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Grassmarket News and Events 2009
Continuing the success of the inaugural market on the first Sunday of May, The GrassMarkets hosted a series of monthly markets over the summer up until September each being bigger and better, with even more stalls and offering a greater range of arts and crafts, food and drink, retro and vintage clothing, children’s toys and books and, for the first time, plants and flowers. Each market featured guest animations and a programme of soft summer music by emerging and established musicians.
June saw the first of many summer events with the Grassmarket welcoming the Edinburgh International Film Festival’s Film Festival Under The Stars outdoor cinema on Friday 19 and Saturday 20 June. Developed from the highly successful open air screenings, previously held on the Mound, the Grassmarket was transformed into a specially created outdoor auditorium with refreshments available from the surrounding cafes, bars and restaurants.
June saw the first of many summer events with the Grassmarket welcoming the Edinburgh International Film Festival’s Film Festival Under The Stars outdoor cinema on Friday 19 and Saturday 20 June. Developed from the highly successful open air screenings, previously held on the Mound, the Grassmarket was transformed into a specially created outdoor auditorium with refreshments available from the surrounding cafes, bars and restaurants.
The programme ran on Friday evening and Saturday throughout the day with films for all the family. This year’s films were selected to highlight the work of the Film Festival’s patrons and included; The Chronicles of Narnia, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe starring Tilda Swinton, You Only Live Twice and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade with Sean Connery, Stone of Destiny with Robert Carlisle and Charlotte’s Web with cinematographer Seamus McGarvey.
Produced in partnership with Dance Base, Scotland’s award-winning National Centre for Dance, The Summer Dancin’ on Saturday 4 July brought the Grassmarket alive with an eclectic mix of music and dance. Following the success of Edinburgh’s Hogmanay’s The Dancin’ event, this celebration marked Dance Base students’ end of term with demonstrations and participation for all, from jazz and cha cha to tango and hip hop. Late afternoon offered a traditional tea dance with live bandstand music and light refreshments of tea and cakes, followed by The Summer Dancin’ Serenade – a programme of light, Latin dance music played the proper way, acoustic and authentic, offering a classy evening of unadulterated enjoyment for purist and novice alike.
The Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival 2009 Mardi Gras returned to the Grassmarket on Saturday 1 August with an intoxicating programme of jazz and blues. Featuring Edinburgh favourites the Criterion Parade Band, the Mardi Gras parade departed from the City Chambers, down Victoria Street to it’s home in the Grassmarket for an afternoon of pure entertainment. Here, the Grassmarket’s most famous jazz and bluesman, Tam White, launched three hours of non-stop music, a programme that featured American blues singer Lisa Mills, the Sermon Organ Trio, Angie King, the Criterion Parade Band and Diplomats of Jazz.
Jazz & Blues at the GrassMarkets carried on throughout the summer with an eclectic mix of impromptu performances including the terrific young Norwegian, KBB Big Band, from Alesund, and Edinburgh’s own Rosy Blue, all in a carnival market atmosphere.
Click here to download a PDF flyer with details of these events
Click here to download a PDF flyer with details of these events
Notes:
- The Grassmarket Summer Programme is an initiative of the City of Edinburgh Council and Scottish Enterprise. All events are produced and managed by Unique Events, with individual collaborations with Edinburgh International Film Festival, Dance Base and the Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival.
- All events within the Summer Programme are family friendly and free, designed to maximise the use of the newly finished, improved public space, helping to establish the Grassmarket as a quality destination both for local and regional visitors and tourists as well as neighbourhood residents and businesses.
- The Edinburgh International Film Festival’s Film Festival Under The Stars will take place on Friday 19 and Saturday 20 June. Films will be screened on Friday evening from 5pm-10.30pm and on Saturday during the day from 1.30pm-10.30pm
- The Summer Dancin’ on Saturday 4 July will begin at 1pm, featuring a demonstration stage and an on-street dance floor, with a Tea Dance between 4.30pm and 5.30pm and a live Latin music session from 6pm through to 9pm.
- The Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival 2009 Mardi Gras on Saturday 1 August will leave the City Chambers at 12:30pm, with the Grassmarket finale from 1pm to 4pm.
- Summer GrassMarkets take place the first Sunday of the month until September, running from 12 noon to 6pm (Sunday 7 June, 5 July, 2 August and 6 September).
- Destination Edinburgh Marketing Alliance (DEMA), was established in April 2009, to lead and facilitate the promotion of Edinburgh by bring together the public and private sector leading businesses and organisations of the city to position and promote Edinburgh as a place to visit, invest, live, work and study. DEMA is the custodian of the Edinburgh Inspiring Capital brand.