What’s On This Weekend: Jazz, boats, and more

An eclectic look at what’s on this weekend around Scotland, with Peter Ranscombe.

LOCAL talent is under the spotlight this weekend at the Glasgow Jazz Festival.

“With Love from Glasgow”, a festival within a festival, takes place at Òran Mór on Sunday.

DJ and producer Rebecca Vasmant, who curated the line-up, said: “Glasgow is such an exciting city musically at the moment, especially for jazz, and it felt only right to invite the acts that are programmed on for this day.”

Azamiah, Blue Boar Brass, India Blue, and Paix are among the acts playing sets.

From jazz to folk, and the world’s first festival of folk cinema returns today.

Folk Film Gathering 2022 runs at the Filmhouse in Edinburgh, the Scottish Storytelling Centre and online until 1 July.

The eight festival sees Scottish films making up the majority of movies on show.

Organisers say highlights include the Scottish premiere of Edinburgh artist and musician Hanna Tuulikki’s new film exploring Selkie legends, Seals’kin.

Staying with the screen, and Peaky Blinders comes to the Scottish Traditional Boat Festival tomorrow – in the form of two cars.

A pair of 1938 Renault Primaquatre cars will be on display at Portsoy, where two episodes of the BBC series were filmed.

Stars Cillian Murphy and Finn Cole stayed in Portsoy for five days early last year to shoot the final episodes of the programme, with the historic harbour being transformed into the 1930s-era French island of Miquelon.

David Urquhart, chair of the Scottish Traditional Boat Festival committee, said: “The final series of Peaky Blinders attracted an audience of over seven million and for Portsoy to have an association with a production of that magnitude, it really is something for our community to be proud of.”

It’s a busy weekend for petrol-heads, with more classic cars on show at Balloch Pier.

The Ayrshire Classic Car Club is mounting a display on Sunday to promote the Maid of the Loch, Loch Lomond’s paddle steamer.

Around 20 vehicles are expected to be on show, along with club members to share their stories.

Hard hat tours of the ship will also be offered.

It’s also the Seven Hills Race in Edinburgh on Sunday – and author Alexander McCall Smith has picked his runner.

The Scottish Field columnist has thrown his support behind Kenneth Taylor, the headteacher at the city’s St Mary’s Music School.

He was the first to donate to the head’s fundraising efforts and has penned seven poems for the school.

Taylor is taking on the 14.3-mile city and cross-country challenge to raise money for the school’s 50th birthday project, which culminates in seven pieces of music, each inspired by one of the seven hills of Edinburgh, and performed by the school’s pupils.

The Chippendale International School of Furniture’s 37th annual graduate exhibition and sale comes to a close tomorrow.

Students from this year’s professional course have been showing off their creations since Wednesday.

This year’s 27 students have come from as far afield as Chile, Columbia, and India.

Principal Tom Fraser said: “It is a momentous occasion for our graduates as they begin the next chapter of their woodworking career.”

Scotland’s Summer Garden Festival kicked-off this week, with events running until 14 August.

The festival is organised by Discover Scottish Gardens, a network of almost 100 gardens, parks, and estates that are open to the public.

Director Dougal Philip said: “Scotland’s gardens aren’t just packed with beautiful plants and trees – they are also much-loved social spaces for people of all ages, and the Summer Garden Festival, with activities for everyone, is another way of discovering, exploring and enjoying them.”

Activities on offer over the summer range from Shakespeare at Ellon Castle Gardens in Aberdeenshire through to activities for children at St Andrews Botanic Gardens.

Read more stories on Scottish Field’s outdoors pages.

Plus, don’t miss our readers’ family-friendly retreat reviews in the July issue of Scottish Field magazine.