on other! Freaks stars the very handsome Emile Hirsch, who plays a paranoid father, in a film that is packed with sci-fi action and dystopian chills.

10. The Empire Podcast with Michael Palin Join the award-winning Empire podcast and their very, very, very special guest Michael Palin (!!) for a chat about film, movie reviews and GFF. What a great way to finish off your festival experience!

Glasgow Film Festival runs 20th February - 3rd March and you can browse their whole programme here.

WHAT TO SEE AT THE FESTIVAL OF PHYSICS

I'm a fan of all things clever and curious, so it's safe to say that I'm looking forward to the Festival of Physics - a celebration of the wonder of science, the power of curiosity and the inventions and discoveries that shape our world and our future.

From Friday 26th - Sunday 28th October, the Institute of Physics have a packed three-day programme of scintillating science shows, hands-on workshops and inspiring experiences, plus creative conversations from the domains of music, theatre and art alongside talks and lectures for all ages.

Taking place (with one exception!) at Edinburgh's Dynamic Earth, the majority of the programme is free of charge, making it super easy for everyone to explore the universe, learn something new, and take a chance on some science fun.

There's loads of events on for people of all ages, but here's the stuff that's caught my eye:

Astronomy on Tap
I like space, I like pub quizzes, and I like having my mind blown by cool science facts, so this sounds great. This night has three local scientists doing informative and exciting short talks, with fun pub quizzes and space-themed goodies up for grabs.
Saturday 27th October, 9pm

Space & Time
Ever wondered what the heck space-time is? Astronomers from the Royal Observatory Edinburgh chat about the fundamental components of the universe and how scientists use them to uncover its secrets.You'll find out about how they are creating new technology to look at ancient galaxies, and track changes in space-time. Space secrets!
Sunday 28th October, all-day drop-in activity

Cooking with Science: A Culinary Arts workshop
Ever wondered why store-bought ice-cream can stay out of the fridge for longer than home-made one? Looking at this, and all sorts of innovative fancy cooking things made possible by science, this interactive workshops dives into the culinary arts and shows you how to make bubble tea, as well as lots of other delicious demos.
Saturday 27th (2pm) and Sunday 28th October (3pm)
Buy tickets (£3) here

Photography at the Speed of Light
Get an ultrafast portrait taken using a camera with frame rates so high they can see light move at 300 million meters per second! This super-cool technology shows you the physical effects when you're hit by a pulse of light, and is going to be used for all sorts of interesting things in the future, like driverless cars.
Saturday 27th and Sunday 28th October, all-day drop-in activity

Physics Wizardry: Potions Class
Yeah, yeah, I know this is definitely an event aimed at kids, but I want to learn how to make magical potions! With the power of physics, this workshop shows you how to make spectacular potions with unexpected effects, learning how to turn some boring liquids into some much more impressive, intriguing and beautiful substances.
Saturday 27th (12noon) and Sunday 28th October (3.30pm)

Prof Fay Dowker: Past, Present and Future: The Science of Time
Professor of Theoretical Physics at Imperial College London, Prof Fay Dowker knows a thing or two about time. This (free!) talk explores the history and future of time from Newtonian-model physics to quantum gravity, and the fascinating possibilities emerging from the world of cutting-edge theoretical physics.
Saturday 27th, 7pm

Modern Times 
Science comedian Helen Keen presents a very special screening of Chaplin's 1936 classic comedy Modern Times, followed by a discussion and Q&A (with lols) inspired by time - how we conceptualise and measure it, the relationships between human, industrial and deep time, and what the future holds for our understanding of space-time.
Saturday 27th, 5.45pm, Filmhouse
Book tickets (£10) here

View the full Festival of Physics programme here.

LIFE LATELY

If there's anything that years of blogging has taught me, it's that I am completely incapable of juggling fun hobby deadlines (i.e. weekly blogs) with actual serious work deadlines. I had felt like I had done a pretty good job of resurrecting this blog, but then film fest life took over, I had loads of deadlines, then we had to deliver the actual thing, then I went on holiday, crashed, holidayed again, and here I am!

I reckon I just need to get comfortable with the fact that this is how I handle my work-life balance. I'm always going to be a sporadic blogger when real-life amps up, and I think that's okay. So rather than make a big fuss about returning to blogging (again), I thought I'd catch you up on my summer!

