UPDATE: Due to the impact of Covid-19, we have postponed our regular programme of in-person events. The final event in our summer lockdown series ‘in conversation with’ is now on sale, and we expect to announce our Autumn digital programme very soon.

See our city and its most famous buildings in a new way, and meet the experts that make all the difference. We host events for our members throughout the year, and you’ll find information on the latest one here.

Don’t suffer a blue Christmas, join Edinburgh World Heritage at home for the holidays with our special guests on Thursday 10th December. We’ll wish you a merry Christmas with mistletoe and wine through your screen (BYOB). Baby, it’s cold outside, so park yourself in front of the (virtual) fire and toast to a wonderful Christmastime with an evening of music, song, poetry and performance.

Whether you want a hippopotamus for Christmas or just your two front teeth, at Edinburgh World Heritage we’ll stop the cavalry to spend the evening in dulce jubilo with you.

Special guests include Alexander McCall Smith in the role of Mr. Charles Dickens, as well as soloists from St Mary’s Music School, and members of the choir of Old St Paul’s.

New member offer

New members will enjoy free entry to our Christmas event plus one free entry into our luxury raffle*. Become a member today from just £25 and join us on 10th December at no extra cost. New members will be sent joining information separately.

Tickets

Tickets are £5 for members and £10 for non-members and include entry to our luxury raffle*, drawn live on the night. Prizes include fine wines and spirits, paintings and an indulgent gift hamper.

Get tickets now.

*You may enter into the raffle as many times as you like by buying additional tickets to the event. Prize winners will be drawn by Edinburgh World Heritage. All decisions regarding prize winners are final. You will be contacted regarding the receipt of your prize via email within 5 working days of the raffle. You must respond to our email within 5 working days or we will choose another winner.

UPDATE: This event has been moved to April 15th 2021.

Our annual World Heritage Day lecture sees a prominent figure from the heritage world delving into fascinating aspects of our city’s history or addressing contemporary challenges facing the sector.

This year is no exception, and we can expect a fascinating key note lecture from Loyd Grossman, former Chair of Heritage Alliance, in one of our city’s fine civic spaces.

Tickets are on sale now on Eventbrite.

Sculptors and experts share and discuss the city’s outstanding monuments and public art. Special guests include sculptor Alexander Stoddart, the Queen’s Sculptor in Ordinary in Scotland, Director of Edinburgh Art Festival Sorcha Carey, Scottish sculptor Kenny Hunter and architect Fiona Rankin.

Exclusive new member offer

Become a member today and enjoy free access to all three of our autumn 2020 events.

Book tickets for this event here.

Our Autumn programme is a series of live online events celebrating Edinburgh’s role as inspiration to artists and writers.

Artists and experts share and discuss the city’s greatest art. Special guests include Scottish watercolourist Hugh Buchanan, RSA New Contemporaries 2020 exhibited young artist Lyndsey Mackenzie and Deputy Director & Chief Curator of European and Scottish art at the National Galleries of Scotland, Patricia Allerston.

Exclusive new member offer

Become a member today and enjoy free access to all three of our autumn 2020 events.

Book tickets for this event here.

Our Autumn programme is a series of live online events celebrating Edinburgh’s role as inspiration to artists and writers.

Writers and experts read and discuss some of the city’s greatest literature. Special guests include Scottish crime writer Ian Rankin, Director of Edinburgh UNESCO City of Literature Trust Ali Bowden and more.

Exclusive new member offer

Become a member today and enjoy free access to all three of our autumn 2020 events.

LIMITED BUNDLE OFFER – must end 24 September

Existing members and non-members can take advantage of our limited bundle offer – all three events for just £10.

• Book your bundle here.
• Book tickets for this event only here.

Our Autumn programme is a series of live online events celebrating Edinburgh’s role as inspiration to artists and writers.

In May 2019, the City of Edinburgh Council formally declared a climate emergency and committed the city to becoming a carbon-neutral city by 2030.

In the final conversation of our summer lockdown series we will attempt to understand the likely impact of climate change on the Old & New Towns of Edinburgh World Heritage Site, as well as explore what we can do to help the city meets its goal ambitious goal.

Joining us for this conversation will be Anna Beswick (Adaptation Scotland Programme Manager), Ewan Hyslop (Head of Technical Research & Science, Historic Environment Scotland), Adam McVey (Leader of City of Edinburgh Council) and more.

Now available to watch on YouTube. 

Recent events have resulted in a huge interest in the black history of Scotland and the nation’s well documented amnesia concerning its role in the transatlantic slave trade. Join us for the latest in our series of conversations with leading experts and members of the community.

