Latest news with #TheFringe
Glasgow Times
4 days ago
- Business
- Glasgow Times
Glasgow coffee shop to rebrand as American-style diner
Grain and Grind have announced their Battlefield branch, located on Battlefield Road, will close this month and reopen as Queen's Diner. They will close on Monday before reopening in late August. Queen's Diner will be open for breakfast, lunch and dinner and will serve dishes including waffles, fried chicken and burgers. READ NEXT: 'I couldn't have afforded it': This Glasgow pub helps comic to The Fringe However, fans of Grain and Grind's current offerings were assured they will still be serving "the same great coffee". In a post shared on Instagram announcing the change, bosses wrote: "As of Monday 21st of July, we will be closing the doors of our Battlefield branch for a refurb and a rebrand. "We're planning to re-open in late August as Queens Diner, an American-inspired all day dining experience. "Queens Diner will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner. "Our menu will feature waffles, fried chicken, filled subs and burgers. As well as breakfast rolls and subs to takeaway." READ NEXT: Restaurants say they have lost thousands due to repeated flooding They continued: "We will still serve the same great coffee roasted by John and some great new additions like freshly pressed juices, ice cream floats and milkshakes. "Thanks for all your support over the years, it has been a blast. "We're super excited for the next part of this journey." Grain and Grind opened their first shop in Battlefield at the beginning of 2018 and now have seven cafes serving their small batch coffee.
Edmonton Journal
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Edmonton Journal
Theatre, music and poetry abound at Found Festival this weekend
From cafés to alleyways, parks to places with no proper name at all, Found Festival has been de-institutionalizing visual and performing arts for 14 years, running through Sunday on both sides of the river. Article content To say Found has a proper centre at The Fringe Grounds Café in its nightly AfterFound parties almost sounds like an accusation. Luckily — to maintain the festival's happily un-pinnable ethos — even these events are completely different night by night. Article content Article content 'Our mission is to bring some really wild and unexpected and fun and beautiful performances, and different types of art, to places in the community and in the city's neighbourhoods that folks might not look at in that way. Article content 'We really want to just take art out of institutional spaces, theatres, galleries, concert halls, things like that — places where people gather already.' Article content So, for you, this might be the aforementioned Hot Garbage at The Fringe Grounds Café Saturday night, where the suggested dress code is anything handmade, recycled or reworked as you wander through projects made by artists teamed up a mere 72 hours earlier, culminating in a straight-up dance party. Article content Article content Or, 7:30 p.m. Friday on Queen Elizabeth Hill overlooking Walterdale Bridge, a free, all-ages concert with a trio of powerhouse bands: hard-rocking lushclot, doomy Old Mound and darkwave duo Mox Jet. Again, free. Article content Article content Or how about adults-only Saskatchewan import play Slugs, the poster looking like a sexy horror movie? Article content 'They would love to hear that,' Brock laughs. 'S.E. Grummett and Sam Kruger have had huge Fringe hits (Something in the Water, Creepy Boys), and they're here with what's actually a huge production. It's got a lot of video, live music and is about these two techno punk artists who are trying to create a show that is entirely about nothing political in today's world.
Scotsman
07-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Innis & Gunn launches ‘Hole in Gunn' challenge at The Genesis Scottish Open - with a year's supply of beer to be won
One perfect swing could land a lucky golfer a year's supply of beer, thanks to a new challenge launched by Innis & Gunn to mark their partnership with the Genesis Scottish Open. The Edinburgh-based brewery has teed up the 'Hole in Gunn' challenge for Pro-Am Day, where any player landing a hole-in-one will walk away with 12 months of award-winning beer from one of Scotland's best-loved brewers. The challenge kicks off Innis & Gunn's new role as Official Beer Partner for the tournament, with the brand expecting to serve more than 30,000 pints across the course of the event. Well-known names confirmed to take part in the Pro-Am include Gary Woodland former US Open Champion and former Open Champion Francesco Molinari, with more sporting and celebrity participants set to be announced in the coming days. But it's not just the players who can get lucky. To celebrate the partnership, Innis & Gunn is also offering fans the chance to win a pair of tickets to Sunday's final round of the Scottish Open, one of the most in-demand days of the summer. All you have to do is buy a pint at one of Innis & Gunn's three Taprooms in Glasgow and Edinburgh from Monday July 7, and you'll be automatically entered into the prize draw. The Genesis Scottish Open partnership is the latest addition to Innis & Gunn's growing portfolio of major cultural and sporting partnerships, which already includes The Fringe, The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, The Royal Highland Show, Celtic Connections, and Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival. Dougal Sharp, founder and master brewer at Innis & Gunn, said: 'The Genesis Scottish Open is one of the biggest dates in Scotland's sporting calendar, and we're proud to be on board as Official Beer Partner. 'At Innis & Gunn, we're all about raising the bar, whether that's in the glass or out on the course. The 'Hole in Gunn' challenge is our way of adding a bit of fun and flavour to the action, and rewarding the kind of precision we can all raise a pint to. "We'll be bringing the full Innis & Gunn experience to the tournament: great beer, great energy and a celebration of world-class talent right here in Scotland.' The Genesis Scottish Open takes place from 10–13 July at The Renaissance Club in East Lothian, with the Pro Am taking place on 9 July.