Here's what I got up to:

We ran a film festival!

It was my third Edinburgh International Film Festival, which took place in June this year, with over 500 screenings, absolutely loads of filmmakers in town, 20 venues across Edinburgh, and 1 slightly disruptive heatwave. I'm the Festival's Head of Development, which means my team & I bring in and look after all of our funders, sponsors, partners, donors, and anyone else kind enough to want to donate to us, or cool enough to want to be part of the action (and why wouldn't you? Support your local festival!).

The most common question you get working in festivals is 'so what do you do the rest of the year?', as if the whole thing pops up overnight, and then is packed away. We were working on EIFF 2021 (ahh!) before we delivered this year's EIFF, so it is a bit of a never-ending task, but it's fair to say that it properly ramps up a few months before it takes place, and completely takes over your life.

Despite the stress/lack of weekends/general dehydration, I love festival life. I'm so lucky to have wonderful festival pals, and this year I got to see loads of amazing films, meet really interesting people, attend fascinating events (how Pixar design costumes! So cool), and the very best part of my job - reading the nice comments from our audiences each year (always guaranteed to make me a bit teary). I am quite glad there's a while before the next one though.


I went camping!

I'm a total camping convert these days, and for the last few years have ventured up north to the Highlands for a week of wild camping. This year we went the furthest we have ever gone, and drove up to Loch Assynt, a beautiful loch with a ruined castle on its banks and the legend of a mermaid in its waters, about 5-6 hours drive from Edinburgh.

There's a wee road that goes around the loch, but we squirrelled ourselves out of sight by its banks, and it was the most perfect week. I read loads of books (including the perfect book to read while camping), we ate amazing campfire food and drank wine out of boxes, we paddled to the loch's tiny islands in seek of firewood, and spent days just soaking in the quiet air and beautiful views. It's trips like this that make me want to up sticks and move somewhere very quiet and a bit tucked away from the world, I didn't want it to end.


It was the Edinburgh Festivals!

A bit of a change of pace, but as always, August in Edinburgh means Festival time! I think this was possibly my least enthusiastic year - I was still feeling a bit zoned out after film fest when tickets went on sale, which meant I missed out on a few things, and I didn't quite have the energy to try and navigate the 1000s of events that were on (although I was happy to sample the 1000s of festival bars that popped up).

Edinburgh International Festival stole the show with their opening event, Five Telegrams - a super cool and very beautiful event inspired by telegrams sent during the first world war - with digital artwork projected onto Edinburgh's Usher Hall, live choirs, and a moving orchestral score. They keep setting the bar higher for their opening events each year - I can't wait to see what they do next.

I went to Croatia!

And finally, I'm just back from a trip to Croatia... which will be the third time I've gone on holiday to a Croatian island, as I just love it there so much!

This time we went to Brač and stayed in this amazing, quirky cottage which was also a total bargain (thanks Airbnb!). The weather was beautiful, even hotter than I had expected for this time of year, so we spent a week exploring the island, reading books (in that hammock!), eating seafood, and just switching off from the nonsense of the everyday world. Can I go back?

10 THINGS TO DO AT THE EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL SCIENCE FESTIVAL

If you've read this blog for a while, you'll know I'm a big fan of the Edinburgh International Science Festival, who have just announced their 2018 programme - marking 30 years of EISF (and 2 years since I left the sci fest tribe!).

Themed this year around Life, the Universe and Everything (with a nice nod to Douglas Adams), the Festival will transform the city into a celebration of science and technology with talks, experiments, exhibitions, parties, activities and events to entertain and educate all ages. This year they're looking at where we've come from, where we're going, and how science is going to save the world, and as usual the programme is packed full of fun, creative experiences (as well as more of the serious talks and lectures you might expect from a science festival).

There's loads to choose from, but I've picked out my favourite events to point you in the right direction. Bring on the sci-fun!

Jason Hackenworth - Existence: Life and Beyond 

1. Science Festival Lates Sci Fest's Opening Party takes over their family venue, adds in some bars, and let's you get hands on with slime, surgery, space and psychology. It is so much fun, and this year it promises some extra 80s-themed fun to celebrate the Festival's 30 years!

2. NASA's Newest Recruit I secretly want to be an astronaut, so sign me up! The very funny Marcus Chown chats space jobs - want to be a Moon miner? A galactic architect? An alien cultural exchange officer?