Joining us for this conversation will be Sir Geoff Palmer OBE, Professor Emeritus in the School of Life Sciences at Heriot-Watt University and human rights campaigner, Lisa Williams from the Edinburgh Caribbean Association, a youth ambassador from Intercultural Youth Scotland, and more.

Tickets available on eventbrite.

How can we build a better Edinburgh?

Before the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, Edinburgh was experiencing an unprecedented degree of change in new development, transport, tourism, culture and the local economy. How will this now change?

In this conversation with four leading Edinburgh politicians we will ask the question: how can we make our capital city a better place in which to live and work post-Covid?

Tickets available now at eventbrite.

Is Edinburgh architecture at the dawn of a new ‘Golden Age’?

Today’s Edinburgh skyline reveals not only the towers and spires of our renowned World Heritage Site, but also countless cranes and gantries which signify the biggest building boom the city has seen for many years. In this conversation with leading architects Rab Bennetts, Malcom Fraser, and Richard Murphy, we will look at how the city is changing and ask whether future generations will look back and call this a ‘golden age’.

DATE: 6pm, Thursday 7 May 2020

Online via Zoom

Free tickets available now.

Join us at the Tron Kirk for fun, FREE, family-friendly art activities (6-11 years), perfect to shake up your February half-term.

Wish you were here?

How do you see Edinburgh? Throughout the day we’ll be exploring how the city has been portrayed in art over the years, and the sorts of stories these paintings tell. But what about you? Join us and tell your own story through fun, creative activities like art detective bingo and designing your own postcard.

DATE: Friday 14th February 2020

TIMES: Drop-in 12pm – 2pm (no booking required)

Find out more at www.ewh.org.uk/postcards.

These activities will be run by Edinburgh World Heritage and are part of the ATLAS project, which investigates sustainability best practice in the way we manage and care for urban World Heritage Sites. The project is part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund through Interreg Atlantic Area.

In this humorous guide to historical travel reviews and reports from the city, author Charles Maciejewski will share an overview of some of the less generous comments made by 17th, 18th and 19th century visitors. Collected over years of extensive research of historical journals and tourism guides, Maciejewski talks about his own views of Edinburgh, compared with the impressions of those who walked before him. In this amusing take on the travelogue genre, he promises that much has changed – mostly for the better!

6pm, Thursday 6 February 2020.

On Thursday 18 July, we led our members and supporters on a tour of some of Edinburgh’s most important Greek Revival buildings, including a view inside the Old Royal High School. The evening culminated with a drinks reception at the newly-opened Playfair ensemble of buildings at the City Observatory.

Take a look at our Twitter page for an overview of the evening:

Get to know Greek Revival in seven easy steps 🏛

Tonight we’re hosting Athens of the North: a tour of #Edinburgh’s Greek Revival architecture.

Join us here from 5.30pm for a digital glimpse into some of the iconic Greek Revival buildings that dominate Edinburgh’s New Town. pic.twitter.com/PNGK1G9A0W

— Edinburgh World Heritage (@EdinburghWH) 18 July 2019

Our supporters joined us for festive evening with drinks, nibbles and entertainment to celebrate a busy year.

On 2 November 2018 we held a CPD training session all about stonework. Members received discounted tickets.

On Thursday 25 October Edinburgh World Heritage presented a groundbreaking new lecture to celebrate Black History Month. Human rights activist and Professor Emeritus in the School of Life Sciences at Heriot-Watt University, Sir Geoff Palmer O.B.E. exposed Edinburgh’s long and profitable relationship with slavery. This was a sold out event.

Find out more on our blog.

Edinburgh World Heritage members and supporters joined us on the July 5 and the September 13 for our special guided tours of the enchanting gardens of the Old and New Towns. Our guides lead groups off the beaten track to discover some of the less well-known gardens of the World Heritage site, which are part of our UNESCO World Heritage inscription. We also shared stories associated with these special places.

Each event finished with a garden party drinks reception, a perfect way to end an Edinburgh summer’s evening.

On 19 June 2018, Edinburgh World Heritage ran a CPD training session all about stonework. There was a discount for members.

World Heritage skills workshop for 16-24 year-olds living in Edinburgh

As part of Scotland’s 2018 Year of Youth, Edinburgh World Heritage ran a workshop to share important heritage-related skills with young people from all backgrounds.

Our city’s heritage through the eyes of young people

As part of Scotland’s 2018 Year of Young People, and to celebrate World Heritage Day, a group of young people from Edinburgh shared their vision for our World Heritage Site.

During the event, our young ambassadors

• Told stories about the World Heritage Site
• Showed a series of short films they produced specially for the day
• Shared their hopes and aspirations for the future

After the event there was a reception where guests met our ambassadors