1. Doors Open, done differently. The annual Doors Open event is a firm favourite of many folk, when you get to poke about venues that are normally closed to the general public. This week in Glasgow (and for the rest of the month throughout Scotland) you can visit art galleries, council buildings, the Barrowland Ballroom, the necropolis and much more, all virtually from the comfort of your couch, from 14-20 September. Check out all the details at www.glasgowdoorsopendays.org.uk
2. Bloody Scotland, an innovative festival drawing on Scotland’s love of the literary macabre and celebrating crime writing, is moving online. It will bring together leading Scottish and international writers, showcase debut voices and encourage new writers. On Friday members of the Bloody Scotland board will lead us into the weekend, talking about the perils and pitfalls of planning a book festival in the middle of a pandemic, reminiscing about Bloody Scotlands past and looking forward to a fabulous weekend.
3. The Take One Action Film Festival is an event with a political slant, founded on the belief that “cinematic experiences can inspire lasting change” and offering a series of talks and programmes showing how films can be used to empower communities on an international stage. The festival –online this year – kicks off on Wednesday with Coded Bias, about artificial intelligence.
4. Throughout lockdown, we have been gifted some amazing short pieces of theatre from the National Theatre of Scotland’s Scenes of Survival series, all of which are online. This week has a wonderful play Ghostlight, a tribute to the art of theatre making on an empty stage. Written and directed by Hope Dickson Leach, details at www.nationaltheatrescotland.com
5. The Glasgow Womens’s Library has re-opened, to thundering applause from feminists all over the land. A brand new exhibit, Collecting in the Time of Coronavirus, is available, and the library has launched a select-and-collect service, so you can still borrow books safely. A warm welcome awaits. Check out the library website for online events and further information: www.womenslibrary.org.uk
6. The virtual Kiltwalk has become a braw Scottish tradition, a unique Scottish charity that enables thousands of walkers to raise funds for their chosen charity. This year, of course, the walkers cannot get together so are meeting virtually instead and sharing all their stories and charity information. If you are one of the walkers, good luck to you. who doesn’t like a wee bit of tartan and a feelgood story? Kiltwalk kindness is still go, and we’ll see you next year fingers crossed. All the information is at: www.thekiltwalk.co.uk
7. The unique Björk has been playing a number of concerts recently to raise money for women’s charities worldwide. With more than 100 musicians joining her across the series, each show will take place with a live audience at Reykjavík’s Harpa Hall and stream globally. The singer says the events are to honour folks who have been hit hardest during the coronavirus pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement, and to honour how many Icelandic musicians she has worked with through the years. Björk with Choir and Organ will be streamed live on Saturday at 6pm
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