3. A Panel of Ice and Fire Game of Thrones meets science and tech, in this chat about how the worlds of science and fantasy collide, hosted by comedian and author Helen Keen.

4. Dreading Friday the 13th  Taking place (of course) on Friday 13th, this event takes you on a journey through the psychology behind superstition... is it harmless? Can it help you? Science will explain!

5. Cheeseology 3.0 Back to the Festival for a third year (as everyone bloody loves cheese), this night teaches you about cheese as you eat cheese, giving you a win/win of leaving both smart AND satiated.

6. Existence: Life and Beyond Taking over the National Museum of Scotland's beautiful Grand Gallery, this free interactive exhibition will look back at the origins of life on Earth, and forward to the horizons of what life could be in the future. It'll also feature a new MASSIVE balloon sculpture by artist Jason Hackenwerth, who was last at the Festival with Pisces in 2013 (pictured above). I'm so excited to see what he'll make!

7. Frankenstein's Legacy: Who Are You Calling Monster? This year marks the 200th anniversary of Frankenstein, and three writers from Scottish Book Trust's New Writers Awards programme have been commissioned to create new stories and poems inspired by this iconic book. These writers will read their own takes, and chat about the role of science and technology in creating and controlling life (which seems pretty important now they are cloning monkeys and teaching scary robots to open doors!).

8. Baking in Space Baking and engineering combine, in this event with Andrew from the Great British Bake Off (!!!!), who just happens to be an aerospace engineer as well as an adorable baker, and scientists and guests from the European Space Agency.

9. Get Your Hands Off Me You Damned Dirty Alien! More space! Aliens! Ethical dilemmas! A gang of astrobiologists, theologists, philosophers and theorists debate how our world will change in the (ever-increasing) likelihood we meet alien life.

10. The Lab of the Ludicrous Part stand-up comedy, part journal club, and part science project, this night leads you through some of the strangest science studies ever conducted.

Edinburgh International Science Festival runs 31st March - 15th April, and you can browse their full programme here.

HAPPY THOUGHTS

Hello! It's been a while, hasn't it? I didn't mean to disappear from my blog for an ENTIRE MONTH, but life got in the way. Generally when things get a bit busy and tough/stressful/tiring, the first thing I do is ignore my laptop, and it always feels a bit hard trying to restart and wondering where I got the time or energy to blog from.

But it's been good busy! Here's what I've been up to...

1. Edinburgh International Science Festival is go (almost!)

The Science Festival starts THIS WEEK (aaaah!), and it has been an extremely busy few months getting everything ready. I've had a never-ending to do list (which has been pretty stressful), but I'm getting there, and I'm so excited to see it all in action. We launch on Thursday with our opening party, Science Festival Lates, then it's straight into two weeks of robots, food, space parties, experiments, theatre, super clever people, and living pretty much exclusively on noodles and wine.

If you're near Edinburgh you should definitely come along, it is so much fun! I've picked out a few of my favourite events here, and you can also use our new SciSpy app if you're on your phone (it's loads of fun). 


2. Holidays

To get a bit of head space between the Festival programme launching and the Festival actually happening, Joshua & I went off on a mini adventure to Mallorca. We stayed in the most beautiful town called Valldemossa, which is so so different from the brits-abroad vibe I've always associated with the island. It was the perfect island holiday, with amazing food, mountains to climb, sunny balconies, and beautiful scenery. I'll write up a trip to Valldemossa post very soon!


3. I got a new job! 

And finally, my big news is that I got a new job! Come May, I'll be leaving the world of science and turning my attention to film, in my new role of Development Manager at the Centre for the Moving Image. The CMI run the Edinburgh Filmhouse, the Belmont Filmhouse AND the Edinburgh International Film Festival so I am super excited and can't wait to get going.

It feels really surreal that this will be my last Science Festival though, I love it there and I work with so many wonderful people, I'll be sad to leave them. Still, it means I've got a really exciting summer ahead (if a bit exhausting). Bring it on!

EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL SCIENCE FESTIVAL LAUNCHES

Exciting news! The 28th Edinburgh International Science Festival programme has just launched, and it is packed full of brilliant, clever, creative and wonderful things (er, if I do say so myself!). This will be my fourth year working at the Science Festival and I'm so proud of how it grows and changes each year. It's knackering, and fairly stressful, but it's all worth it when the programme hits (and everyone sees how ace we are).

