What to do in Edinburgh in December 2026

Tuesday, December 1, 2026

• Visual arts

  until Jan 3

  Peter Doig: Morning, Paramin

  Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art (Modern One and Modern Two) · Dean Village

  • Visual arts

  Free Tickets ↗

• Visual arts

  until Dec 6

  John Kay: Edinburgh Observer

  Scottish National Gallery (the National) · Princes Street Gardens

  • Visual arts

  Free Tickets ↗

• Visual arts

  until May 16

  Scotland's First Warriors

  National Museum of Scotland · Old Town

  • Visual arts

  Free Tickets ↗

• Visual arts

  until Dec 6

  Stanley Cursiter: Artist & Curator

  Scottish National Gallery (the National) · Princes Street Gardens

  • Visual arts

  Free Tickets ↗

• Visual arts

  until Jan 16

  Costume Couture: Sixty Years of Cosprop

  Dovecot Studios · Southside

  • Visual arts

• Visual arts

  until Jan 4

  Gwen John: Strange Beauties

  Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art (Modern One and Modern Two) · Dean Village

  • Visual arts

  £14 Tickets ↗

• Visual arts

  until Mar 21

  Beyond Bayeux: Tapestry Now

  Dovecot Studios · Southside

  • Visual arts

  Free

• Visual arts

  until Feb 13

  The Rupture: No condition is permanent

  Talbot Rice Gallery · Southside

  • Visual arts

• Visual arts

  until Feb 7

  Ida Applebroog: Portraits

  Fruitmarket · Old Town

  • Visual arts

  Free Tickets ↗

• Visual arts

  until Apr 11

  Ade Adesina: Bard

  Usher Hall · Lothian Road

  • Visual arts

  £8

• Visual arts

  until Apr 18

  Roman Scotland: Life on the Edge of Empire

  National Museum of Scotland · Old Town

  • Visual arts

  £15 Tickets ↗

• Visual arts

  until Apr 9

  Bayeux on the Balcony

  Dovecot Studios · Southside

  • Visual arts

  Free

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• Visual arts

  until Mar 7

  Kenneth Dingwall: Being

  Usher Hall · Lothian Road

  • Visual arts

• Theatre

  until Jan 3

  A Christmas Carol

  Royal Lyceum Theatre · Tollcross

  • Theatre

• Visual arts

  until Apr 11

  Scottish Portrait Awards 2026

  Scottish National Portrait Gallery (the Portrait) · New Town

  • Visual arts

  Tickets ↗

• Comedy

  8 PM

  Stu & Garry’s Improv Show

  The Stand Comedy Club · New Town

  • Comedy

• Nights out

  11 PM

  VOLTA AUDIO

  The Bongo Club · Old Town

  • Nights out

  £5

• Music

  until Dec 5

  The Choir of Man

  Edinburgh Festival Theatre · Southside

  • Music
  • Theatre
  • Choir

Wednesday, December 2, 2026

• Music

  7:30 PM

  Love Actually In Concert 2026

  Usher Hall · Lothian Road

  • Music
  • Cinema

  £46

• Comedy

  8 PM

  Ignacio Lopez: Nada

  The Stand Comedy Club · New Town

  • Comedy

• Music

  —Time not announced

  Back To The Future The Musical

  Edinburgh Playhouse · Greenside

  • Music
  • Theatre

• Music

  —Time not announced

  The Pretty Reckless

  Assai Records

  • Music

  Tickets ↗

Thursday, December 3, 2026

• Comedy

  3 PM

  Mountebank Comedy Whisky Tasting

  Daniel Downie

  The Stand Comedy Club · New Town

  • Comedy

• Music

  7 PM

  Disney's The Muppet Christmas Carol in Concert - Live to Film

  Usher Hall · Lothian Road

  • Music

  £37.75

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• Music

  7:30 PM

  SCO 26/27: Bartók's Music for Strings, Percussion & Celeste

  The Queen's Hall · Southside

  • Music

• Comedy

  8 PM

  Bona Fide

  Jay Lafferty

  The Stand Comedy Club · New Town

  • Comedy

• Visual arts

  —Time not announced

  Prince: Music, Fashion and Costume

  Dovecot Studios · Southside

  • Visual arts

Friday, December 4, 2026

• Comedy

  3 PM

  Mountebank Comedy Whisky Tasting

  Daniel Downie

  The Stand Comedy Club · New Town

  • Comedy

• Music

  7:30 PM

  Swing Into Christmas with the Down for the Count Swing Orchestra

  The Queen's Hall · Southside

  • Music
  • Swing

• Music

  8 PM

  Laura Cortese & The Dance Cards

  Private Event

  • Music

  Tickets ↗

• Comedy

  8 PM

  The Friday Show

  Joe Casey Krystal Evans Kuan-wen Huang Jojo Sutherland Rachel Fairburn

  The Stand Comedy Club · New Town

  • Comedy

Saturday, December 5, 2026

• Music

  10 AM

  Endless Love Creative – Winter Makers Market

  Organization

  Fruitmarket · Old Town

  • Music

  £2 Tickets ↗

• Music

  4 PM

  NSA: SLAM [ALT. SET] & DOMBRANCE [LIVE]