Scotsman
20-06-2025
- Scotsman
Edinburgh shopkeepers left dreading busy times of year as shoplifting on the rise
Edinburgh city centre shopkeepers have been reacting to news that reported shoplifting incidents have more than doubled in the past two years. Sign up to the daily Crime UK newsletter. All the latest crime news and trials from across the UK. Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The latest data from Police Scotland shows that theft by shoplifting grew in Edinburgh from 3,461 incidents in 2022 to 7,592 incidents in 2024, a rise of 119 per cent. The most affected area is the city centre, which saw 2,199 shoplifting crimes in 2024. Majid Mohamed, who has groups of shoplifters visiting his mobile phone accessories and repair shop on Princes Street, said the problem gets particularly bad during busy tourist seasons. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad He said: 'It depends on the time of year really how bad shoplifting is, it's particularly bad at Christmas and New Year and of course The Fringe, the busy times for the city. 'They come in to the shop in groups of two or three, sometimes with masks. They mostly go for earbuds and small items, which don't cost too much, but it all adds up. 'We have CCTV but when they are in groups they provide cover for each other. Sometimes items are stolen without us even noticing until too late. And even though we have the cameras the thieves don't seem to care, it's a 'what are you going to do' kind of attitude, pretty intimidating.' The store manager at cosmetics shop Kiko Milano on Princes Street praised her staff for knowing what to look out for regarding shoplifters. | National World Dawn Alexander, store manager at cosmetics shop Kiko Milano on Princes Street, said shoplifting has been a problem in recent years but praised her staff for knowing how to deal with it. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad She said: 'It was bad when I started here two years ago, but the team I have here now know what to look out for. It's not as bad as what it was, but I put that down to my staff having good knowledge of regular shoplifters and the signs to look out for. 'There are organised gangs of shoplifters really. You can see them coming together in the morning, meeting outside Waverley Market. They are quite brazen, you need to be very strict with them. Our staff know most of their faces now so can watch out for them. They are normally carrying big bags, so are not that hard to spot. I have seen them running past after stealing large amounts from JD Sports. 'When you are phoning the police to report the incidents you are basically wasting your time, as we don't have cameras to record the thefts. We think we're going to get cameras though, to help stop this problem. The community officer is lovely and very helpful though.' She added: 'The whole thing is a bit scary though but I guess it's just another part of the job now, keeping an eye out for shoplifters.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The Police Scotland figures show that Leith Walk was the next most affected Edinburgh area for shoplifting last year with 794 incidents, while Portobello and Craigmillar had 626 incidents last year. Another Princes Street shopkeeper, who did not want to be named, said: 'We've noticed a rise in shoplifting incidents, but not huge, in fact all in all it's probably about the same, I just think more people are reporting these crimes now. 'There are a lot of young people kicking about causing a nuisance, but a lot more is being done now to tackle the issue, with the Business Improvement District (BID) people helping retailers here with security.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad A Princes Street shop assistant said: 'Shoplifting is quite prevalent, it's almost daily now. And there's lots you don't even notice at the time. It's bad for business. It's actually surprising to me who is doing the shoplifting, it's all sorts. A lot of people we've caught shoplifting you would never have guessed. 'We had a woman in a wheelchair who stole lots of items, we've had parents with kids in buggies, who steal items and hide them in the buggy. And also just groups of teenagers. 'We feel now like we have to really keep an eye on everyone who comes in here, just in case, be extra vigilant.' Another shopkeeper at a Princes Street unit added: 'We have definitely noticed a surge in shoplifting in recent years. I have worked here for a year and a half and I noticed a big difference until recently. It was getting silly how many incidents there was. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'However, recently it appears to be quietening down in general. Although, there are still groups going round with large bags stealing items. We have even had parents with push chairs stealing items.' Police Scotland have been approached for comment.