This year's Science Festival will run from Saturday 26th March - Sunday 10th April. Themed around the idea of Building Better Worlds, we'll be looking at how science, technology, engineering and design can help improve our lives and our world through a totally packed programme of events, exhibitions and happenings.

There's loads on for families at City Art Centre and Summerhall, but if you don't care about kids, our adult programme is ace. There's a space party, millions of food and drink events, pandas, an astronaut, robots, wearable tech fashion workshops, dinosaurs, comedy, dancing, theatre, and so so much more.

I probably shouldn't pick favourites, being professionally-linked to the company and all, but whatever. Here's my top ten events in the programme this year! Buy tickets and come along. Yay science.

The Edinburgh Mini Maker Faire - a huge, hands-on celebration of human creativity, showcasing makers from across the UK. There's always fun things to play with, stuff to make, and robots to ooh at, and this year the ACTUAL maker of R2D2 will be there!

Big Bang Bash - a massive space party in the National Museum of Scotland. You can try on a spacesuit, send an encrypted message on a genuine Enigma machine (so cool), dance in the science ceilidh, see the solar system in a planetarium, and drink space-themed cocktails from the Bar at the End of the Universe.

Adventures in Viticulture - fancy going on a wine safari? Feel super smart learning about the world of wine, while drinking loads of wine. All in the name of science!

The Mathematics of Why I Don't Have a Boyfriend - I perhaps wouldn't normally rush along to a talk on mathematical modelling, but throw in some comedy and I'm there.

Cheeseology - do you like eating loads of cheese? And learning about why cheese is so brilliant? I will say no more.

Tiny Homes Village - tiny homes are super cute, and for the Festival, we're building a village of them on the Mound! You can go inside and poke about loads of different tiny houses, from self-sustaining eco pods to emergency housing solutions for refugee camps.

Designing Fictional Worlds - people love fictional worlds, but why are they so drawn to them? This event pairs psychologists with author Charles Stross and my pal from school, Andy Robinson (who designed EVE: Valkyrie), to find out why.

Chocolate: Food of the Gods - find out the past, present and future of chocolate at this scientific feast!

Unbottling the AI Demon - all of the very smart people in the world have decided that the biggest risk to mankind is artificial intelligence.  It's a really terrifying topic and this event looks fascinating - Prof Raymond Tallis and Prof Kevin Warwick investigate the risks of AI... (we're probably all doomed).

The Visit - a special screening of The Visit, a sci-fi documentary-style film, that shows how government agencies try to cope with human mankind's first contact with alien life. You can see the trailer here - it looks super creepy!

You can browse the full programme at sciencefestival.co.uk/festival.

EDINBURGH FESTIVAL TIPS

It's the most wonderful time of year (assuming you are in or near Edinburgh, like being entertained, and agree more with this article than this one!). The Edinburgh Fringe has rolled back into town, bringing over 3,000 shows with it, and Scotland's capital is heaving with tourists and comics and theatre kids who still haven't been battered down by four weeks of flyering. It's brilliant!

It can also be pretty overwhelming if you're not quite sure where to go or what to see, and sometimes it feels like too much of a headache to think about. To help, I wrote a fringe do's and don't's post a few years ago, and I thought I'd update it for 2015.

Here's my top ten tips for surviving this year's festivals...

The Royal Mile, photo by Chris Scott

1. Walk down the Royal Mile 
Yes, it's FULL OF TOURISTS. And yes, you will want to kill them for suddenly stopping in front of you, and bashing you with their massive backpack. But it's also packed full of (free!) street performances from circus types to living statues to pop up musical theatre. You are almost guaranteed to see someone swallowing a sword, and sometimes you'll find a flyerer with some free tickets to give away. The Royal Mile is also lined with pubs, so you can escape from the masses if it all gets too much!

2. Read reviews
The List's top-rated page is REALLY useful, as they aggregate all of the main reviewers, so you can easily spot who is rising to the top. Take reviews with a pinch of salt though, and don't let them put you off something you like the look or sound of - a quick look at FringePig (a site that reviews the reviewers) shows you they aren't all to be trusted!

