UPDATE: Due to the impact of Covid-19, we have postponed our regular programme of in-person events. However, we are now offering free online events on Zoom for the foreseeable future. Check back here for our latest announcements.

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.

UPDATE: This event has been postponed.

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.

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