The Herald Scotland
04-06-2025
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
'Do we want Edinburgh as a Harry Potter theme park?'
Regularly ranking among the world's best cities, boasting postcard-worthy views around virtually every corner, and hosting the globe's largest performing arts festival, The Fringe - alongside increasingly bustling Christmas markets - the city has become a year-round tourist destination for culture vultures, influencers, history buffs, and Harry Potter fans alike. This supports tens of thousands of jobs, stimulates significant investment in business and keeps Edinburgh squarely on the global map. But for the local population, especially in the city centre where the majority of visitors congregate, it often means overcrowded streets, an escalating cost of living and strained infrastructure. Balancing the mass tourism driving what some call Edinburgh's 'Disneyfication' - or perhaps more accurately, its Potterfication - with the needs of residents remains a key challenge for the city. The introduction of the UK's first Transient Visitor Levy (TVL), or 'tourist tax', comes as a direct response to these pressures. However, it is unlikely to be a silver bullet. In the second of an exclusive two-part interview for The Herald's series looking at the Future of Edinburgh, City of Edinburgh Council's leader Jane Meagher and chief executive Paul Lawrence reflected on the impact of tourism and opportunities of the forthcoming visitor levy. Councillor Meagher acknowledged there are a 'whole lot of issues relating to the city centre' as a result of Edinburgh's strong visitor economy. 'One concern is about managing what kind of city centre we want this to be,' she said, adding: 'Do we want it to be a Harry Potter theme park or do we want it to be a living city centre where people live and work? Read more from our Future of Edinburgh series: 'That's where things like the visitor levy come in. Clearly, one of the aims of the visitor levy is to make the visitor experience more sustainable. 'What that means is providing visitors with a reason to move outwith the city centre and go and visit Lauriston Castle, Craigmillar Castle, go and visit the other World Heritage Site out at Queensferry and take advantage of the shorefront that people can enjoy. 'What tends to happen is some people congregate around the Royal Mile to the exclusion of even places like the Botanical Gardens, so part of the visitor levy is going to be to make what we're packaging as sustainable. 'In other words, not concentrating on the middle of the city. 'As well as thinking about the city centre we need to bear in mind there are areas outwith the city centre that will become in their own right visitor venues. The Granton Gasholder is a recent excellent example of that park and its attractions.' The proliferation of city centre gift shops, sometimes dubbed 'tartan tat' retailers, is a hot button issue for locals in Edinburgh who complain about a lack of essential amenities like grocery stores in the centre of town. On this point, Meagher said: 'I think there's an overprovision of certain types of shop. I have friends, some of whom live at the foot of the Royal Mile, and it is quite difficult to find corner shops. I think we need a better mix.' Mr Lawrence agreed there are 'too many of a certain kind of retail offer in certain places' and said it was 'clear to see' this needed rebalancing. However, the council's chief officer contended Edinburgh has 'the best blend of restaurants, pubs and shops in the UK by a mile'. He said: 'A lot of places suffer from only having chain pubs, restaurants and so on. We have a thriving independent sector, which through the visitor levy we also want to support. So if you look at the diversity as a whole, walk from here to Leith, and in Leith Walk we have one of the most exciting streets in the UK. I think the mix compared to others is spectacular. 'If you're on the Royal Mile you can be at a Lidl on Nicolson Street in five minutes, that's not the case in most places. 'But are there pockets where there are over concentrations of a certain kind of provision? Of course there are.' This issue was debated in the City Chambers last year after a councillor said the number of gift shops on the Royal Mile in council-owned commercial units had become "embarrassing,' and complained the capital's 'window on the world has a See You Jimmy Hat in it'. Lawrence said: 'If we own something then we can decide who to lease it to. So, for example, if we want to ensure that some of our properties are used for charitable or social purposes we can, but the council has a policy of no concessionary lets on our property estate because our property estate cross-subsidies some of the council's core services, so there is a consequence. 