3. Be prepared to see terrible things
The fringe isn't the fringe unless you've cringed the entire way through a one star show. It's always good to take a chance on someone or something you haven't heard of before - they might be the next big thing! And if they are awful, then it probably wasn't expensive, and you'll have a good fringe horror story for the pub.

4. Stay out late!
During the festival Edinburgh's partying hours extend until 5am, and there's loads of shows on to keep you going until the very, very small hours. Late n Live is Gilded Balloon's infamous original late night show and it's just so much fun! It starts at 1am and the line up changes each night. Underbelly have their own party night, Spank, which starts at midnight in the Cowgate.

Hendrick's Emporium of Sensorial Submersion

5. Find a hidden bar
It's fun to hang out in the festival beer gardens, but sometimes the crowds get too much! Luckily there's a secret spot for curious types. This year Hendrick's (of the excellent, cucumber-infused gin) have taken over an empty building on 91 George Street, packing it with curious oddities, synaesthetic diversions, and a mysterious and scientific trip through the world of gin. You can either chill out in their bar (which feels like you've snuck into an eccentric gentleman's townhouse), or book into their Emporium of Sensorial Submersion - a two hour experience of cocktails, peculiar performances, sound and taste!

6. Visit the Book Festival 
I love love love the Book Festival. It's held in the most gorgeous garden in Edinburgh, is the most perfect place to be on a sunny afternoon, and they have millions of really excellent authors each year. For the last few years they've also been running Jura Unbound, a free and super sociable event with world-play, music, drinks and surprises. This runs every evening from 16 - 31 August at 9pm, and each night promises something different.

7. Prepare for terrible weather
If you assume that it's going to rain constantly, it means you'll never be disappointed and you'll be SO DELIGHTED if the sun actually does come out. That's how Scots think, and it makes life so much easier. Even if it's sunny and bright in the morning, that doesn't mean it won't thunderstorm later that day. Keep a raincoat or something with a hood handy at all times, and avoid umbrellas - Scotland is windy and you'll poke someone's eye out on the Royal Mile!

8. Eat a good breakfast
If you're spending your day running between shows, it's hard to find the time to eat something for dinner that isn't just a burger! Instead, breakfast like a king, and carb load in the morning to keep you going. I've already written about my favourite Edinburgh breakfasts - featuring the best poached eggs in town.

9. Escape to Leith!
Yeah, it's the world's biggest arts festival, and yeah yeah, culture. Sometimes you need a break, and Leith is an easy place to escape to, just jump on a bus for twenty minutes and head for the Shore. I'm biased, cause this is my neck of the woods, but the Shore is lovely. There's a big park, a woodland walk along the Water of Leith, nice cafes and restaurants and bars. Plus, even on a sunny Friday, it's still going to be millions of times quieter than George Square.

10. Remember the fireworks
Marking the end of the Edinburgh International Festival, the annual fireworks concert combines the playing of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra with a display specially choreographed to the music. The concert is held in Princes St Gardens, but you can get a great view from most places in town.

Have fun, and remember that sleep's for September!

LIFE LATELY: EDSCIFEST

At the start of this year I was feeling pretty pleased with blogging. I'd got back into a three-posts-a-week schedule, I blogged some fun DIYs, and I'd worked out how to take reasonably okay (if a bit blurry) outfit posts. I knew work was going to be pretty manic over April, so I took loads of photos, thought of future blog post ideas... and then ran out of time to actually write them. Aargh!

Science Festival Lates - all photos by the wonderful Chris Scott

And then the Festival happened! The 27th Edinburgh International Science Festival rolled into town (from our offices in sunny Leith), and any work/life balance I previously had disappeared. I run the sponsorship team at the festival and we've been working on this for a whole year, so there were a lot of people to keep happy!

Happy cloud biscuits!

Over two and a bit weeks I went to over twenty events, watched a massive dinosaur skeleton get built from scratch, had my mind blown by the quantum theory concept of the multiverse (whaaaaaaat), snacked on roadkill rabbit, listened to one of the hardest maths problems of all time, looked at the blackest black material ever made, decorated a happy cloud biscuit, listened to very intelligent people, did my best to speak to very intelligent people without sounding like too much of an idiot, and drank quite a lot of wine in the name of science.