  The Bongo Club · Old Town

  • Music

  £25 Sold out

• Comedy

  4:30 PM

  The Early Saturday Show

  Kuan-wen Huang Jojo Sutherland Rachel Fairburn

  The Stand Comedy Club · New Town

  • Comedy

• Music

  7 PM

  Beatles Complete

  The Liquid Room · Old Town

  • Music

• Comedy

  8 PM

  The Saturday Show

  Joe Casey Krystal Evans Kuan-wen Huang Jojo Sutherland Rachel Fairburn

  The Stand Comedy Club · New Town

  • Comedy

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• Music

  8 PM

  Trevor Horn

  The Queen's Hall · Southside

  • Music

• Visual arts

  —Time not announced

  Paper Flower Making: Mistletoe

  Dovecot Studios · Southside

  • Visual arts

• Visual arts

  —Time not announced

  Tapestry Talks: The Scottish Tapestry Trail

  Dovecot Studios · Southside

  • Visual arts

Sunday, December 6, 2026

• Music

  7:30 PM

  Acoustic Duke

  The Queen's Hall · Southside

  • Music

• Comedy

  7:30 PM

  The Sunday Night Laugh-In

  The Stand Comedy Club · New Town

  • Comedy

Monday, December 7, 2026

• Music

  1:10 PM

  Get Organised - Choir and Organ Christmas Special

  Usher Hall · Lothian Road

  • Music
  • Choir

  £7

• Music

  7 PM

  Barenaked Ladies

  The Queen's Hall · Southside

  • Music

• Comedy

  8 PM

  Red Raw

  The Stand Comedy Club · New Town

  • Comedy

Tuesday, December 8, 2026

• Music

  8 PM

  David J

  The Voodoo Rooms · New Town

  • Music

  Tickets ↗

• Nights out

  11 PM

  VOLTA AUDIO

  The Bongo Club · Old Town

  • Nights out

  £5

Wednesday, December 9, 2026

• Comedy

  7 PM

  The Stand Comedy Club Pub Quiz

  The Stand Comedy Club · New Town

  • Comedy

• Music

  —Time not announced

  Downtown Boys

  The Mash House · Old Town

  • Music
  • Punk

Thursday, December 10, 2026

• Music

  2 PM

  SCO 26/27: Classical Revolution

  The Queen's Hall · Southside

  • Music
  • Classical

• Comedy

  3 PM

  Mountebank Comedy Whisky Tasting

  Daniel Downie

  The Stand Comedy Club · New Town

  • Comedy

• Music

  6:30 PM

  The Exploited

  La Belle Angèle · Cowgate

  • Music

  Tickets ↗

• Comedy

  8 PM

  The Thursday Show

  Dean T. Beirne Kate Martin Gareth Mutch Jo Caulfield

  The Stand Comedy Club · New Town

  • Comedy

• Music

  —Time not announced

  Artemas: Getting Up to No Good

  Edinburgh Corn Exchange · Gorgie

  • Music

Friday, December 11, 2026

• Comedy

  3 PM

  Mountebank Comedy Whisky Tasting

  Daniel Downie

  The Stand Comedy Club · New Town

  • Comedy

• Music

  7 PM

  Barenaked Ladies

  The Queen's Hall · Southside

  • Music

• Music

  7 PM

  PorkPie

  The Queen's Hall · Southside

  • Music

• Comedy

  8 PM

  The Friday Show

  Kate Martin Gareth Mutch Amy Matthews Jo Caulfield

  The Stand Comedy Club · New Town

  • Comedy

• Dance

  until Dec 24

  Scottish Ballet Cinders!

  Edinburgh Festival Theatre · Southside

  • Dance

• Visual arts

  —Time not announced

  Statement Fabric Jewellery

  Dovecot Studios · Southside

  • Visual arts

Saturday, December 12, 2026

• Comedy

  4:30 PM

  The Early Saturday Show

  Gareth Mutch Amy Matthews Jo Caulfield

  The Stand Comedy Club · New Town

  • Comedy

Everything on in Edinburgh