'Both as a property owner, as a licensing authority and a planning authority we have a lot of policies that dig into these issues, and like most things there's always a balance involved in all of this.' Another ongoing challenge for the authority is reducing traffic levels while increasing pedestrian space to handle heavy footfall. Questions persist over how the council plans to meet its target to cut car kilometres driven in the city by 30% by 2030, especially after the Scottish Government recently ditched its less ambitious target of 20%. Meanwhile, plans to remove through traffic from key city centre roads including the North and South Bridges and The Mound were delayed last year due to a lack of funding from the Scottish Government. The Royal Mile (Image: Colin Mearns) At the time, former transport convener Scott Arthur said it was 'not just as simple as putting planters in,' while senior officer Gareth Barwell added it was 'very hard to go cheap and nasty' in a World Heritage Site'. However, the slow progress to make the centre of Edinburgh more pedestrian friendly and less congested has made some question how committed the council is to implementing changes. Lawrence highlighted the closures of the Old Town's Cockburn Street and Victoria Street to through traffic 'at little or no cost because we have not done large scale new street designs'. He said: 'We've simply said you can't drive your car down there anymore and some people have agreed with that and some people have disagreed with that. 'There's somewhere like George Street, potentially the finest street in Edinburgh, one of the finest streets in the UK, where I don't think that approach would be right. 'We have a scheme from Meadows to George Street which would improve the public realm significantly. We're under a lot of pressure, and understandably so, from organisations like Living Streets to improve the pavement experience both in the city centre and elsewhere. 'In a World Heritage centre, that has to be done right. And that's not cheap. 'There are some times when we can take a relatively low intervention approach, if I can call it that. There are others where we need substantive street redesign from building line to building line. We have to do that respectfully to the heritage of the city. We've inherited some of the most spectacular street designs in Europe and we can't ignore that.' Read more: Meagher added: 'Edinburgh is one of the easiest places to walk around as opposed to any other ways of getting around the city, but there's no doubt - I mean look at Princes Street, the pavements on Princes Street are in a shocking state.' The council chiefs said a potential £50m a year generated by the visitor levy - a 5% charge on overnight stays capped at five nights from July 2026 - will fund essential improvements to pedestrian spaces including the neglected Princes Street. 'We now have the opportunity with the visitor levy before us,' Lawrence said, 'we are working to bring forward proposals via the new Visitor Levy Forum to elected members later in the year on the first tranche of visitor levy investment. 'Those issues of the quality of the public realm in the city centre, whether it's from a day to day point of view - so graffiti removal and so on - or more substantive works like the quality of Princes Street, we are working hard on those to bring them to members later in the year to be considered, only considered because there's a lot of claims on that money, to be considered as first priority.' Meagher said: 'That £50m anticipated from the visitor levy has been spent many, many times over in people's imaginations. But I think it would be hard not to justify something to be done on Princes Street on things like improved lighting. 'We need to think long-term and have some sort of staged, strategic approach to the use of the visitor levy, rather than a whole random collection of one-off pieces of investment. We also need to see that over the years it's going to be spent in a strategic way.' Read more on the Future of Edinburgh: Lawrence stressed his team of officers 'will be looking for a balance between the city centre and other parts of the city in the visitor levy proposals'. He said: 'If we say it should all be spent on one square mile we know what the political reaction would be. What we are working on is basically everything we have heard from communities and elected members and others over the years to go 'what does a balanced package of investment look like so we can hopefully get political support for that later in the year?'. Public toilets are a good example.' Addressing the soaring cost of performing at Edinburgh's world-famous festivals could also be aided by TVL money, he added. 'If you talk to folk in the festival communities, they do talk about affordability both for audiences and performers as a challenge. So we need to work with them to go 'what interventions can help with that affordability challenge'. 'People have said for 40 years it's incredibly expensive to put on a show in Edinburgh and all the rest of it. People still come, but there's lots of other cities catching up with us and we need to stay ahead of the pack. If affordability is a challenge to people coming here, then what interventions might address that in the right way? 'The conversation we want to have with the festival community, in particular, is not just whether it's expensive, but how that relates to the programmes they want to put on. Jane Meagher has been City of Edinburgh Council's leader since December 2024 (Image: Gordon Terris) 'If you want more international performers to come for the Fringe or the International Festival then how do we create packages? So it's based on their development ambitions and their programme ideas, not just a kind of blanket approach. 'Affordability is clearly a challenge, but what are our shared ambitions and therefore what is the right intervention to make? 'That's why we're having those conversations which is why it's going to take time to bring forward proposals. 'Whether members want to spend the money on paving Princes Street or somewhere else, we will put forward a menu of choices later in the year.'