How the Light Gets In - Scifest art at Summerhall

I love the happy clouds

I also had more late night/early starts than was probably sensible, spent any free moment frantically trying to catch up with emails, had too many stress dreams about work (where my unconcious mind would dissect the most boring details of my job... did I remember to get pop-ups delivered in time?!), had a fairly frantic few days dealing with the aftermath of an unexpected cancellation, aaaand ran out of any conversation that wasn't fully centred around the Science Festival (sorry normal pals).

LateLab: Tron vs Tron Legacy

But that's festival life! You spend most of the year under the illusion that you have a perfectly ordinary job, and then bit by bit it takes over your life in exhausting and rewarding and excellent ways.

I've had my first weekend off work post-festival and it's been weird (but lovely!) to return to normal life. I've managed to catch up on Game of Thrones and read a book and do my washing... who knew life admin was so satisfying? Now I just need to get my head around planning for festival 2016... aaah!

WIN TICKETS TO EDSCIFEST'S BIG BANG BASH

There's only ONE WEEK to go before the Science Festival launches (oh my god), and it's turning into such an exciting year.

To celebrate Edinburgh's best festival (ahem), I have FIVE pairs of tickets to give away to our amazing space party, the Big Bang Bash!

An out-of-this-world party celebrating the wonders of space, the Big Bang Bash takes place in the super beautiful National Museum of Scotland, on Friday 10th April.

These's so much spacey fun to enjoy! You can sample space-themed cocktails from the Bar at the End of the Universe, discover the solar system in a massive planetarium, make your own spacecraft to take home, watch roving scientists perform mid-boggling experiments, and listen to short talks from space experts including Marcus Chown, Prof Monica Grady and Dr Roberto Trotta. There's also vintage sci-films, a space-tacular DJ, and a model of the Mars Rover to ooh at, while you're drinking your drink and getting your geek on.

For your chance to win tickets (remember, you'll need to be in Edinburgh on Friday 10th April!), just fill in the form below...

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Good luck! I'll pick a winner on Wednesday 8th April and will notify them by email.

EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL SCIENCE FESTIVAL LAUNCHES!

I cannot believe it is this time of year again, it's come round so quickly! 2015 marks the 27th Edinburgh International Science Festival (and my 3rd year at the Festival!) and our amazing new programme launched today.

This year we're celebrating the role of the Science Festival as a hub for information, ideas and innovations - so we're transforming the halls, galleries, theatres and gardens of Edinburgh into The Ideas Factory.

As always, there will be loads on for families (including amazing workshops at City Art Centre and performances and workshops at Summerhall), and our adult programme is packed full of discussions, debates, workshops, screenings, and fun nights out - all with a scientific twist!

The production line runs from 4-19 April, so you've got plenty of time to browse the programme and get your tickets!

There's about a million events on at the Festival this year, so here's my top ten picks of what to see:

Science Festival Lates - the festival's opening party, with eyeballs, brains, robots and slime all mixed in with music, bars and fun!

Bad Science Books? Jurassic Park - a look at the relationship between science fact and science fiction, hosted by my super cool pal Sasha from the Scottish Book Trust!

LateLab - possibly my favourite events at the festival - LateLab is a series of presentations, performances, interactives and installations for the sociable and sci-curious! This year we've got films, an event with author Matt Haig, experiemental music and sonic art, cocktails and an exploration of beauty at the stunning Scottish National Portrait Gallery.

Mad Hatter's Tea Party - an enlightening tea party hosted by the master of molecular gastronomy, Hervé This.

The Science of Game of Thrones - an evening of ice and fire (and the excuse to dress up!) looking at the facts behind the fiction. SO excited about this!

The Big Bang Bash - an out-of-this-world party celebrating the wonders of space in the beautiful National Museum of Scotland.

The Savant Garde: Mathematical Feats by the Nerdy Elite - maths superhero Simon Pampena takes you on a comedy adventure featuring the hardest maths problems of all time.

Tunnel Vision - street trials rider Danny MacAskill (who you'll know from every cool stunt-cycling video) talks to a neuroscientist about the nature of focus, and how it drives us to achieve extraordinary things.

Give in to Fermentation - the Science Festival teams up with Brewdog for a night celebrating fermentation with food and beer!

Brainwaves Ceilidh - science, dancing, and puns collide! Explore cutting-edge brain research at the festival's ceilidh.